Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up — March 6-10, 2023

Grand Canyon Trails Update

Trails into Grand Canyon remain snow-packed and icy. As many of us know, rain, snow, and ice can increase the risk of rockfall on backcountry trails. Foot traction and trekking poles are strongly recommended for those planning to hike into the canyon in the coming weeks. 

In the wake of the highest snow accumulations in decades, it is imperative hikers demonstrate the highest level of preparedness for evolving and extreme winter weather conditions. On most trails, expect snow packed and icy trails for roughly the first three miles, with some sections retaining drifts of snow. Every hiker needs to evaluate not only their individual level of skill and preparedness, but that of their group as a whole, for extreme winter conditions.

On the North Kaibab Trail, staff reported conditions below the Coconino Overlook are virtually impassable. Hikers should expect deep snow above Redwall Bridge and mountaineering conditions above Supai Tunnel. Hiking is not recommended in the upper North Kaibab Trail at this time. Conditions may improve as temperatures warm this week, but given the volume of snow, expect travel on the North Kaibab to remain very challenging for some time.

For a more comprehensive list of backcountry trail updates, visit our park website here.

The Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA) Q&A: Coconino County Manager Steve Peru

Steve Peru became Coconino County Manager for a second time in 2021. He was originally hired by the County after graduating from Northern Arizona University in 1979 and had a storied 32-year career that culminated in becoming County Manager in 2006. He retired in 2011 and went on to positions at W.L. Gore & Associates, United Way of Northern Arizona and Coconino Community College before returning to County Government in 2021. Below is an excerpt from our recent interview with him. You can see the full conversation here.

Sedona Arts Center — NOW SHOWING! 42nd Annual Juried Members Exhibition

42ndAnnual
Juried Members Exhibition and Sale
March 6–31, 2023

Sedona Arts Center’s 42nd Annual Juried Members’ Show, our community’s largest and longest-running group exhibition of visual art in Uptown Sedona is now showing! Free to the public and all the works are for sale, with no sales tax included.

Visitors will find everything from painting and watercolor to metal, wood, jewelry, and fiber art. A focus is also placed on drawing, mixed-media, photography and digital art. The Members’ Show is steeped in tradition and remains open to all current Arts Center members, whether seasoned professionals or new and emerging artists.

The show is open 10am – 5pm Monday through Saturday, and 12 – 5pm on Sunday in our Special Exhibitions Gallery.

Opening Reception / Meet the Artists
Friday, March 10 from 4 to 6pm

March at the Museum of Northern Arizona

March certainly arrived like a lion. Beautiful as all this snow is, I’m looking forward to some more lamb-like weather and eventually some spring flowers. While we may not see those flowers until April or May, we have lots to look forward to at the Museum this month, including fun activities for kids during spring break next week. It’s another example of our efforts to broaden our engagement with visitors and the community, as identified in our Strategic Plan.

This is also the final month for the exhibition Baje Whitethorne Sr: Náátsʼíilid/Rainbow Light, which has been nominated for a Viola Award in Visual Art. If you haven’t seen it yet, come in to enjoy a burst of vibrant color by one of Flagstaff’s preeminent artists. Then come back on March 25 for a closing event to celebrate Baje and this marvelous exhibition, which was curated by another Viola honoree – Alan Petersen.

Board of Supervisors Approves Proclamation Designating March as Women’s History Month

“Coconino County is proud to join the nation’s celebration of Women’s History Month,” the proclamation reads. “The 2023 theme ‘Celebrating Women who Tell our Stories’… is a tribute and recognition of women, past and present who have been active on all forms of media telling stories that have significantly impacted our communities in areas of social justice, labor rights, gender, human and political rights.” 

The NAU Review — Our women influencers, Pi day reflections, using degrees to help those in need and an All-Steinway School designation

The women who shaped us
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and it has been a global celebration since 1911, recognizing the many contributions women have made to society. To honor the day, The NAU Review asked the women of NAU to reflect on a historical female figure who inspired them. From trailblazers like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and visionary writers like Octavia Butler to other figures with whom you may not be familiar—this is a list you don’t want to miss. And despite their different influences, these historical figures all have one thing in common—they fully embody and represent the month’s themes, whether it be environmental consciousness, cultural influences, equal representation, self-identity or equity. Their stories remind us that we’re all in this together, fighting for gender equality and celebrating the countless ways women have shaped our world.

Read the story

Innovation grants awarded to four concrete production projects

A coalition of cities and counties in the Western United States has awarded $389k in funding to four projects that fight climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the production of concrete. The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition — a partnership of Boulder County, CO, Flagstaff, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, and Santa Fe, NM — pools resources to provide grants to accelerate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) project deployment and business development in the Four Corners region.

United Way of Northern Arizona — Parents & Students Give KinderCamp™ High Marks

Participants in last year’s KinderCamp™ program – and their parents – gave the early childhood education program high marks in a survey conducted by AZ OnTrack.

The survey was completed by 50 children who were part of the KinderCamp program at Kinsey Elementary School in Flagstaff last summer. More than 80 parents also participated in the survey. AZ OnTrack is the state’s initiative to help children catch up from learning losses caused by the pandemic.

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — Your membership, donations support the work of CCC&Y

COCONINO COUNTY — We imagine a world where every person lives in peace and is supported by a thriving, resilient community.

The purpose of CCC&Y is bold and your help is needed.

When you become a member of CCC&Y, your financial contribution helps cultivate and strengthen well-informed communities by providing education and resources, bringing stakeholders together, building new systems of communication and more.

CCC&Y is building an inclusive movement of people dedicated to transforming and healing our communities.

Through leadership, education and advocacy. By becoming a member you add your name to an expansive list of individuals, families, businesses and organizations who are igniting collective action that creates better lives for children and families.

Please visit Membership Options

Make an Online Donation 

Remember, CCC&Y is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) status-so your contributions are tax deductible eligible. Please consult your tax professional. ​​​​​​​

Grand Canyon National Park Announces Tips for Spring Break Travel and Shuttle Bus Schedule

Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park can expect long lines and full parking lots during the spring break season, which spans from early March through mid-April. As a result of increased visitation, traffic regularly backs up at all entrance stations, with wait times of up to one to two hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Parking lots begin reaching capacity by 12 p.m. and shuttle bus wait times may be prolonged.            

The NAU Review — Research using NASA’s ECOSTRESS, tracking indigenous plants and Arizona’s new flat tax explained

NAU has received a $600,000 grant from NASA for a three-year project led by Teki Sankey to study the impact of forest restoration treatments on drought resilience in Arizona’s forests using NASA’s ECOSTRESS satellite. The team of researchers will focus on Arizona’s forests including Ponderosa pines and will validate their findings with field measurements of canopy and soil moisture. The project aims to determine if forest treatments result in water benefits for the entire ecosystem and will advance the development of satellite-based remote sensing methods for rapid detection of drought stress in vegetation.

United Way of Northern Arizona — Our board leadership

To fulfill its mission of improving lives by mobilizing communities to make lasting positive change, United Way of Northern Arizona has always depended on its volunteer Board of Directors to direct its efforts.

The Board is comprised of 25 individuals representing the diversity of the region it serves. The Board sets and monitors policies, reviews the budget, and ensures United Way’s accountability to all donors.

Recently, the UWNA Board elected its officers for the 2023 year.

Flagstaff Airport construction notice

The Flagstaff Pulliam Airport Terminal Lot entry and exit lanes will close for construction beginning this week. A temporary entrance and exit will be available for customers, and additional parking is available in the Overflow Parking Lot across Pulliam Drive.

Work will continue through June 2023 and is part of the airport’s implementation of a paid parking system. Airport patrons are asked to follow the traffic control signage in the construction area and park only in designated parking spaces.

Sedona Arts Center — Call for Artists — 19th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival

Sedona Arts Center invites you to be one of the master artists painting in the Shangri-La of the Southwest! Sedona is a sublime and stunningly beautiful environment steeped in art history. Sedona Arts Center dates back 65 years to the founding of Sedona’s identity as an ‘art colony.’ Our community’s iconic and wonderfully creative event—Sedona Plein Air Festival—is a week-long celebration of extraordinary landscapes, world-renowned artists, unique workshops, and wonderful free events from October 20 through 28, 2023!

Click here for more information

Extreme Snow Loads Creating Danger of Roof Failure

Significant snowfall and resulting snow loads have caused several roofs to collapse within the Flagstaff area. The City of Flagstaff and Coconino County are encouraging residents to check structures for signs of damage or stress. These signs can include:

Sagging ceiling tiles or boards, ceiling boards falling out of the ceiling grid, and/or sagging sprinkler lines and sprinkler heads
Sprinkler heads deflecting below suspended ceilings
Popping, cracking, and creaking noises
Sagging roof members, including metal decking or plywood sheathing
Bowing truss bottom chords or web members
Doors and/or windows that can no longer be opened or closed
Cracked or split wood members
Cracks in walls or masonry
Severe roof leaks
Excessive accumulation of water at nondrainage locations on low slope roofs

Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: Feb .27-March 3, 2023

Grand Canyon National Park experienced its eighth busiest year ever in 2022 with 4,732,101 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 200,000 above the previous year at a 4.5% increase. Grand Canyon also went from the fourth most visited national park to the second most visited. (#1-Great Smoky Mountains National Park).  

Visitation to Grand Canyon reached its highest level ever with approximately 6.4 million visits in 2018. Although 2022’s reduced visitation lessens the stress on the park’s resources, park operations still rely on the revenue from all income sources. Fewer visitors translates to reduced revenue for park programs. Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Funds (aka FLREA), transportation fees, and concession franchise fees are still reduced compared to pre-pandemic years. Funds from these sources support many programs across the park and park managers continue to work on programming costs with these smaller revenue projections in mind for this fiscal year. 

March 2 Meet & Greet with CCC’s new president has been rescheduled

Due to considerable snowfall amounts in the Flagstaff region, the Meet and Greet event for Coconino Community College President Dr. Eric Heiser originally scheduled for tonight, Thursday, March 2, will be rescheduled for a later date in April.

Dr. Eric Heiser has scheduled Meet and Greet events throughout Coconino County in communities that CCC serves in order to listen to what matters most to the residents of those communities when it comes to what they need from their community college.

Future events scheduled for March 8 in Flagstaff, April 4 in Williams and April 13 in Page.

The NAU Review — DART=success!, Hip Hop National Champions, expanding nursing and celebrating Women’s History Month

Remember DART, NASA’s attempt to redirect an asteroid? Results are in. It worked.
After ramming a spacecraft into a small asteroid last fall, researchers knew almost immediately that the mission had worked—that the impact changed the asteroid’s orbit. A new study authored by Cristina Thomas found that the orbit changed by a whopping 33 minutes, suggesting that the momentum of the ejected material was a significant contributor to the change. The study is published in Nature alongside three other articles detailing findings from this groundbreaking NASA mission.

City of Flagstaff facilities to open noon Thursday, March 2 due to inclement weather

Update: all City of Flagstaff administrative offices and non-essential facilities will now open at 12 p.m. (noon) Thursday, March 2. Opening of these facilities had originally been scheduled for 10 a.m. today but is being extended to 12 p.m. (noon) due to significant inclement weather and poor road conditions. Facilities will close at their normally scheduled times. This includes City recreation centers, libraries, and the Flagstaff Visitor Center.

City of Flagstaff — Temporary suspension of residential trash and recycling collection service

Due to poor road conditions and limited accessibility related to recent snowfall, the City of Flagstaff’s Solid Waste section has temporarily suspended residential trash and recycling collection services for Thursday, March 2. At this time, commercial trash and recycling containers continue to be serviced, where accessible.

The Solid Waste section will attempt to collect trash and recycling from both Thursday and Friday residential customers on Friday; however, some services may be postponed until Saturday. Service may be delayed for the next two to three days.

Residents are asked to wait to place their carts out for service until 6 a.m. the morning of service to allow for more efficient snow clearing operations. Please place residential carts in front of snow piles, on the curb, or at the end of cleared driveways to facilitate access. Carts placed on or behind snow piles will not be serviced due to accessibility issues.

Flood Control District Board Approves Two Essential Funding Sources for County Flood Mitigation

At this week’s special session of the Flood Control District Board of Directors they approved acceptance of two new Federal grants that will enable the District to immediately proceed with the first phase of long-term flood mitigation projects.

The Schultz-Pipeline Flood Area is defined as the neighborhoods downstream of nine major watersheds damaged by the Schultz Wildfire in 2010 and the Pipeline Wildfire this past year. The District, along with several engineering partners, have determined that without extensive on-forest and neighborhood mitigation measures, the risk of life-threatening floods affecting our communities will only increase. 

“The priority of local government is the health and safety of our citizens, and our citizens’ lives and homes were severely impacted this past monsoon season by the nine watersheds compromised by two major wildfires,” said Chair of the Board Patrice Horstman. “We want to thank Senators Kelly and Sinema and former Congressman Tom O’Halleran for their strong support with securing this unprecedented funding. Without it, the District and County would have likely had to cut other services to provide flood mitigation.”

Sedona Arts Center — More Art Classes and Workshops to Explore!

Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years.

Click here to see all of our classes and workshops

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — We All Need Someone to Lean On

COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth (CCC&Y), sees you! We see all the ways you support folks in your neighborhood and our community! You are helping to “bring back the village,” and you’re doing great! 

Let’s face it, life can be challenging, and too often, we are collectively stressed. Stress is normalized. We can acknowledge that some stress is good for us, keeping us thinking and maybe even providing us a boost to take necessary action. However, maintaining health requires that we offer ourselves opportunities to decompress. CCC&Y hopes you gift yourself with time to reconnect with yourself and those closest to you. 

During this winter season, CCC&Y invites you to cozy up with some tea and a warm blanket and take a few mindful moments to recognize and honor your inner self and notice your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. (“Mindfulness for Parents and Professionals”). If our opportunity for Mindfulness feels supportive to you, we invite you to share it with others. 

Coconino County Parks & Recreation March 2023 Update

Book Corner

Blustery weather makes for the perfect time to curl up with a good book! 50 Things to do in the Urban Wild by Clare Gogerty is a book to get the creative juices flowing by giving you ideas for how to connect to your local area. Although written in the United Kingdom, the book is applicable to people living anywhere, including the diverse landscapes of Coconino County. Topics include how to create a leaf journal, how to identify trees in winter, cloud spotting, city hiking, and restoring natural habitats. Get inspired to enjoy your local trail system, nature, and wildlife. Maybe you can even learn skills that you can enter in the Coconino County Fair, with topics including growing plants and incorporating nature in art!