
021-2022 Annual Report

This month’s newsletter focuses on providing information that will be helpful as you prepare for the the upcoming General Election. We provide F3’s 2022 Voter Guide to statewide and local propositions, and information about how to vote for the official write-in City Council candidates. Lend your voice to community decisions by attending local meetings in October that are outlined below, and check out the upcoming workshop on socially-responsible investing.

On Monday, at 4:13 p.m. (Arizona time), more than 7 million miles away, NASA’s DART mission successfully slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos, making history as the first step toward a possible future planetary defense strategy that includes redirecting asteroids on a collision course with Earth. Cristina Thomas, assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science and team lead on the DART mission, along with Jason Wilder, vice president for research, were at mission control in Laurel, Maryland, to witness the historic moment unfold.

They will undergo drills and inspections. They will take classes and be put under extreme stress.
The purpose: To achieve a level of professionalism in policing that meets the needs of the communities of northern Arizona. Beginning Oct. 3, 13 recruits will undergo 21 weeks of training at the newly established High Country Training Academy at Coconino Community College.
“CCC’s goal is to partner with the local community to train people who live in Coconino County for jobs in Coconino County,” said Dr. Nate Southerland, Provost for CCC. “We are so grateful to our local law enforcement agencies for being the driving force behind this new program and providing the personnel needed to make it successful.”
Southerland also said that with CCC and local agencies working together, they can generate new interest in law enforcement careers and keep the community’s talent in the community.

With the change of season, we look forward to the traditions that mark the time of year. Two weekends ago the 2nd Annual Harvest Festival and Indigenous Farmers Market at Colton Garden brought lots of people to the MNA campus to celebrate the bounty of the summer and the fabulous work done in the museum gardens. Kudos to the many volunteers and staff involved, particularly our partners for the event, Flagstaff Foodlink.
Now we are in the midst of the annual Flagstaff Festival of Science, another of MNA’s community partnerships. On Tuesday kids and parents came to the museum’s Discovery Village to learn about volcanoes within view of our most dramatic volcano – the San Francisco Peaks. Our biggest FFOS event will be this Saturday, when we will hold a Science Play Day at the museum exhibit building. This event includes hands-on science activities for kids, a series of short science talks, and some very special guests. Like all of the Festival of Science, the Science Play Day is completely free to the public, a gift from us to our community.
Another long-standing fall tradition comes at the end of October, when we partner with Flagstaff Nuestras Raices to put on Celebraciones de la Gente. That Day of the Dead Festival honors those we have lost while celebrating life.
Three great events and three great community partners – we often talk about MNA as a center of science, art, and culture, but we are also a place of food, fun, and family.
I hope to see you soon at the museum,
Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona

Why should you donate to United Way of Northern Arizona during our annual campaign?
Because when people struggle to meet basic needs – like food, shelter, and safety – everything else becomes more difficult.
Fueled by your financial support, UWNA and its network of partners work with families and individuals so they can move from day-to-day existence to planning for a positive future.

Coconino County Superintendent of Schools, Cheryl Mango-Paget, has been recognized as a 2022 Woman Achiever of Arizona by the Arizona Capitol Times.
The Arizona Capitol Times states that this award celebrates the accomplishments of women leaders who persevered and excelled in their work this year. A Woman Achiever of Arizona helps Arizonans today and prepares the state for a flourishing future. Cheryl Mango-Paget will be honored with other Women Achiever Winners at a luncheon on October 25, 2022, at the Phoenix Art Museum. She will also be profiled in a special edition of the Arizona Capitol Times. A list of the awardees can be found at https://azcapitoltimes.com/2022-women-achievers-of-arizona/.

Virginia Watahomigie, executive director of CCC&Y, and Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Mango-Paget have been selected as 2022 Women Achievers of Arizona by Arizona Capitol Times.
They join 20 other individuals who will be honored at the 2022 Women Achievers of Arizona luncheon to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix
Click here for ticket information.
The 2022 Women Achievers of Arizona celebrates the accomplishments of top women in numerous fields, the publication reported.Amidst a challenging year, these leaders persevered and excelled. Their collective work helps Arizonans today and prepares the state for a flourishing future. The Achievers will also be profiled in a special edition of the Arizona Capitol Times.

Be sure to check out the Verde Valley Ceramics Exhibition October 6 – November 3, 2022!
Held at the Patty McMullen-Mikles Art Gallery at Yavapai College, Verde Valley Campus
Sedona Arts Center Ceramicists participating in this special exhibition: Dennis Ott, Frank Fiore, Sheena Sovich, Neil Kennedy, Kim Sammartano, Lolo Aileen Howe, Fran Schlatler

Ongoing this week at 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Science Bedtime Stories launch on our website. Enjoy recordings of local authors reading their children’s books with science themes! In these recorded segments, bring the whole family to enjoy a bedtime story! 2022 Bedtime Stories are sponsored by Bright Side Bookshop.

After several weeks of pipeline breaks and water restrictions, water in storage tanks on both North and South rims of Grand Canyon National Park have reached sustainable levels.
Visitors, residents, and businesses should continue to use basic water conservation practices and mindful water use at all times. Water conservation tips for visitors and residents include turning off the water while brushing teeth or shaving, washing only full loads of dishes or laundry, and reporting leaks and wasteful water use to appropriate staff. Residents are also reminded to use reclaimed water for plants, lawns, and washing vehicles and to not fill large-capacity water tanks in the park.

Is Valley Fever the next epidemic? In Arizona, where the fungal disease thrives, it’s a major health concern—one that’s increasing as climate change leads to hotter, drier regions nationwide. It’s critical enough that congressional leaders gave the National Institutes of Health a mandate to develop a Valley Fever vaccine in the next decade. Paul Keim, executive director of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, is leading a $7.5 million collaborative effort with the University of Washington School of Medicine to develop that vaccine, with PMI professors Bridget Barker and Erik Settles playing key roles in the research.

A full closure of Buffalo Park will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and Wednesday, Sept. 28 to allow for construction activities related to the Arizona State Parks Grant for the Buffalo Park Trail Accessibility project. The full closure will include the closure of the parking lot, ramada, restrooms and all other areas within Buffalo Park.

In celebration of this year’s festival, enjoy the Festival Insights Blog on our website! The blog features posts from a variety of event hosts from this year’s festival discussing their work and their programs! The blogs include articles from disease ecologist Jeff Foster, artist Erika Tsouras and many more!
Learn about the amazing science and innovation taking place in Flagstaff and get ready for some incredible events that will be held this upcoming week!

Hello! We wanted to spread the word about an amazing event happening here in Flagstaff on Saturday September 24th between 8am-12pm. It is the Well Woman Healthcheck Screening Event Hosted by North Country HealthCare.
Various services will be offered at the event such as preventative screenings, health insurance navigation, health education resources, and connection to providers as well as follow-up care. We want to highlight in particular the breast and cervical screenings that will be offered at no-cost.
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Hola! Quisieríamos anunciarles un evento increíble que tendrá lugar aquí en Flagstaff el sábado 24 de septiembre entre las 8 de la mañana hasta las 12 de la tarde. Este evento es el Well Woman Healthcheck organizado por North Country HealthCare.
Se ofrecerán varios servicios en el evento, como exámenes preventivos, navegación de seguros médicos, recursos de educación para la salud y conexión con proveedores. Quisieramos enfatizar en particular los exámenes de senos y los exámenes cervicales que se ofrecerán sin costo alguono.

National Public Lands Day this Saturday, September 24
This Saturday, September 24th marks Public Lands Day and a Fee Free Day on all NPS lands.
The public is invited to celebrate National Public Lands Day at 1 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) September 24 by observing the release of captive-bred California condors into the wild at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
The event also will be live streamed via The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube channel beginning at 12:30 p.m. (MDT). Viewers can set a reminder to join the release, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. (MDT) noon local time in northern Arizona (Mountain Standard Time) but ultimately depends on when the birds choose to leave their release pen. There will be a picture-in-picture set up with a camera trained on the release pen; videos and interviews with condor biologists and conservationists who work with these massive birds will be included. Viewers also will be able to have their questions answered live by the team.
The historical California Condor population declined to just 22 individuals in the 1980s when the greater California Condor Recovery Program was initiated to save the species from extinction. As of May 2022, there were 113 condors in the rugged, canyon country of northern Arizona and southern Utah. The total world population of endangered California condors numbers more than 550 individuals, with more than half of them winging across the skies of Arizona, Utah, California and Mexico.

Step Up for Our Community and be part of the movement that is continuing to make positive, lasting changes in Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties by donating today to the United Way of Northern Arizona.
Together we can:
Improve early childhood development through education initiatives like KinderCamp™ and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Encourage positive youth development to ensure strong and resilient teens.
Help our neighbors in times of emergency by providing basic needs for safety and security.

When Michelle Gardner arrived at NAU as a freshman, she didn’t know a single person. She wanted to make friends but had no idea how to meet people. Then, she attended the Welcome Week Club Fair and learned about New Student Government. She didn’t have a particular interest in government, but the people at the booth were nice, so she decided to get involved. The rest is history. She went on to join the Honors program, work for The Lumberjack newspaper, serve as an orientation leader, teach HON/NAU 100 and even host a radio show on KJACK—making countless friends and even more memories that shaped her entire college experience. Nearly two decades later, she now serves as the director of the Office of Leadership & Engagement and helps ensure all Lumberjacks have access to finding their own “home” or community. She has simple advice for students: GET INVOLVED—it will change your life.

The Coconino Community College District Governing Board is pleased to announce that they have selected three finalists for the presidency of the College. Public forums with each of the finalists are scheduled for the week of Oct., 3, 2022.
“We would like to thank all of the communities served by the College for your continued interest and support in the process to identify our next President,” said Dr. Nathaniel White, Board Chair. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Board Presidential Search Committee for their exceptional work and effort.”

The NAU Cardiovascular Regulation Lab would like to invite you to participate in a research study about e-cigarettes. We are seeking both student e-cigarette users and student non e-cigarette users. The purpose of this study is to compare the air quality, blood vessel function, and inflammatory markers between e-cigarette users and non-e-cigarette users.

Purchase tickets by Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 to gain extra benefits including extra drink ticket.
Purchasing a table by Sept. 30 will also allow you to nominate someone to be recognized in our program. This is a great way to showcase your organization both as a table holder but also a team member and their work!
Super Bonus: Organization members are able to honor a person (they will honor two people with their table purchase). It is not too late to become a member organization but it must be done by Sept. 30 for this particular benefit.
So whether individual tickets or tables, membership or not, make sure to join us and take advantage of extra goodies when done before Sept. 30.
Please help us celebrate the stars in our community who helped make this last 50 years such a success – and come help us get the next 50 years off to a great start!
We are encouraging cocktail fancy attire, or culturally traditional dress, or your celebratory take on the evening. However, this is not required. Your attendance is more important than a dress code!

Thank you!
Thanks to all the workers, volunteers, superintendents, sponsors, partners, vendors, entertainers, exhibitors, contractors, and attendees of the 2022 Coconino County Fair.
More than 42,000 people visited over Labor Day weekend.
If you were inspired by this year’s event, please start thinking about a project you might want to enter next year. From gardening to collecting, there are many opportunities to be part of the Fair. See you at the County Fair next year!

Landscape photographer David Muench spent more than six decades using his camera lens to bring the wonders of the American Southwest to the world. Muench spent much of those years in northern Arizona, photographing the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the red rocks of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks, capturing fleeting moments that became eternal through his photography. He recently donated his entire collection to Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives, where it joins the collection of his father, Josef Muench, a longtime Arizona Highways photographer.