Community shows support for proposed Fredonia High School Swim Team

[Source: Southern Utah News, Kelly Hilding] – The Fredonia Town Council held a work meeting last week to discuss Fredonia High School’s request to use the town pool for a swim team. Community members from Kanab and Fredonia filled the council chambers to show their support of the proposal.

Fredonia Moccasin School District Superintendent Nicholas Bartlett presented the proposal to the council. He explained he had discussed with Killer Whales coach John Horlacher what would need to be done for the high school to have a swim team. It was determined it would not be feasible for a team to travel to Hurricane for practices. Ideally, the Fredonia pool should be utilized. In order for it to be used, however, a covering of some kind would need to be placed over the facility to keep it warm through November.

The school district offered to purchase and install some sort of dome over the Fredonia pool if the council agreed to keep the facility open for the team to practice. The type of dome is currently being researched. Mayor Scott Heaton expressed his support for the idea, but also his concern for where the funding to keep the pool open would come from [to read the full article click here].

Homolovi State Park Specialty Pueblo Tours

Join Ranger Chad at Homolovi State Park for a tour of Homolovi IV, one of the park’s archaeological sites not usually open to the public. The pueblo consisted of approximately 150 masonry rooms built in a step-wise fashion down the sides of a small butte on the west side of the Little Colorado River. It was occupied for a short time in the late 1200s, but the site also includes petroglyphs from a much earlier time. The Homolovi Research Program excavated this site for the first time in 1989.

Homolovi IV tours will take place this fall on the following dates: September 24, October 1, October 2 (in conjunction with Flagstaff Festival of Science), October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29, weather permitting. The tours will begin at the Homolovi State Park Visitor Center at 10:00AM and be finished by 12:30PM and are limited to 15 participants. Please call the park to reserve your spot on the tour of your choice (928) 289-4106.

Normal fees apply for special events/day use: $7 per vehicle with up to 4 adults, and $3 for each additional adult. Camping fees are $18 if you do not use the electricity and $25 if you need the electricity. For more information call Homolovi at (928) 289-4106, located five miles northeast of Winslow, Arizona off of I-40 (exit 257 on State Road 87). The park campground is convenient to I-40 and accommodates large rigs, as well as tent camping. For more information about the 30 State Parks, statewide hiking opportunities, off-highway vehicle trails, and other outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities in Arizona, call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit AZStateParks.com. Visit AZStateParks on Facebook and Twitter or you can load the “Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder” mobile app for your smartphone. The link is: http://www.ohranger.com/app/parkfinder.

Game and Fish’s Heritage grants return in 2011 with new simplified processes

[Source: AZGFD.gov, 8-11-2011] – Thanks to continued support from Arizona Lottery sales, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s popular Heritage grants program returns after a one-year hiatus with new, simplified processes. The department undertook and completed a comprehensive revision to the Heritage Fund grants program, including the application, eligibility, scoring, award notification and close-out processes.

“In response to public feedback that we had received over the years, Game and Fish completely revamped the Heritage Fund grants program to make it easier to apply for a grant, and to get more school children, teachers, administrators and parents involved in Heritage-related wildlife activities through Arizona,” says Marty Herrera, the department’s Heritage Fund administrator.

Started in 1990, the Heritage Fund was established by Arizona voters to further conservation efforts in the state, including protecting endangered species, educating our children about wildlife, helping urban residents to better coexist with wildlife, and creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation. Over the years, Game and Fish has awarded more than $12 million in grants to communities across the state. Arizonans can help raise money for the Heritage Fund every year simply by buying Arizona Lottery tickets.

The department will hold informational workshops for interested applicants at the following times and locations:

  • Monday, Aug. 15 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Flagstaff regional Game and Fish office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road, Flagstaff.
  • Friday, Aug. 19 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pinetop regional Game and Fish office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd., Pinetop.
  • Monday, Aug. 22 at Game and Fish’s Phoenix headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Hwy., Phoenix. (Choice of two sessions: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Yuma regional Game and Fish office, 9140 E. 28th St., Yuma.
  • Monday, Aug. 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tucson regional Game and Fish office, 555 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson

Workshops must have a minimum of three preregistered attendees per location to be held. The deadline for applications is Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 at 5 p.m. MST.Potential grant recipients must have a project that is either located in Arizona or involves research in which the wildlife or its habitat is located in Arizona.  To R.S.V.P. for a workshop, call Heritage Grants Coordinator Robyn Beck at (623) 236-7530. More information on the grants and application forms can be found at www.azgfd.gov/heritage.

Douglas Mansion project in Jerome wins Governor’s award

[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent] – Among the Governor’s Awards presented for Arizona Public Archaeology and Heritage Preservation announced June 24, was an award for the stabilization project of the Douglas Mansion at Jerome State Historic Park near Jerome. The award ceremony took place at the University Park Marriott in Tucson during the 9th Annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference. The DouglasMansionproject was recognized as a partnership among ArizonaState Parks, YavapaiCounty, the Town of Jeromeand the Jerome Historical Society.

The Jerome State Historic Park, with the Douglas Mansion as its centerpiece, reopened Oct. 14, after the stabilization project was completed. The popular state park was closed suddenly in February 2009 due to budget sweeps and needed repairs. No one was expecting the park to reopen in the foreseeable future. But a partnership of sorts among the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, the State Parks Board, the Douglas family and the Town of Jerome gave the park new life. The partnership brought about the reopening of the park much sooner than expected.

Chip Davis, county supervisor for District 3, convinced the board to kick in $30,000. TheDouglas family chipped in $15,000, and the State Parks Heritage Fund came up with grants for the project. TheDouglasMansion was built in 1916 by Jimmy “Rawhide” Douglas, and it became a state park in 1965. Douglas designed the mansion as a home for his family and as a hotel for mining officials and investors. Originally, the mansion featured a billiard room, wine cellar and steam heat. Built from adobe bricks made on site, the home was well ahead of the times with a central vacuum system. Now the museum features many exhibits, mining artifacts, photographs, minerals and a three-dimensional model of Jerome with its underground mines and tunnels.