Environmental Education

SB1241 – Restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund

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Dear Friends of the Heritage Fund

I’m excited to let you know that a bipartisan group of Arizona state senators has introduced Senate Bill 1241 (“SB1241”) to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”).  Senators Brophy McGee, Boyer, Carter, Kerr, Navarrete, Otondo and Pratt have introduced SB 1241 – state parks board: heritage fund– for restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.

The bill has been assigned to the Natural Resources and Energy Committeeand is on the agenda to be heard this Wednesday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. in SR109.  Here is a one page summary of SB1241 for your reference.

We request that you please submit your position through the Legislature’s “Request to Speak (RTS)” system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. In the meantime, please call or email the following legislators and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.  

State SenatorPhoneEmail
Sylvia Allen602-926-5409[email protected]
Andrea Dalessandro602-926-5342         [email protected]
David Gowan602-926-5154         [email protected]
Sine Kerr, Vice Chair602-926-5955         [email protected]
Juan Mendez602-926-4124          [email protected]
Jamescita Peshlakai             602-926-5160    [email protected]
Frank Pratt, Chair602-926-5761         [email protected]

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano
President, Board of Directors
The Arizona Heritage Alliance
azheritage.org

James Goughnour of Payson nominated to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission

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Source: Arizona Game and Fish Department Press Release – January 23, 2019.

Governor Doug Ducey today announced the nomination of James E. Goughnour of Payson, Arizona, as a member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Goughnour, an Arizona resident of 42 years, is an outdoors enthusiast and driving force for wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation in the Payson area. He is the owner of Rim Country Custom Rods, a small business that designs and builds custom fishing rods and repairs rods and rod components. Prior to starting his business, he worked 26 years for General Dynamics Aerospace Systems Group in Scottsdale, where he held a number of management positions, culminating in a position as a project manager for all aspects of the Aerospace Operations Program.

Goughnour is the immediate past president of the Mogollon Sporting Association (MSA), a not-for-profit 501(c)3 volunteer organization that raises funds to benefit wildlife conservation and youth education programs throughout the Mogollon Rim area. He serves as the MSA organizational interface with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the Tonto National Forest to receive project requests and coordinate with MSA to provide funding and volunteers.

Goughnour is also active with and has chaired the Payson Special Volunteer Committee, where he led a group of approximately 100 volunteers, business owners, and county and town representatives to develop a plan to attract national-level bass fishing tournaments to Roosevelt Lake and promote Payson by designating it as the “Host Town” for these events. 

He serves as chair of the Gila County Roundtable, a group of Gila County anglers working with AZGFD to enhance fishing conditions at Roosevelt Lake. As part of this partnership effort, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2014 donated more than 400,000 Florida-strain bass fry for stocking into Roosevelt Lake. 

Goughnour is an active member of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Forest L. Wood, the National Rifle Association, and the Tonto Rim Sports Club. He works with the Payson Parks and Recreation Department and AZGFD in the planning and execution of the annual Payson Wildlife Fair. He is also an active participant in the Kids Fishing Program at Green Valley Lake. 

Goughnour earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. His appointment is pending confirmation by the Arizona Senate.

Governor Ducey Appoints Robert Broscheid as the New Director of Arizona State Parks & Trails

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Source:  Craig Harris, Arizona Republic – January 11, 2019

In November, Ducey fired Parks Director Sue Black and her top deputy, ending her tubulent 3 ½-year tenure running the agency.

Black was fired after an Arizona Republic investigation revealed allegations from former department archaeologists that the agency had developed state land without regard for laws protecting Native American and other archaeological sites. The allegations triggered a criminal investigation from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Black also was repeatedly accused of mistreating employees, including the firing of a woman with cancer.

Meanwhile, interim Parks director Ted Vogt was appointed to run the state Department of Gaming on Friday. He will be paid $135,000 a year.

New director’s experience 

Broscheid arrives from Colorado, where since 2013 he was the director and chief executive of Colorado Parks & Wildlife. He will be paid $170,000 a year.

In Colorado, Broscheid led efforts to expand access to Colorado’s state parks, establishing programs to connect young and underserved populations and their families to outdoor and recreational opportunities, Ducey’s office said.

Robert Broscheid

Robert Broscheid (Photo: Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Prior to his work in Colorado, Broscheid served at the Arizona Game and Fish Department for 18 years, including as the deputy director for the agency from 2008-2013, according to Ducey’s office.

“With Bob’s extensive leadership background in wildlife and outdoor management, I am pleased that he will be back in Arizona working to protect our natural parks and promote our recreational assets,” Ducey said in a statement. “Arizona offers the most spectacular state parks of anywhere in the country. Bob is well-qualified to lead the preservation of these natural wonders for the benefit of Arizonans and future generations.”

Broscheid said he was honored to join Arizona Parks & Trails.

“Arizona is full of diverse landscapes, rich cultural history, and outdoor recreation opportunities. These parks belong to everybody, and my top priorities will be to help preserve and protect these natural resources for the enjoyment of all visitors,” he said.

Broscheid holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from Arizona State University and is a graduate of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.

Interim leader named as gaming director

Vogt, meanwhile, has extensive state government experience as he becomes the Gaming director. 

Vogt has been Ducey’s first chief of operations, director of Veterans Affairs, and executive director of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

“Ted is a proven leader and has the experience and knowledge needed to build a strong and successful team,” Ducey said in a statement. “Ted is is widely respected across state government for his professionalism, and I’m proud to appoint him as the next director of the Arizona Department of Gaming.”

Vogt said he was honored and excited for his new role.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8478

Arizona state parks projects are under review after director’s firing

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Associated PressPublished 4:35 p.m. MT Dec. 16, 2018

Homolovi State Park

(Photo: Winslow Chamber of Commerce)

Plans to expand and improve Arizona’s state parks system are under review as key projects face delays and cost increases.

The projects are drawing new scrutiny in the wake of complaints that led to the ouster of Arizona State Parks and Trails director Sue Black. The agency’s current leadership is reviewing all projects to determine their viability and to ensure all permits and clearances are secured properly, interim director Ted Vogt wrote in a Nov. 30 report to a legislative oversight committee.

The committee is scheduled to review the park projects Tuesday.

Vogt was appointed to head the agency in November after Gov. Doug Ducey fired Black following numerous complaints, including ones by former staffers who said potential archaeological sites were bulldozed to rush development of rental cabins and other improvements.

Only 25 of the 100 cabins planned for various parks through lease-purchase agreements have been installed yet the project’s $1.6 million budget is nearly expended, the report said.

This photo from state Parks documents shows land at Havasu Riviera State Park that was bulldozed. Former Parks archaeologist Will Russell said the state agency might not have followed protocol in determining if archaeological sites were disturbed.

This photo from state Parks documents shows land at Havasu Riviera State Park that was bulldozed. Former Parks archaeologist Will Russell said the state agency might not have followed protocol in determining if archaeological sites were disturbed. (Photo: Arizona State Parks Department)

In a Dec. 11 briefing memo that accompanied the report, legislative budget analysts wrote the shortfall in cabin development was “due to higher-than-expected site preparation costs.” The parks system’s report said the agency is evaluating the cabin project scope based on its recent experience installing the cabins at Lost Dutchman, Patagonia and Lake Havasu parks.

Meanwhile, the planned $4 million development of a new rustic camping park known as Rockin’ River Ranch along the Verde River in Yavapai County is lagging. Parks officials said they can’t accurately determine a construction schedule until completion of designs and, before those, a cultural resource assessment of the property. 

Elsewhere, plans given an informal go-ahead by lawmakers in 2016 to redevelop camping sites and recreational vehicle stations at Cattail Cove State Park on Lake Havasu along the Colorado River at a cost of $5.3 million are in a holding pattern as parks officials develop the project’s master plan.

The parks report states the scopes of numerous other improvement and repair projects throughout the park system have changed due to various circumstances, including funding constraints.

Of 13 small projects funded with appropriations in the two fiscal years that ended in mid-2017 and mid-2018, only four are complete, legislative budget analysts said.