National Parks

Beaudry RV Co. concerned with Arizona’s decision to close state parks

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Arizona’s decision to close half their state parks has Beaudry RV Company concerned for RVers as well as the state.  RVers flock to Arizona during the winter months and bring millions of dollars in tourism to the state.  Having parks like Red Rock State Park in Sedona close will be a huge loss as a destination for RVers as well as Arizona.

Last year California’s proposal to close state parks resulted in a strong outcry from park advocates, forcing Governor Schwarzenegger to come up with an alternate solution to fund parks. Other states such as Iowa, Lousiana and Idaho may close all or part of their state parks.

The Arizona State Parks lost over two thirds of its $26 million budget in the last fiscal year. 8 parks have been closed, 13 more by June of this year.  This leaves only 9 parks open with no guarantees.  “Many local towns depend on tourism revenue that the parks create, closures could be disastrous for these communities,” says Thom Sylvester at Beaudry RV Company.  “This raises some red flags.  We strongly encourage those who enjoy our great state to write local representatives in opposition of the closures.  It is a great loss to our state.”

Track condors with the Arizona Heritage Alliance, March 20-22

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Join the Arizona Heritage Alliance on a three-day field trip to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22.  Join a condor research team as it tracks the progress of rare and endangered California condors.  For this once-in-a-lifetime (and fun) activity, click here for more information or to register.

Volunteers contribute to better understanding of prehistoric peoples

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[Source: Williams News.com, Jackie Banks, Kaibab National Forest] — Archaeology is good dirty fun! Or so proclaims the bumper sticker on the truck owned by the Kaibab National Forest’s heritage program manager. And, many people seem to agree, if the volunteer turnout at this year’s Passport in Time project is any indication. From Sept. 21-27, 17 volunteers contributed 880 hours to helping Forest Service archaeologists understand more about the prehistoric people who lived in the lands south of the Grand Canyon that are now part of the Kaibab National Forest.

“This program is so enjoyable,” said Ted Ockrassa, a retired photographer for the Department of the Army who traveled from Salome to participate. “I’ve been interested in archaeology all my life. I kind of missed my calling.”

Passport in Time is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the Forest Service. The goal of PIT is to preserve the nation’s past with the help of the public. Volunteers work with professional Forest Service archaeologists on diverse activities such as surveys and excavation, rock art restoration, historic structure restoration, analysis of artifacts and more. The Kaibab National Forest has hosted a PIT project annually for the last 18 years. Over those years, more than 300 volunteers have contributed about 13,000 hours to the Kaibab heritage program. That equals more than six person years of work completed by volunteers.