Kaibab National Forest: 2009 Accomplishment Repor t

http://fs.usda.gov/kaibab

USDA

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Southwestern

Region
2

Volunteers Work 

To Save Fragments of the Past

History can be found in a variety of places by those interested enough to seek it out. Museum 

display cases, interpretive signs and thick volumes on library shelves come to mind. But before 

those facts, dates and stories can be made accessible, someone has to gather all the little pieces 

and figure out how they fit together. 

For history buffs fortunate enough to visit the Arizona Strip, those “pieces” are often still found 

scattered in the dust where they’ve sat undisturbed for many lifetimes. 

“To think that you’re probably the first person to touch this in 1,000 years; that gets me every 

time,” said Brent Layton, as he held up one of many small, textured pottery fragments scattered 

about an ancient pueblo site on the North Kaibab Ranger District. 

Layton, a St. George-area resident and volunteer site steward, was one of 22 participants in this 

year’s Passport in Time project on the North Kaibab district. The group spent a week in September 

under the guidance of Kaibab National Forest archaeologists surveying previously uncharted 

pueblo sites for the benefit of future historical inquiries. 

Passport in Time, commonly known as PIT, is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation 

program. The information gathered during the project will be logged in a database and a site 

steward, like Layton, will check on the site periodically to report whether any vandalism or looting 

has occurred. One of the foremost goals of these projects is preservation, not just of the artifacts, 

but of the information they can provide. 

Anywhere on the esplanade [Kanab Creek Wilderness] is a gorgeous surreal landscape, and 

one of the quietest places on earth I’m convinced! Although you have to be careful in deciding 

when to hike into Kanab Creek (the heat can make you crazy), it is one of those places where 

you are surrounded by sky, red rock, and solitude. It reminds you what it is to be human.

Melissa Spandl

Recreation Technician, Wilderness and Trails

North Kaibab Ranger District

Textured pottery fragments 

are known as “sherds.” 
As I reflect on 2009 and all we accomplished on the Kaibab National Forest during those twelve 

short months, my thoughts go first to the people who did that work or contributed to it in some way 

– employees, cooperators, retirees, partners, permittees and volunteers. They’ve earned my thanks 

and gratitude, and they deserve appreciation for all for their hard work, dedication and commitment 

to public service.

Some key accomplishments truly stand out. On the top of that list is the fact that we were one 

of only two forests in the Southwestern Region of the Forest Service to complete our Rescission Act 

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. This federal legislation, more than 10 years old 

now, requires each National Forest to establish and adhere to a schedule for completing environmental analyses on grazing allotments. We finished the last one on the list in 2009, and it was only 

through the diligent efforts of many current and several now-retired employees that this incredible 

milestone has been reached.

Also during 2009, the Kaibab National Forest entered into the first project-level Stewardship 

Agreement ever in the Southwestern Region. Our agreement with the Rocky Mountain Elk 

Foundation to accomplish forest restoration and wildlife habitat improvement work covers the 

entire Williams Ranger District for the next 10 years, with the initial work to be accomplished on 

nearly 1,800 acres in the Dogtown Project area southeast of the City of Williams. This unique 

agreement will allow us to use the value of timber harvested to fund other important forest 

restoration work including pre-commercial thinning, grassland restoration, fencing of aspen clones, 

road management and more. I’m extremely excited about this monumental agreement and the 

critical forest health work that we’ll be able to accomplish. 

Finally, I wanted to highlight the exceptional work of our fire and fuels management 

organization and all of our employees who tirelessly supported our fire management activities during 

2009. During the fiscal year, 12 wildfires were managed to achieve all sorts of resource objectives, 

burning a total of nearly 45,000 acres across all three ranger districts on the Forest. Besides those 

acres, almost 14,000 more were treated using hazardous fuels reduction funds. This was a truly 

unprecedented scale of accomplishment and required long hours, days, weeks and months of hard 

work by many employees from all resource areas.

There are so many other accomplishments that I could single out for acknowledgement, but I’ll 

let this 2009 Kaibab National Forest Accomplishment Report speak for us. From our work on American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act (economic recovery) projects creating jobs in our communities, to 

our planning efforts as part of the 4-Forest Restoration Initiative, which is seeking to implement 

landscape scale restoration across the Mogollon Rim, Kaibab National Forest employees continue 

to set the bar high for us all.

With the support of our partners, neighbors and friends, I look forward to continued success 

in 2010. Thank you!

 

Mike Williams

Forest Supervisor 

From the Forest Super v isor
The color this fall was beautiful . . . how many more years we don’t know 

due to Sudden Aspen Decline. Research has begun to try to stop the die back.

Fredonia Fifth Graders Spend a Day in the Woods

How often do you get the chance to hurl an atlatl at a prehistoric 

 animal, drill into a tree to determine its age, or listen to the world the 

way a bat hears it? 

Those are just a few of the activities that 26 Fredonia fifth graders 

got to experience during Kids in the Woods Day, hosted Aug. 27, at 

Jacob Lake by the North Kaibab Ranger District. Aided by a grant from 

the Forest Service, which was intended to get more of the country’s 

kids out into nature, district employees set up a variety of activities to 

help give kids an appreciation for the natural world and for the various 

conservation activities that take place in the forests.

Kids spent the day with district biologists, archaeologists, range 

and recreation specialists, forest technicians and silviculturists. 

Activities included roping a rubber steer and petting a horse, unpacking the 

gear used by a typical fire crew, and operating the fire hose. Kids got to use a 

hand-held GPS unit to navigate through the woods and learned about a lesserunderstood resident of this area, the bat. Archaeologists discussed the prehistoric 

cultures of the Kaibab Plateau, showed a few artifacts, and helped the kids 

make pottery of their own. 

Participants also got to drill 

into a tree and count the rings 

on the core sample, split 

open a pine cone to inspect 

the seeds, and measure the 

tree heights to estimate their 

growth rates. 

The North Kaibab Kids 

in the Woods Day is one 

of seven programs that 

comprises the More Kids 

in the Northern Arizona 

Woods project. In July, 

More Kids in the Northern 

Arizona Woods received 

$50,000 out of a $500,000 

nationwide grant from 

the Forest Service to increase the time children 

spend in nature. 

The Forest offers wonder and 

beauty to visitors of all ages.

The Color of Fall May Be Fading Away; Biologists are calling it SAD By Bonnie Stevens

The soft sound of quaking aspen leaves trembling on the slightest breeze is the sound of summer in the mountains 

of the West. But that sound has become softer and researchers believe the color of fall may be fading, too. This 

because of an extraordinarily rapid dieback of the aspen, a phenomenon biologists are calling SAD, or Sudden 

Aspen Decline. In northern Arizona, Forest Service officials are reporting some 60 to 95 percent mortality in the 

low-elevation aspen groves, around 7,000 feet, of the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests. 

Recent drought years and warmer temperatures may be playing a role in SAD, making the trees more vulnerable 

to a suite of pests and pathogens. The year 2000 was the worst drought year on record in Arizona until that record 

was broken in 2002. And the drought years aren’t over. Most climate models predict a warmer and much drier 

future climate in the Southwest and extreme events, such as droughts, are expected to increase in frequency 

and magnitude. 

Ironically, on a place called Aspen Hill south of Williams, researchers have been unable to find any aspen 

except in a small grove that has been fenced off from animals, because the deer and elk aren’t helping the aspen 

any either. “We found more than 98 percent of aspen trees surveyed are browsed by ungulates,” said forester 

Mike French of the Kaibab National Forest. Researchers say herbivores are attracted to aspen trees the same way 

kids are attracted to ice cream. 

Researchers don’t know if SAD has damaged the root systems – whether through climate change, insects, 

diseases, browsing animals or lack of frequent fire – to the point that aspen groves won’t sprout new suckers. 

If a root system dies, they fear that particular DNA could be lost forever.

The Kaibab National Forest engaged the School of Forestry [Northern Arizona University] and the Ecological 

Restoration Institute in a joint research effort to find out what’s happening to the aspen and whether this popular 

deciduous tree is fading permanently from the landscape of its lower elevation range. 

Yes.

There really are trees in Arizona.

Patrick Lair

Public Affairs Specialist

North Kaibab Ranger District
	 An archaeologist for the Williams and Tusayan districts of the Kaibab National

Forest received regional recognition and an opportunity to win a national award for

his dedication to educating the public about natural resources.

	 Archaeologist Neil Weintraub, who has worked on the Kaibab National

Forest for 19 years, was selected as the Forest Service Southwestern Region

nominee for the 2009 Gifford Pinchot Excellence in Interpretation and

Conservation Education Award.

 Southwestern Regional Forester Corbin Newman wrote in a letter

to the Chief of the Forest Service that it was Weintraub’s “long-term

commitment to educating and involving the public in appreciating and

preserving” the Kaibab National Forest’s and the Southwest’s rich

historic and pre-historic past that resulted in his regional recognition

and submission as a nominee for the prestigious national award.

	 According to the application package prepared for Weintraub,

he was nominated “not because of a single event or accomplishment

but rather a career’s worth of effort to promote awareness of and instill

respect for Southwestern forests and their vulnerable archaeological

artifacts through his uncanny ability to connect with people.”

	 “I have always believed that as archaeologists, we need to make our job

relevant to the public and to our forest managers and forest users,” Weintraub

said.“By educating the public, they too become stewards of the land.”

Kaibab National Forest Archaeologist Wins Regional Recognition

I have many favorite places on the Kaibab. One that comes to mind is Round Mountain Lookout 

where you get a view of the whole south end of the Williams district from the Sycamore Rim up to Bill 

Williams Mountain. When I very first worked here in 1975, my boss took me up there to give me 

good perspective on the district and our management plans at the time.

John Holmes, Timber Management Assistant, Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts

Kaibab National Forest Archaeologists 

Win Statewide Awards

Kaibab National Forest archaeologists received 

statewide recognition as part of the Governor’s Heritage 

Preservation Honor Awards. The awards recognize 

people, organizations, and projects that represent 

outstanding achievements in preserving Arizona’s 

prehistoric and historic resources.

Specifically, the Kaibab National Forest Heritage 

Program received the Government Agency Award in 

Public Archaeology. The Kaibab National Forest is also 

a partner in two organizations that received the Private/

Non-Profit Entity Award in Public Archaeology. Those 

organizations are the Grand Canyon Flagstaff Stage 

Coach Line Partnership and the Kaibab Vermilion 

Cliffs Heritage Alliance.

“It was fantastic to have our Forest heritage program be recognized and to also have the important partnerships of which we are a part be recognized as well,” 

said Margaret Hangan, Kaibab National Forest heritage 

program manager. “To be singled out by our peers and 

the Governor’s Commission is truly a unique honor.”

Fire prevention specialist Bob Blasi, 

Tusayan District Ranger Angela Parker, 

and Smokey Bear visit Grand Canyon 

National Park

Not your ordinary 

staff meeting ...
Volunteers Complete North Canyon Trail Project

Say the word “vacation” and many people think hotels, 

beaches, amusement parks or even a cruise. But how many 

dream of strenuous physical labor? 

Turns out some do. The Wilderness Volunteers has been 

leading backcountry work projects around the United States 

for the last 12 years, including projects on the North Kaibab 

Ranger District. In mid-September, 13 participants spent a week 

building steps into an eroded section of the North Canyon Trail 

and conducting general trail maintenance in Saddle Mountain 

Wilderness. 

“People come from all over to work in these special places,” 

said Debbie Northcutt, project leader and co-founder of the 

Wilderness Volunteers. “We try to provide opportunities that 

are affordable to students and people from all walks of life.” 

Northcutt, a Flagstaff resident, has completed 22 such projects 

on the North Kaibab since 1984. 

During the week, volunteers camped at 8,800 feet and hiked 

nearly two miles each day to the work site. The workers hauled 

hand saws, hand drills, rope, hammers, buckets and other tools 

down a series of steep switchbacks to build the steps next to 

North Canyon Spring. 

Wilderness Volunteers – 

North Canyon Trail Project. 

A working vacation!

The Kaibab National Forest heritage program conducted 57 projects, 

surveyed 1,622 acres of land, recorded 74 new National Registereligible archaeological sites, and monitored the condition of about 

209 previously recorded sites during fiscal year 2009.

Archaeologists planned and led restoration efforts at the historic 

Jump Up Cabin on the North Kaibab Ranger District and continued 

rehabilitation of the Tusayan district’s Hull Cabin in preparation for its 

entry into the Arizona Cabin Rental Program.

Volunteers continued to play an enormously important role in 

monitoring and inventorying sites. In fact, volunteers from the Arizona 

Site Stewards and Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance, along with 

archaeological interns from Grinnell College in Iowa, and individual 

volunteers Don Christensen and Ross and Maiya Gralia, contributed 

2,939 hours of their time.

Forest archaeologists also provided more than 50 heritage education 

outreach programs including talks, tours and presentations for 

Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month in March, the Williams 

Middle School Science Camp, and the annual Arizona Archaeology 

Expo, along with providing training for Forest Service employees 

and volunteers, presenting professional papers, and hosting the 

Southwestern Region annual heritage program meeting.

Heritage
With not even a full day left 

in fiscal year 2009, the Kaibab 

National Forest entered into the 

first project-level stewardship 

agreement ever in the Forest 

Service Southwestern Region. 

The agreement with Rocky 

Mountain Elk Foundation will 

allow the Forest to use the value 

of timber harvested to fund 

other important stewardship 

work such as pre-commercial 

thinning, grassland restoration, 

fencing of aspen clones, and 

road management.

“This agreement is important 

in that it provides the Kaibab 

National Forest with another 

avenue for accomplishing 

needed forest restoration 

and fuels reduction work,” 

said timber specialist John 

Holmes. “This is going to give 

us the opportunity to assess 

the effectiveness of this type 

of agreement in accomplishing 

work effectively and efficiently.”

 The agreement covers the 

entire Williams Ranger District 

for a term of 10 years. The initial 

work to be done is part of the 

Dogtown Project and includes 

harvesting timber on 1,743 acres. 

The value of that timber will 

be applied toward other work 

to achieve desired forest and 

habitat conditions. 

“This is especially important 

with the fluctuating markets 

for forest products,” Holmes 

said. “This agreement provides 

needed flexibility to utilize 

markets as they develop that will 

facilitate the accomplishment 

of the work to be done on the 

project.” Rocky Mountain 

Elk Foundation’s role in the 

agreement is similar to that 

of a general contractor. The 

foundation has already started 

making arrangements with local 

subcontractors to begin work on 

the Dogtown Project. 

Rocky Mountain Elk 

Foundation’s director of habitat 

stewardship services, Al 

Christophersen, visited the 

Kaibab National Forest in June 

and toured the Dogtown Project 

area. “Once I saw the forest 

restoration work being done 

on the Williams district and the 

habitat and restoration needs 

in the Dogtown Lake area, 

I knew the Dogtown Project 

presented the right opportunity 

for Rocky Mountain Elk 

Foundation to enter into a new 

stewardship project agreement,” 

Christophersen said.

Earlier in 2009, the Forest 

Service Southwestern 

Region entered into a master 

stewardship agreement with 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 

that sets a regional framework 

for project-level supplemental 

agreements, like the one just 

signed with the Kaibab National 

Forest. The regional framework 

identifies mutual goals for the 

foundation and Southwestern 

forests, namely restoring fire 

adapted ecosystems and 

improving wildlife habitat 

conditions.

 “I’m truly looking forward 

to a productive partnership 

with the Rocky Mountain Elk 

Foundation here on the Kaibab 

over the next 10 years and 

hopefully beyond,” said Kaibab 

National Forest Supervisor Mike 

Williams. “Working together 

we can accomplish much 

more habitat and ecosystem 

improvement work than we 

could working separately.” 

In 1999, the Forest 

Service received pilot 

authority via legislation 

to enter into stewardship 

projects “to achieve land 

management goals for the 

national forests that meet 

local and rural community 

needs.” 

In 2003, that authority 

was given for a 10-year 

period through 2013, and 

efforts are underway 

to make the authority 

permanent. The primary 

focus of the legislation 

is to achieve land 

management goals 

through stewardship 

projects awarded 

under contracts 

or agreements. Unique to 

the legislation is the ability to 

exchange goods for services 

that meet land management 

objectives.

Kaibab National Forest Signs First-Ever Stewardship Project Agreement in the Southwestern Region

Wildlife Habitat Improvement Projects

West Side Mule Deer Habitat Improvement 

Project: The Forest partnered with Arizona Game 

and Fish Department (AZGFD) on a large multi-year 

project to improve habitat within critical mule deer 

winter range on the west side of the North Kaibab 

district. Habitat improvements completed in 2009 

included planting key mule deer browse plants 

(cliffrose, four-wing saltbush and sagebrush), thinning 

junipers to increase forage and browse production, 

and herbicide treatments of cheatgrass.

Wetland Protection: Wetlands provide 

important habitat for a wide variety of plant and 

animal species and are especially important on the dry 

Kaibab. The Forest worked with Grand Canyon Trust 

and volunteers to build post-and-pole fences around 

Murray’s Lake and Glen Lake on the North Kaibab 

district. The Williams district initiated a project to add 

a quarter-inch steel cable to the top of existing fences 

around four large ephemeral wetlands (Davenport 

Lake, Coleman Lake, Moritz Lake and JD Lake). These 

enhancements will substantially improve long-term 

effectiveness and reduce maintenance costs of 

the fences.

Aspen Protection: Aspen forests are widely 

recognized for their importance as biologically 

diverse wildlife habitat, as well as their aesthetic 

and recreational values. These values are at risk on 

the Williams district because aspen conditions 

are poor and declining. A variety of factors are 

likely impacting aspen, but one problem is lack of 

recruitment (young aspen trees surviving long enough 

to reach maturity) due to frequent browsing by elk, 

deer and livestock. The Williams district built six 

new fences around aspen stands and conducted 

maintenance on 30 existing fences. 

Ida Grassland Maintenance Project: 

Grasslands and pronghorn antelope populations 

have declined from historic levels in northern Arizona. 

The Forest partnered with AZGFD to cut down juniper 

trees from 3,450 acres of the Ida project area on 

the Williams district in order to improve habitat for 

pronghorn and other grassland species. 

Tusayan Wildlife Waters Project: Volunteers from 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and biologists from 

AZGFD finished construction of a water pipeline and 

wildlife water developments along that pipeline on 

the Tusayan district. The goal of the project is more 

reliable water sources for wildlife.

Wildlife Management
Local Church 

Group Aids

Forest Wildlife

Engineering 

Several important facilities and roads projects on the Kaibab National Forest were started or completed by the engineering team in fiscal year 2009. On the North 

Kaibab Ranger District, a new shower and laundry building is under construction at the Big Springs Work Center to complement the upcoming renovation of several 

living quarters. Preliminary planning and an environmental assessment were completed for the proposed consolidation of the North Kaibab Ranger Station and 

Tanglefoot Work Center into a new ranger station facility in Fredonia. Construction funding for this project is being pursued. 

Visitors to the Williams Ranger District will enjoy another phase of the ongoing rehabilitation of Kaibab Lake Campground. Campsites on two additional road loops 

were outfitted with new tables and fire rings. Three toilet buildings were replaced at White Horse Lake Campground. 

About 12 miles of forest roads 12 and 105 leading to White Horse Lake, JD Dam Lake, and then to Pine Flat were resurfaced with gravel. Annual maintenance and 

grading were completed on 799 miles of forest roads on the Williams, Tusayan and North Kaibab districts. Route marker signs at road junctions are being checked and 

new ones installed where necessary. So far, 100 percent of the route marker signs on the Tusayan district and 20 percent on the Williams district have been completed. 

During summer 2009, 21 girls belonging 

to a local church group volunteered with 

the Kaibab National Forest to clean up 

trash and fishing line, known to be harmful 

to wildlife. The girls, who ranged in age 

from 12 to 17, scoured Kaibab Lake on 

the Williams Ranger District picking up 

bottle caps, plastic bottles, wrappers and 

monofilament fishing line from the water’s 

edge.

To give context to the service project, 

wildlife biologist Jeff Waters explained 

that fishing line can be especially harmful 

to birds. “Back in 2007, we had a turkey 

vulture and a great blue heron get tangled 

up in fishing line,” Waters told the group. 

“One of the birds was so dehydrated and 

weak that it was unable to properly digest 

food. It was rescued and rehydrated before 

being released back into the wild.”

The girls collected 13 bags of trash 

and fishing line and, along the way, found 

everything from disintegrating line buried in 

pine needles to beer cans and soda bottles. 

Williams Ranger District campground 

concessionaire, Southwest Recreation, 

provided the trash bags for the day.

“Animals are not the only things that 

get caught in fishing line, people do too,” 

exclaimed one of the girls as she untangled 

herself from some line she was trying to 

pick up.

Every year, the church group holds a 

girls camp. And, although a service project 

is not required, chaperone Chris Farr said 

she felt that this year the service project 

was a very important part of camp. “The 

girls really enjoyed the service project, 

and I think it really opened their eyes to 

their surroundings. I know from now on 

when I go to a lake, I’m going to be looking 

for fishing line and garbage and picking it 

up more.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department 

(AZGFD) manages a statewide 

monofilament fishing line recycling 

program, which supplies popular fishing 

spots with special collection tubes. On 

the Williams Ranger District, collection 

tubes are available at the developed 

campgrounds. 

“Game and Fish collects and recycles 

fishing line to reduce the hazard to 

wildlife,” explained Chuck Benedict, 

AZGFD fisheries specialist. “When we 

collect enough to recycle, we send it into 

Berkley, one of the top fishing product 

manufacturers.” 

Berkley then cleans and melts down 

the old fishing line, making it into artificial 

fish habitats. Recycled line can also be 

made into new fishing line, lures and tackle 

boxes. During the service project, the girls 

collected enough line that Kaibab National 

Forest employees made a special trip to the 

Arizona Game and Fish Department office 

in Flagstaff to recycle it.

	 The Northern Arizona University

Forestry Club teamed with the Kaibab

National Forest in late April to repair

one of the forest’s damaged aspen

fences, with the goal of protecting the

struggling trees growing within. 

	 In recent years, much of the

aspen in the western United States

has declined dramatically and

inexplicably. Aspen fences are

designed to protect aspen seedlings

and sprouts from being eaten by elk

and deer. In the West, these fences

are common and important tools to

promote the survival of aspen. 

	 The Kaibab National Forest

has constructed 32 fences, but

to successfully exclude elk and

other ungulates, the fences require

continued maintenance and repair.

The NAU Forestry Club volunteers

twice a year to repair aspen fences for

the Forest Service.

	 “It was great to be able to work on

a project that will impact the future

of the aspen in northern Arizona. It

was especially good to see all of the

regeneration,” said Kari Potter, NAU

forestry student. Although many of the

larger aspen trees were dead or dying,

there was some thriving regeneration

within the fenced area – a bright spot

in the aspen decline story.

NAU Forestry 

Students Protect 

Aspen on Kaibab 

National Forest

“Animals are not the only things that get caught in fishing line, people do too.”
	 Kaibab National Forest employees awarded the 2009 employees’ association scholarship to Nikhail

Maestas. Maestas was awarded $700 toward her continued education during a ceremony at Williams

High School May 12. Applicants were assessed based on community involvement, commitment to a

careerin natural or physicalsciences, and/orinterest in the environment.

	 Maestas, a native of Arizona, became interested in the environment due to the shortage of watershe

witnessed growing up. She and herfamily live on a ranch where they raise cattle and horses.

“I wasscared by the lack of waterin Arizona,” said Maestas, who added thatshe will make it her duty to

do her part in the preservation and restoration of

the environment.

	 Each year, Kaibab National Forest

raise money

employees

association

forthis scholarship. The employees’

has contributed

program

to the scholarship

for over a decade,raising

$4,700, which

approximately

has been awarded to localseniors.

Kaibab National Forest Employees 

Award Scholarship To Local Senior

	 The Kaibab National Forest

collaborated with Northern Arizona

University students to explore issues

and potential concerns regarding a

proposed fuels reduction project in

Williams known as the Bill Williams

Cap Project. The partnership

afforded students in Professor

Carolyn Daugherty’s Planning

402W class the opportunity to gain

hands-on experience implementing

the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) while providing the

Forest with valuable insight and

information to be used in the

analysis process.

	 The students divided into separate

resource areas – fire and fuels,

watershed and soils, vegetation,

wildlife, cultural resources,

recreation, and public concern –

and analyzed the effects the Bill

Williams Cap Project would have on

their specific disciplines. Students

spent four weeks on the project

and then presented their findings

to Kaibab National Forest resource

specialists. The students’ findings

showed the benefits of the proposed

project significantly outweighed the

risks involved if no action was taken

to remove hazardous fuels before a

fire occurs. 

	 Overall, the students said it was a

challenging exercise and a positive

experience, and Forest managers

said the time they spent with the

students was worthwhile. “We owe

the class a huge thanks for their

hard work on the project,” said Joe

Reinarz, fire management officer for

the Williams and Tusayan districts.

“This is truly a win-win situation.

The students gained experience

on the NEPA process, and the

information they provided will be

useful as the project goes forward.”

Northern Arizona University 

Students Help Plan Forest Project

Recreation Management

During fiscal year 2009, the Kaibab National Forest recreation program had several opportunities to reduce 

facilities maintenance backlog, which has resulted in a number of new facilities for Forest visitors to enjoy. 

At Kaibab Lake Campground on the Williams Ranger District, the upper campground loops had new picnic 

tables and fire rings installed, and a restroom facility was replaced. At White Horse Lake Campground, also on 

the Williams Ranger District, four new restrooms were installed replacing older facilities with safety hazards.

At the Kaibab National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Williams, the parking lot was expanded and accessibility 

improvements were made at the front entrance, thanks to the efforts of City of Williams employees.

Also in fiscal year 2009, recreation managers completed the Kaibab National Forest Pocket Guide, a free 

publication intended to provide valuable information to Forest visitors. The guide includes a simplified Forest 

map with major access roads, general Forest information, and a listing of developed recreation facilities. It’s a 

must-have for any Kaibab visitor and is available at Forest offices. 

Fire prevention specialist 

Dana Cohen of the North Kaibab 

Ranger District. 

Another day in the office.

Pomeroy Tanks was one of the first places I visited on the 

Kaibab National Forest. And, in such an arid ecosystem, 

it is unique to find a year-round water source. Plus it is 

always fun to see the wildlife that the water source supports.

– Paul Hancock, NEPA Coordinator

Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts
NKRD Seed Cone Collection

	 For the first time since 1997, North Kaibab Ranger District silviculture and timber personnel undertook a large seed

cone collection project, with the goal of stocking ponderosa pine cone seed to replant areas of the 2006 Warm Fire.

 Over the course of three weeks in September, nine Kaibab National Forest employees collected more than 126

bushels of seed cones from ponderosa pine trees.

	 The collection group, headed by North Kaibab silviculturist Garry Domis and timber specialist Paul Callaway, first

conducted a tree climbing class, then spent long hours each day in the trees gathering cones.

 The seeds were shipped to a seed bank in Lucky Point, Idaho, for storage until they are needed for replanting. In

spring 2008, North Kaibab employees replanted 1,600 acres of the Warm Fire area and plan to replant another 900

acres in April 2010. 

Native Seed Collection and Use Following Fire

Range personnel from the Williams district collected native seed for use on areas that had burned at higher intensity levels on the 2009 Wild Horse and Twin fires. A “seed stripper” was mounted to a tractor and driven in an area 

with desirable plant species. After being collected in a hopper, the native seeds are then dumped into a pickup bed 

for bagging. About 200 pounds of plant materials were collected from three different sites for the projects. Then, 

specialists from lands and minerals, timber, and range, along with volunteers, helped spread the seed by hand on 31 

acres of the Wild Horse Fire and 22 acres of the Twin Fire. The sites will be monitored in the coming years to evaluate 

the success of the seeding efforts. 

North Kaibab Receives Grant for Replanting

The North Kaibab Ranger District received a $40,000 grant to help replant ponderosa and other pine trees as part of the 

Warm Fire Restoration Project. North Kaibab silviculturist Garry Domis said the money would allow planting of about 65,500 

trees on 219 acres burned during the 2006 Warm Fire.

Replanting greatly accelerates the process of reforestation after a large fire, Domis said, a process that would take 

decades or longer to occur naturally. “Reforestation is a tremendous benefit after a fire disturbance,” Domis said. “You’re 

establishing green forest and ponderosa pine, which stabilizes the soils, creates important habitat for northern goshawk, 

stores carbon and produces oxygen, besides improving the scenic quality.” 

Funding for the grant was provided by the Salt River Project Trees for Change program. Through Trees for Change, the 

Phoenix-based utility provides matching contributions for customer monetary donations. The donations were sent to the 

National Forest Foundation, the official non-profit partner of the Forest Service, which decided to award 

the money to the North Kaibab replanting project. 

Northern Leopard Frog Monitoring: Northern leopard frogs occurred historically on the Forest, but by 2005 there were no known populations 

remaining. Frog and other amphibian populations are declining regionally, nationally and globally. The Forest has been partnering with the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service and AZGFD on a project to establish a refuge population of northern leopard frogs at a site within the House Rock Wildlife 

Area on the North Kaibab district. Biologists collected frog egg masses in southern Utah, reared them in tanks in Flagstaff, and released about 1,500 

late-stage tadpoles in 2007 and 2008. Released frogs successfully reproduced in 2008 and 2009. Biologists have also been conducting surveys of 

tanks and wetlands on the Williams district where leopard frogs occurred historically, as well as other potentially suitable aquatic habitats. Although 

no leopard frogs were found, populations of other native amphibian species (western chorus frog, canyon tree frog, and tiger salamander) were 

documented, as well as populations of non-native bullfrogs. 

Inventory and Monitoring Projects
Livestock Grazing Management

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

analyses were completed for the Corva and 

Double A Grazing allotments. The analyses 

reviewed the current grazing practices on 57,017 

acres and made adjustments to those practices 

when necessary to maintain and improve range 

conditions. Also, grazing practice adjustments 

outlined in 2008 NEPA analyses were 

implemented in the Seven C Bar, Pine Creek and 

Twin Tanks allotments, which account for 21,359 

acres. Improved grazing practices will result in 

better soil and watershed conditions.

The Forest administered 31 grazing allotments 

during the 2009 grazing year. Forage production 

was good with consistent moisture in most areas 

throughout the year. 

New monitoring protocols were established 

on the Forest to better determine range and 

watershed conditions and trends. These new 

methods provide statistically reliable data that 

can be compared to historic information.

Grassland Maintenance

Forest managers partnered with Arizona Game 

and Fish Department employees and range 

permittees to improve soil and watershed 

conditions on 2,701 acres of grasslands. The 

work focused on cutting pinyon and juniper 

trees that have encroached historic grasslands. 

Monitoring following the grassland treatments 

has shown substantial improvement in ground 

cover conditions.

Fire Rehabilitation

The Forest treated 525 acres in the areas burned 

by the Slide and Warm fires on the North Kaibab 

Ranger District. Treatments included reseeding, 

establishing erosion control, fence repair, stock 

tank cleanout, and eradicating noxious weeds.

Noxious Weed Treatments

The Forest completed 3,025 acres of noxious 

weed control through the use of herbicide, 

hand pulling and biological treatments. Species 

treated included dalmatian toadflax, bull thistle, 

leafy spurge, scotch thistle, musk thistle, diffuse 

knapweed, and cheatgrass. These treatments 

improve native plant composition and density, 

with increased ground cover and watershed 

protection benefits.

Mining Reclamation

Forest managers completed two sandstone 

mine reclamation projects totaling 14 acres. 

Restoration work included filling in quarry holes 

with stone blocks and covering the area with the 

available topsoil from the site. Because of the 

reclamation effort, erosion from the sites will be 

greatly reduced.

Range, Watershed and Noxious Weeds

Portions of North Kaibab Designated National Natural Landmark

The Kaibabsquirrel isendemictothe KaibabPlateau,whichmeansthe

North Kaibab Ranger Districtofthe Kaibab NationalForestandpartsofthe

north rimof GrandCanyon NationalParkaretheonlyplacesin theworldto

naturally hostthisfurrycritter. 

	 In an effortto nationallyrecognizethe Kaibabsquirrel,the National ParkServicedesignatedportionsofthe North Kaibab Ranger District

and GrandCanyon NationalParkasa National NaturalLandmark.This designation helpstoensuretherecognition andappreciation ofthis

squirrelspeciesandits habitat.

	 Accordingtothe National NaturalLandmarksProgramwebsite,

theareadesignatedasalandmarkcomprises nearly200,000acresof

ponderosapine habitat,which the Kaibabsquirreldependson forsurvival. 	 Likethe finchesofthe Galapagos,naturalgeographicboundaries

haverestrictedthe Kaibabsquirrel’smovementandallowedittoevolve

intothespeciesseen today.Nottobeconfusedwith thesimilar-looking

Abert’ssquirrel,which isfoundon thetwosouthern districtsofthe Kaibab

NationalForestaswellasmanyotherplacesin thewestern UnitedStates,

the Kaibabsquirrel hasdistinctivefeaturesborn ofitsevolution on the Kaibab

Plateau.

A strategy meeting for a wildfire managed 

to achieve resource objectives. 

Sensitive Bat Species Inventory: Wildlife biologists partnered with Northern Arizona University bat researcher Dr. 

Carol Chambers to survey sensitive bat species on the Tusayan and North Kaibab districts. Three sensitive species 

were captured in mist nets – Allen’s lappet-browed bat, spotted bat, and Townsend’s big-eared bat – along with nine 

other bat species. 

Sheep Capture/Disease Assessment: The Forest worked with specialists from AZGFD and the Bureau of Land 

Management along with volunteers to test bighorn sheep for diseases. Using two helicopters, the biologists 

captured the Kanab Creek desert bighorn sheep in order to determine the prevalence of disease within the 

population. The information will be used to guide future management initiatives including transplant efforts in the 

Kanab Creek drainage. 

Mexican Spotted Owl Monitoring: Wildlife biologists monitored territory occupancy in each of the Forest’s six 

Mexican spotted owl protected activity centers (PACs), all located on the Williams district. Biologists determined 

that five of the six PACs were occupied by spotted owls during the 2009 spotted owl breeding season.

Rare Plant Monitoring: Forest botanists have been partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona 

Nature Conservancy, and Dr. Robert Frye to conduct long-term monitoring of the rare endemic Kaibab pincushion 

cactus (Pediocactus paradinei) on the North Kaibab district. 
During fiscal year 2009, the Kaibab National Forest continued its efforts to build 

strong, mutually-beneficial relationships with area tribes, conduct meaningful 

consultation with tribal governments and effective scoping of tribal communities, 

and conduct outreach to underserved tribal communities that represent a 

significant percentage of Forest users. 

All three districts of the Forest successfully worked with tribal neighbors to 

address common issues on the ground. On the North Kaibab Ranger District, Forest 

officials collaborated with the Hopi Tribe to conduct a joint trip to monitor ancestral 

Hopi sites in Kanab Creek Wilderness. On the Tusayan Ranger District, district 

ranger Angela Parker worked closely with the Havasupai Tribe to accommodate 

a traditional tribal gathering at their sacred site of Red Butte, while continuing 

to coordinate with tribal officials on uranium-related projects. Additionally, 

construction began on a new boundary fence between the Tusayan Ranger 

District and the Navajo Nation after many years of close collaboration with Navajo 

officials. On the Williams Ranger District, project planners worked closely with 

Hopi cultural advisors to plan a hazardous fuels reduction project on Bill Williams 

Mountain that accounts for religious concerns of Hopi traditional practitioners. 

Throughout the fiscal year, Kaibab National Forest leadership worked with 

the Havasupai Tribe, the Hopi Tribe, the Hualapai Tribe, the Kaibab Band of Paiute 

Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe and the Pueblo of 

Youth Conservation Corps members worked with firefighters 

and archaeologists on a fuels reduction project on the Williams

Ranger District. More than just a summer job ...

Local Teens Spend Summer 

on North Kaibab and 

Williams Districts

The North Kaibab and Williams districts 

participated in the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) 

program in 2009, hiring groups of area teenagers 

to perform much-needed maintenance work on the 

Forest. For the North Kaibab, it was the first year to 

participate in the program since 2001.

The North Kaibab crew consisted of eight 

teenagers from Fredonia and Kanab who spent 

seven weeks of their summer conducting trail 

maintenance along the Rainbow Rim Trail, removing 

brush, pulling weeds, and even installing erosion 

control devices in areas of the 2006 Warm Fire.

The eight local teens on the Williams crew 

completed such hands-on projects as rebuilding a 

fence that had burned, improving and maintaining 

Forest trails, fencing stands of aspen trees to 

protect them from grazing ungulates, and preparing 

areas for future prescribed burning projects. 

The YCC participants, who ranged in age from 

15 to 18 years old, worked under the guidance 

of district staff and crew leaders hired through 

the Coconino Rural Environment Corps (CREC). 

The CREC YCC program is designed to introduce 

high-school-aged youth to community service and 

resource conservation through on-the-ground 

project work. The program also allows teens to 

participate in a career field they may wish to 

pursue.

Kevin Larkin, North Kaibab recreation, 

lands and wilderness staff officer, said that in 

addition to the valuable work performed on the 

ground, the YCC program is beneficial because it 

provides employment to local youth while giving 

them valuable opportunities to get outside and 

experience nature.

Tribal Relations

Quarry Reclamation Increases 

on Kaibab National Forest

Overthelastfouryears,aboutaquarteroftheflagstonequarrieson

theKaibabNationalForesthavebeenreclaimed.Therearenow

85quarriescomparedto110justafewyearsago.

Abouttwoyearsago,contractorsharvested100,000tonsofflagstone

annuallyfromtheForest.Largelyduetothedeclininghousingmarket,

contractorshavereducedflagstoneexportsbyhalf.Thedeclining

marketandrisingreclamationbondpriceshaveledcontractors

toreclaimsomeoftheirquarrysites. 

AccordingtolandsandmineralsspecialistSteveJenner,quarry

reclamationisthefirststepintheprocessofasitemovingcloser

tohistoricecologicalconditions.Becauseoftheheavydisturbance

thatoccurredatthesites,reclamationcanonlyaccomplishsomuch.

Typicallyfollowingreclamation,grassbeginstogrowwithinacouple

ofyears.Eventually,shrubsandtreeswilltakerootuntilthesitebegins

toresemblethesurroundingpinyon-juniperwoodlands.

TheKaibabNationalForestholds16quarrycontracts.Eachcontractor

harvestsflagstoneatoneto12differentsites,mostofwhicharelocated

northandeastofAshFork.BecauseofForestServicerestrictionson

openingnewquarriesandquarryacreage,contractorsoftenreclaim

unproductivesitesinordertoexpandmoreproductiveexistingsites.

Reclamationcostsrangefromabout$2,000to$5,000peracre.

EverycontractorprovidestheForestwithreclamationbonds

toensurequarriesarereclaimedonceharvestingata

particularsitehasbeendiscontinued. 
Zuni, and the Bodaway/Gap, Cameron, Coalmine, Coppermine, Lechee, Leupp, and 

To’ Nanees’ Dizi’ chapters of the Western Navajo Agency of the Navajo Nation 

regarding more than 45 projects and issues. The Forest also hosted the third 

annual Intertribal Meeting in Williams in order to update tribes on Forest projects 

and address issues of mutual interest and concern. 

During fiscal year 2009, the Kaibab National Forest continued to prove its 

long-standing commitment to conducting meaningful government-to-government 

consultation with its tribal neighbors by building strong partnerships that stress 

collaborative planning and a shared stewardship approach to the management of 

public lands.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

 During fiscal year 2009, the Kaibab 

National Forest began implementation 

of two projects funded by the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

(ARRA). The Forest received $860,000 

to restore historic cabins and replace 

deteriorating campground facilities.

The first ARRA project is the Kaibab 

Historic Cabin Restoration Project, 

which was funded at $300,000. 

Historic cabins receiving renovations 

are located on all three of the Forest’s 

districts – Spring Valley Cabin on the 

Williams Ranger District; Hull Cabin 

on the Tusayan Ranger District; and, 

Jump Up Cabin, as well as cabins at Big Springs 

and Dry Park, on the North Kaibab Ranger 

District. Work includes restoration of historic 

interiors, stone foundation repair, exterior 

staining, roof repair and wood stove replacement.

“We are especially excited about the work we 

are going to be able to accomplish at Hull Cabin,” 

said Mike Lyndon, Forest tribal liaison and an 

archaeologist. “Once renovations are completed, 

we hope to add Hull Cabin to the Arizona Cabin 

Rental Program, which means it will be another 

recreation opportunity on the Forest for people 

to experience and enjoy.” Hull Cabin is the oldest 

surviving cabin near the Grand Canyon. It was 

the home of William Hull, a sheep rancher and 

entrepreneur tourist guide for the Grand Canyon 

from the mid-1880s to the 1890s.

The second ARRA project is the Kaibab 

Campground Facility Replacement Project, which 

was funded at $560,000. The project allows for the 

replacement of deteriorating facilities at White 

Horse Lake Campground on the Williams Ranger 

District and Ten-X Campground on the Tusayan 

Ranger District. It also provides for construction 

of a new facility at Kaibab Lake Campground on 

the Williams Ranger District. The replacement 

project eliminates backlog maintenance at the 

campgrounds and provides Forest visitors with 

new facilities that are accessible to all people.

Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership

The Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership (RCFMP) continued its work in 2009 reducing hazardous fuels on private property in the 

wildland urban interface. Accomplishments include 175 acres of thinning and 135 acres of slash piles ready to burn. 

One of the goals of the RCFMP is complementing fuels reduction treatments occurring on adjacent National Forest or State Trust lands. One 

project was initiated in 2009 on the Tusayan Ranger District to help achieve this goal. 

During the fall, fire personnel from the Tusayan Ranger District assisted their neighbors with the Tusayan Fire Department burning slash piles on 

private property west of Tusayan. Broadcast burning will eventually occur throughout the project area when conditions are appropriate. 

The Wolf Project was funded by a grant through the RCFMP. This 160-acre project was implemented in conjunction with other projects within 

the Tusayan fire district to reduce hazardous fuels near Tusayan. Importantly, it lies adjacent to the 1,375-acre ongoing Long Jim project on 

the Tusayan Ranger District. These complementary projects show true cooperation between the Tusayan Ranger District and the Tusayan Fire 

Department to create effective fire breaks around Tusayan, thereby protecting the community from severe fire occurrence. 

Silviculture Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the 

establishment, growth, composition, health and 

quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values.

During fiscal year 2009, Kaibab National Forest 

silviculturists completed or exceeded all targets 

in improving and establishing forest vegetation. 

Specifically, 2,909 acres were thinned for important 

goals such as improving the health of the remaining tree stand, reducing fire hazard, and enhancing 

wildlife habitat.

About 87 percent of those 2,909 acres were thinned 

through contracts with businesses, which put 

needed dollars into local communities.

Historic Kaibab Cabins -- 

A Precious Resource 

Deserving Protection

The North Kaibab is an amazing place where you can 

camp in a statuesque forest at 8,000 feet elevation along 

the north rim of the Grand Canyon one day, and then sleep 

outdoors on the slick rock esplanade above Kanab Creek, 

surrounded by beautiful rock formations and cool prehistoric 

rock art, the next. Or you can sit at the end of a ridge overlooking Houserock Valley, just listening to the sounds and 

watching the shadows change across the valley. 

Connie Reid

Archaeologist, North Kaibab Ranger District
Timber Sales

The timber industry was severely impacted by the economic 

downturn. Declining demand for wood products drove lumber and wood 

product prices down, often below the cost of extracting and processing 

purchased saw timber.

However, a few commercial timber projects continue to take place 

on the Kaibab, aiding in fuels reduction, forest health, wildlife habitat 

enhancement, and watershed improvement efforts.

On the North Kaibab, the Fracas Timber Sale was completed as part of 

the 1,200-acre Fracas Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project. Commercial 

thinning occurred on 675 acres of the project area with the wood going to 

the Fredonia mill. Also on the North Kaibab, the FR641U_225 Hazard Tree 

Salvage Timber Sale was completed. The effort involved removing dead, 

hazardous trees that had burned during the Warm Fire along forest roads 

641U and 225.

On the Williams Ranger District, the Pineaire Timber Sale was 

implemented, which allowed for the treatment of 177 acres within 

the community of Parks in order to lessen the risk of wildland fire. All 

told on the Williams and Tusayan districts in fiscal year 2009, logging 

authorized through prior year contracts resulted in the treatment of about 

1,300 acres and provided 8,327 CCF (around four million board feet) of 

commercial wood products.

Restoring fire-adapted ecosystems 

remains one of the Forest’s highest priorities. 

In 2009, fire managers used their Hazardous 

Fuels Reduction budget to reduce fire hazard 

on 13,874 acres of Kaibab National Forest 

lands. Fuels treatments included broadcast 

burning, thinning, piling, and pile burning.

Most of these acres were treated 

with broadcast burns lit under prescribed 

conditions to produce low to moderate 

intensity fires that remove accumulations 

of forest litter and debris. It remains the 

most cost effective and immediate fire 

hazard reduction treatment available to fire 

managers. In 2009, 10,393 acres were treated 

with broadcast burns. Just under half these 

acres – 6,274 – occurred within the wildland 

urban interface (WUI) where the forest and 

communities meet. Most urban interface 

treatments were on the Williams Ranger 

District where there is the highest density 

of private in-holdings and municipal lands, 

though 800 acres around the community of 

Tusayan on the Tusayan Ranger District also 

received prescribed burn treatment.

In addition to broadcast burning, Kaibab 

Hazardous Fuels Reduction funding was also 

used to thin 378 acres, to pile 1,790 acres of 

slash, and to burn 378 acres of slash piles. 

Thinning, and piling slash in dense stands of 

timber, while considerably more costly than 

burning, has a longer term effect on reducing 

fire hazard. The majority of these treatments 

took place in the WUI where the higher 

cost of these treatments is easily justified 

to protect residences and improvements on 

private lands, as well as watersheds and 

infrastructure that are located on forest 

lands.

Kaibab fire managers continue to use 

lightning-caused wildfires to return fire to 

a fire-adapted ecosystem and accomplish 

hazardous fuel reduction objectives when 

weather and forest fuel moisture conditions 

are appropriate. These naturally-caused fires 

have other resource benefits as well such 

as improving and protecting wildlife habitat, 

recycling nutrients into the soil, improving 

forage production, and maintaining or 

improving stand structure. These fires 

typically burn at low to moderate intensity, 

with isolated pockets of moderate to intense 

fire behavior. Not simply allowed to burn, 

these fires are actively managed; specialists 

from all forest resource disciplines 

participate in the decision process to 

determine where the fires will be allowed 

to spread, what values are at risk, and how 

they will be protected. Fire managers and 

firefighters implement those plans, often over 

the course of several weeks. 

In fiscal year 2009, 12 fires on the 

Kaibab were managed to achieve resource 

objectives, burning a total of 44,568 acres. 

On the Williams Ranger District were the 

Wild Horse Fire – 11,587 acres, the Marteen 

Fire – 10,288 acres, and the Cross Fire – 7,718 

acres. The Tusayan Ranger District managed 

five wildfires for resource benefit objectives 

including the Ruby Fire – 4,102 acres, the 

Miller Fire – 3,160 acres, the Indian-Rae 

Fire – 2,005 acres, the Anderson Fire – 1,238 

acres, and the Rain Fire – 40 acres. The 

North Kaibab Ranger District managed the 

Fracas Fire – 2,339 acres, the Pipeline Fire 

– 1,441 acres, the Castle Fire – 432 acres, 

and the Dee Fire – 213 acres – to achieve 

resource objectives. 

Between the 13,874 acres treated using 

funds allocated to the Forest for hazardous 

fuels reduction, and the 44,568 acres of 

wildfires managed to achieve resource 

objectives, a total of 58,442 acres, primarily 

in the ponderosa pine type, were treated 

in the 2009 fiscal year. This equates to 

approximately 10 percent of the pine type 

on the Forest, an unprecedented rate of 

treatment. 

fuels 

ManagEment

Timber Products Used by Local Families

8,821 Cords 

Personal Use Firewood

2,146 

Christmas Tree Permits

Permits were also available for fence posts, pines poles, 

decorative wood, wilding transplants, and pine cones.
Wildland Fire Advisory Council

Each year, the Kaibab National Forest joins other 

members of the Wildland Fire Advisory Council (WFAC) in 

training exercises to improve efficiency and teamwork in 

responding to emergencies. In 2009, about 100 participants 

spent May 16 practicing wildland firefighting techniques 

and testing equipment to be prepared before incidents 

occur. This training complemented another preparedness 

drill March 28 involving a simulated airplane crash that 

developed into a wildfire and threatened private property. 

The May 2009 exercise involved three training 

scenarios. The simulations, which were all held in 

Williams, were 1) a structure assessment drill at the 

south end of 9th, 10th, and 11th streets, 2) a wildland fire 

exercise on the south end of Buckskinner Park, and 3) 

apparatus capabilities and compatibilities at the Kaibab 

National Forest Supervisor’s Office. 

One new component to the training was testing 

the “Ready Coconino” emergency notification system 

through Coconino County Emergency Management. Early 

Saturday morning the system was initiated, and residents 

on the south side of Williams were notified of the training 

exercise. 

Participants included Camp Navajo Fire Department, 

Coconino County, Flagstaff Fire Department, High Country 

Fire Department, Junipine Fire Department, Kaibab 

National Forest, Ponderosa Fire Department, Red Lake 

Fire Department, Sherwood Fire Department, Williams Fire 

Department, and Tusayan Fire Department. 

fire 

ManagEment

The Ruby and Game Reserve fires. 

Taken from Red Butte Lookout on 

the Tusayan Ranger District.

My favorite place on the Kaibab is 

the Red Butte Lookout. It provides 

a tremendous vantage point over the 

Tusayan district and the surrounding 

areas, including parts of the 

Williams district and Coconino 

National Forest, parts of the Grand 

Canyon National Park, as well as 

state and private lands.

 – Gary Bishop

 Fire Management Officer

 Tusayan Ranger District

	 During 2009, the Kaibab National Forest advanced

interagency fire management practices by managing fire across

jurisdictional boundaries with our neighbors at Grand Canyon

National Park and the Coconino National Forest. Over the course

of several months, fire officials jointly managed fire on more

than 17,000 acres between the Ruby Complex and the Wild Horse

Complex. These fires provided excellent opportunities to work

together to accomplish shared fire management objectives. 

	 In late May, the Ruby Fire began on the Tusayan Ranger

District of the Kaibab National Forest about seven miles

southeast of Tusayan, and the Game Reserve Fire began on

the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park approximately

nine miles southeast of Grand Canyon Village. The fires were

lightning-caused and located about four miles apart from

each other. Managers in the Park and on the Forest identified

common goals and multiple objectives that they hoped to achieve

as the fires moved across the landscape toward each other.

	 On June 13, agency administrators decided to manage both

fires under one organization, called the Ruby Complex. This was

the first time fire had been managed jointly between the South

Rim of the Park and the Tusayan Ranger District. 

	 Management objectives for the complex included protecting

a major power line and the Arizona Trail, preserving sensitive

cultural sites, improving wildlife habitat, and returning fire to

a fire-adapted ecosystem. Management of the incident provided

many training and learning opportunities.

	 Then, in late July, another opportunity arose to manage fire

across jurisdictional boundaries when the Red Fire started on

the Coconino National Forest and the Wild Horse Fire started

on the Kaibab National Forest about 16 miles northeast of

Williams. Officials of both forests decided to combine resources

and manage the fires under one organization as the Wild Horse

Complex. Management objectives included reducing hazardous

fuel accumulation, returning fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem,

protecting range improvements, and improving wildlife habitat.

	 These incidents were examples of how fire can be managed

safely and effectively across jurisdictional boundaries to meet

protection and resource objectives. Kaibab National Forest

fire managers look forward to future opportunities to manage

fire across the landscape in cooperation with our neighboring

agencies.
E-MAIL:

mailroom_r3_kaibab@fs.fed.us

WEB SITE:

http://fs.usda.gov/kaibab

Kaibab National Forest 

Supervisor’s Office

Mike Williams

Forest Supervisor

800 S. 6th Street

Williams, AZ 86046

(928) 635-8200

North Kaibab Ranger District

Tim Short, District Ranger

430 S. Main Street

P.O. Box 248

Fredonia, AZ 86022

(928) 643-7395

Tusayan Ranger District

Angela Parker, District Ranger

Highway 64 Administrative Site

P.O. Box 3088

Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

(928) 638-2443

Williams Ranger District

Martie Schramm, District Ranger

742 S. Clover Road

Williams, AZ 86046

(928) 635-5600

CONTACT US

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs 

and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 

genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to 

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 

20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.

21%

Fire Preparedness

$3,856,429 

11%

Administration

$1,969,033

11%

Fuels

$2,011,756

5%

American Recovery

and Reinvestment Act

$860,000

6%

other

$1,166,960

6%

Vegetative Treatment

$1,065,000

6%

Recreation

$1,158,400

12%

Timber

$2,219,159

7%

Road Maintenance

$1,264,200

3%

Facility Maintenance

$593,778

4%

Lands & Minerals

$687,000

2%

Wildlife

$375,000

2%

RANGE

$290,526

5%

Forest Planning

$924,500

1%

trails

$229,365

Budget FY2009

100%

TOTAL BUDGET

$18,671,106