CROWN KING, Ariz. (AP) — Fueled by high winds, a wildfire that has prompted the evacuation of a historic mining town in northern Arizona nearly tripled in size. The fire in the Prescott National Forest grew to an estimated 5,400 acres, or nearly 8 1/2 square miles, Wednesday night — up from about 2,000 acres a day earlier. High winds have helped fan the flames, and fire officials were expecting much of the same conditions for the next couple of days. Most of Crown King's 350 residents had already evacuated their homes before Taryn Denyce finally left earlier Wednesday, feeling she had no other choice. She didn't fear for her life, nor for the bed and breakfast she took over from her parents a few ... Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (WTW) — A coalition of environmentalists wants to create a national monument near the Grand Canyon, but federal officials and a ranchers group say the land already is adequately protected from things like overgrazing and mining. The environmentalists are looking to President Barack Obama to declare a 1.7 million-acre area, mostly north of the Grand Canyon, as Grand Canyon Watershed National Monument. The sparsely populated area just south of the Utah border is a mix of towering cliffs and canyons, grasslands, forest and desert that is popular with hunters, ranchers, hikers and other recreationists. "The benefits economically and certainly ecologically would be positive, probably substantially so," said Kim Crumbo of the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. "The negative downside is kind of hard to ... Continue reading →
Federal officials say they’ve come up with some proposals on how to manage the flow of water at Glen Canyon Dam. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service have scheduled a two-day meeting in Flagstaff next week to present those plans to the public. They’re also welcoming outside proposals. The agencies have been gathering input on what they say is the first comprehensive review of dam operations in 15 years. They’ll ultimately produce an environmental impact statement with proposed changes. The timing and volume of water released into the Colorado River from the dam in Page affects hydroelectricity, beach recreation, archaeological sites in the Grand Canyon and native fish. Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Two cousins charged with accidentally causing the largest wildfire in Arizona history pleaded guilty Tuesday to a pair of misdemeanor charges after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.Caleb Malboeuf and David Malboeuf each face up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine after admitting in federal magistrate court to leaving a campfire unattended and building a campfire without clearing flammable material to prevent it from escaping. The Malboeufs had each faced five charges and penalties that included more than two years behind bars and $30,000 in fines.The cousins were camping in eastern Arizona's Apache Sitgreaves National Forest last May when their campfire spread outside its ring. High winds whipped the blaze, later dubbed the Wallow Fire, which burned more than 538,000 ... Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Generations of Navajo families have grazed livestock on a remote but spectacular mesa that overlooks the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. This is the East Rim of the majestic Grand Canyon -- the last with no significant development.But ancestral tradition and the tranquility of the landscape could be subject to change if the Navajo government's plans are realized for a resort and aerial tramway that would ferry tourists from cliff tops to water's edge.The vast 27,000 square-mile Navajo reservation abuts Grand Canyon National Park, and tribal leaders say they're losing out on tourist dollars and jobs for their people by leaving the land undeveloped. Navajo President Ben Shelly recently signed a nonbinding agreement that lists the gondola, a restaurant, a half-mile ... Continue reading →
Jimmy Detsoi touted a proposal that he thought would get unanimous support from people in a small Navajo community where raising livestock is synonymous with culture and tradition, the advent of the massive federal Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. He had identified nine residents with livestock grazing permits on a patch of northwest New Mexico land that is in the path of the 280-mile, $1 billion pipeline project that will bring water closer to thousands of Navajos on the eastern side of the reservation. More than 40 percent of Navajo residences across the 27,000 square-mile reservation still do not have running water, and many have the arduous task of hauling water miles for basic uses like cooking, washing and drinking. The pipeline also will bring water ... Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—The Navajo Nation has sued Urban Outfitters months after the tribe sent a cease and desist letter to the clothing retailer demanding it pull the "Navajo" name from its products.The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New Mexico alleges trademark violations and violations of the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell arts or crafts in a way to falsely suggest they're made by American Indians when they're not.The tribe has at least 10 registered trademarks on the Navajo name that cover clothing, footwear, online retail sales, household products and textiles. Tribal justice officials said they're intent on protecting what they believe are among the tribe's most valuable assets."The fame or reputation of the Navajo name ... Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The story of a legendary Apache warrior who is said to have walked without leaving footprints as he evaded thousands of Mexican and U.S. soldiers easily overshadows that of other Apaches who were trying to protect their people and way of life from encroachment.But a new exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, "Beyond Geronimo: The Apache Experience," draws on that warrior's fame while also exploring less familiar stories of other Apaches. The exhibit runs through January.The story of Geronimo, who was born in 1829 and came to be seen as a freedom fighter, still stirs emotions. He evaded capture repeatedly but eventually surrendered to U.S. authorities and died in 1909 as a prisoner of war, but he endures as a ... Continue reading →
