AES Unit 9 Water Catchment Project

[rthrbhntng]

August 24, 25, 26th UNIT 9 WATER CATCHMENT PROJECT

 

We plan to work on catchment #256. This is an old concrete catchment that currently holds about 2000 gallons when full. We will replace the concrete with 3 new fiberglass storage tanks and a new drinker that will have a storage capacity of +20,000 gallons. We will also replace the barbed wire fence surrounding the catchment with a new pipe rail fence.

 

To complete the entire project will require a little more than the two day work weekend, regardless of the number of volunteers who come, because various steps require setting posts in concrete and allowing them to dry overnight before proceeding with the next step. If we can find 7 people who can arrive Friday (August 24), we would have a good chance to get it all done by Sunday afternoon. We will need at least one welder (and preferably 2). AGFD and/or a local company will likely provide one welder.

 

In July, the temperatures should be about 85 degrees in the daytime and 45 degrees at night. Afternoon thunderstorms are likely, so people should be prepared to camp and work in wet weather. We will camp near the job site which is in pine, pinyon-juniper habitat. There will be no drinking water or toilets available. Road access, if dry, is good for all types of vehicles and trailers. If roads are very wet, high clearance vehicles and/or 4WD will be needed. If we do not receive rain prior to mid July, there is a good chance that the Forest Service will close all entry to the forest and we will have to reschedule. If the Forest Service has restrictions on use of equipment, such as welders/generators, that will also prevent us from working on the project. There may be fire restrictions in effect preventing open fires or smoking. Therefore, please have your volunteers provide you an email address or phone number so we can contact them just prior to the work weekend with current road information or inform them if we need to reschedule.

 

TOOLS WE WILL BE NEEDING AND USING.

 

electric jack hammer with spade bit

cement mixer

welder and welding machine

generator

screw guns w/ socket sets

shovels/picks/hard rakes

 

AGFD will provide the basic equipment for the job, but volunteers might bring: shovels, hard rakes, electric extension cords, ¾” wrenches, electric or battery drill, wheel barrow. People should bring work gloves, suntan lotion, sun glasses, wide brimmed hat and plenty of drinking water.

 

Directions to August 24-26 project and camp:

 

- from Flagstaff, go west on Interstate 40 to Williams.

- take Highway 64 exit north toward the Grand Canyon

- north on Hwy 64 to Tusayan (about 50 miles)

- as you enter Tusayan, turn east (right) on Forest Road 302.

- Take Forest Road 302 east for about 13.9 miles until it “T”s into Forest Road 310.

- CAMPING – Turn left on 310 and go 0.1 mi. to camp on either side of the road.

- PROJECT - Turn right on Forest Road 310.

- Follow Forest Road 310 for 2.3 miles. Catchment is visible on the left side of road.

 

CONTACT FOR INFO AND TO RSVP:

 

People can contact Greg Stainton (602) 999-5855 and email gstainton3@cox.net If people are able to attend, it is important that we have a current way to get hold of them, in case the forest is not open. A phone number or email address would be fine.

[rthrbhntng]

Due to the Kiabab closing the forest this week we are moving the project to AUGUST 24-25-26th.

We are sorry for any inconvienience this has caused but hope to see everyone there. Please email or call Greg so we know how many are coming. The Arizona Elk Society will be providing all the meals and need to know how many people will be there.

Steve

[rthrbhntng]

Due to the Kiabab closing the forest this week we are moving the project to AUGUST 24-25-26th.

We are sorry for any inconvienience this has caused but hope to see everyone there. Please email or call Greg so we know how many are coming. The Arizona Elk Society will be providing all the meals and need to know how many people will be there.

Steve

 

 

can you chime in on the Az Elk Societies commitment to water hauling in unit 9 and respond to the post called Unit 9 water situation under hunting arizona? Would like to see the elk society step up if they haven't already.

 

thanks

 

 

Done Sir,

Now let's see if the sportsmen community will step up and help out. Every year we hear about the guys that would have helped if they had known what needed to be done. If you have time or know someone that has time get them in touch with the G&F and/or AES and we will try to coordinate some action.

 

Steve Clark

rthrbhntng@cox.net

[300WBYMAG]

Building drinkers is a great. But I am concerned about the immediate problem of the days on end wildlife are going without water. AZ Elk Society should contract with a water hauler to keep these drinkers full and sustain the wildlife. Even with vulonteer work in times of crisis like this we are better off contracting with a hauler versus depending on the volunteer's schedules, availabilty, etc. Maybe if they could have gotten more than $85k for the auction tag we would have funds avaible to do this. RMEF was able to get to get $120k+ for the same tag this year. An extra $35k would have been plenty to hire a contractor to keep tanks full. Maybe RMEF should sell both tags going forward.

 

This is just my opinion, but we can't rely solely on volunteers work in crisis situations and this is when we need to use the funds raised for this purpose, but when you don't have the funds you can't get it done.... We all have different opinions on how the elk tag auction went this year, but the bottom line is money was left on the table that could have been used to support the elk.

[rthrbhntng]

As far as using auction tag money for water hauling the money raised by the tags that money is processed through the G&F HPC program. It is G&F money that the sponsoring Wildlife group designates goes to HPC habitat projects for that species ie: Elk Tag Funds are distributed and monitered by the Arizona Elk Society in conjunction with the AZGFD HPC committees. Here is a link to the AES website that shows all the AES funded projects up to 2006. http://www.arizonaelksociety.org/fundedprojects.html. Go to other threads like the Super raffle thread and read the posts there about how the money is spent. Go to the AZGFD web site and search on the HPC, Habitat Partnership Committee where the Auction tag funds and money raised by the Wildlife Organizations is spent. Or last but not least GET INVOLVED. The groups spend a lot of time working to sell these tags whether we sell them at out banquet by auction or raffle them through the Super Raffle. We all donate our time to do this. ALL THE MONEY raised goes back to the wildlife through the AZGFD HPC program. In other states the groups that sell the tags retain a portion (usually 10%) for themselves, not so in Az. We spend 1000's of volunteer hours working with G&F, USFS, BLM, and HPC committees all over the state helping to design and coordinate projects and deciding what projects to fund. This involves many hours both at meetings and in the field visiting the project sites. For those that don't know, groups like the AES, ADA, ABA, AAF, and ADBSS are all volunteers, we do not get paid to go out to these meetings and HPC site visits throughout the state, and all the other events and projects we are involved in.

 

There are reasons why the water problem occurred in unit 9. We are as upset as you about the water situation and the fact that we, as an organization that is supposed to be working hand in hand with the department, just found out that there was a problem. The AES is addressing the fact that G&F is behind on the water hauling efforts and is hiring contractors to get up there and haul water. We have located a contractor in Wickenburg are working to get him up there monday. I have repeatedly put my email and phone number on the web for sportsmen to call or email with information about where there are situations happening that are detrimental to elk. Like any other volunteer oganization we rely on the public and our members for information and support. Not all our board members read the internet chat and if you really want to get the info to the AES I suggest you call or email. If you are in the Flagstaff area and know any contractors that would be able to haul water please let me know. We have called a ton of contractors and all of them are very busy. We have tried to find water trucks to rent and they are all spoken for. Keep in mind that we are calling the ones we can locate. If you know of others, make a few calls and then contact us or give us the info. Every time this happens we hear a lot of complaining but get a few calls about help.

 

Alot of you sportsmen think that you have to go out of your way to help in situations but if you think about it just trying to help communicate with the groups and people that are out there doing the work would help.

 

I have seen posts on this web site about the AES shouldn't postpone the project that was slated for the upcoming weekend. We did postpone it to August. The reason we did that was that the Forest Service may have left the forest open but the restrictions on the equipment we were using left us with no choice but to postpone until we could take the equipment to do the job. By the way that info was in the Forest Service notice and anyone could have read it.

 

I am not trying to blast any one person but there are many ways to be invovled in all of the organizations without spending huge amounts of time or money. Communication if the key. We all have web sites with our contacts and we are trying to represent sportsmen. We all have committee persons that only come out when it is easy for them or important to them. In the meantime sportsmen can stay informed by watching our websites, getting on a committee or just sign up for email newsletters. You can also become members and get the quarterly newsletters.

 

Steve Clark - rthrbhntng@cox.net - 602-885-0835

[COOSEFAN]

I can't remember if I have said this before but if given the chance, people (ie. hunter's, sportsmen, outdoorsmen, etc.) should thank matt mullins of mullins guide service for donating his time with the water hauling project in unit 9. I think several hundred elk were spared life, "literally," due to the efforts of matt. I know he has donated several days if not weeks worth of his time to coordinate, assist, and basically make sure this all took place. Thousands of gallons have been hauled and will cont. to be hauled but we can't stop here. Please people question the game and fish, aes, and rmef about the water situation up there and when you are out in the field and notice a dry and or disfunctional drinker, take the time out of your busy schedules and contact members of the afformentioned organizations. They can't get water to these areas if they aren't aware they are dry, etc.

 

My personal thanks goes out to matt, aes, azgfd, and others. I hope even though the funding from the aes will run out very soon, the g and f can cont. hauling water as the drinkers won't last a wk. w/o assistance.

 

 

Thanks again SDR for your kind words about my bro! He has read your post and is unable to post a reply and asked me to do it for him.

 

Matt wants to say thanks to you SDR for your help as well with the water situation and for your valuable information you provided, it definitely cut down on the reasearch and planning time! He also wants everyone to know that the main person to thank is Steve Clark (rthrbhunting) with AES. Steve had the ball rolling on the planning with AZGFD and the water hauling issues long before this topic came up.....although most people in the general public don't know that. The supporters of AES, RMEF and contrary to popular belief.....the employees of AZGFD, are the main reason there is water being hauled in Arizona right now. The efforts that my brother has put forth is something that everyone can do and he, as well as myself, encourage everyone to help support the AES and the RMEF as much as they can! My brother also says that the WM in Unit 9 ( David Rigo ) is bustin' his butt tryin' to get the unit in shape and he does alot with the unit that most people don't hear about or see, and he has a sincere passion for what he does and for the critters he's responsible for! It's the volunteers and supporters of all the wildlife organizations in this great state that should be thanked for all they do! Thanks guys, JIM>

 

 

If anyone has any questions or concerns about anything related to Unit 9, please call David Rigo (wildlife manager Unit 9).

Mr. Rigo can be reached at his office# 928 - 635 - 5364

 

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas involving anything Elk related within Arizona or would like to become more involved with the AES, please contact Steve Clark.

Steve can be reached by: email - rthrbhntng@cox.net or phone: 602 - 885 - 0835