Arizona

April Reese

A travel management plan for a popular hunting area within Arizona's Kaibab National Forest would restrict off-highway access to designated roads -- except for hunters who need to travel off-road to retrieve big game.

That provision is drawing fire from environmental groups, which last year appealed a similar policy on a neighboring district within the Kaibab forest, citing concerns about impacts to endangered species.

Glen Creno

People may be the most dangerous animals in Arizona's forests and deserts this time of year.

Campers, partiers and people on all-terrain vehicles can all be responsible for wildfires. They often don't know they've been responsible for fires that can cost thousands of dollars to put out and cause damage that takes years to heal.

Mark A. Hart

SAFFORD, Ariz. - Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) officers patrolling in Graham County the first weekend in April issued seven citations for violations of the state Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) decal program.

Six violators were ticketed Saturday in the Cedar Springs area, and several warnings were also issued for juvenile operators failing to wear helmets. Another violator was cited Sunday elsewhere in Graham County. They were among the more than 150 field contacts made by wildlife officers in Graham County over the weekend.

MaryEllen Resendez

PHOENIX - Holiday weekends in Arizona typically attract off road vehicles, and this weekend will be no exception.

State agencies including the Coconino Sheriff's office, Arizona Game and Fish and the U.S. Forest service are gearing up for increased patrols near Cinder lake, Munds Park, Williams, and Flagstaff.

Shaun McKinnon

Arizona cannot blame dust storms for high pollution readings at a south Phoenix air-quality monitor, federal regulators said Tuesday, a decision that exposes Maricopa County to costly federal sanctions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that readings at the monitoring station, near 43rd Avenue and Broadway Road, violated federal pollution limits at least four times during 2008.

Lindsey Collum

Western Pinal County has some of the nation's most polluted air.

On the worst days, plumes rise from agriculture and industry, and a thick, brown fog hangs over animal feedlots at sunrise and dusk.

Cyndi Tuell

When you imagine spending time in northern Arizona's national forests, what do you picture? Towering ponderosa pines, snow-covered hills and valleys, rugged mountain trails descending into scenic valleys with crystal clear lakes and babbling streams? Or roads deteriorating from years of neglect, ORVs churning Mormon Lake into a mud pit, and illegal roads cutting across meadows and streambanks?

Recently, the Arizona Game and Fish Department closed the Upper Verde River Wildlife Area to all motorized uses after years of illegal ORV use put wildlife at risk. In the past year, fewer than 25 percent of ORV owners are registering their vehicles as required by Arizona law. A 2001 survey of ORV users found that 15-20 percent admitted to frequently breaking the rules and riding off of legal routes. There are endless miles of unauthorized roads and motorized trails that fragment wildlife habitat, cause erosion, and spread exotic weeds.

Jackee Coe

Southwest Valley fire officials are warning residents of brush fire and river water dangers as the weather warms up.

Be smart about using fire because vegetation that has grown from the rain this year will dry out as temperatures rise, making them easy fuel for brush fires.

Allan Bacon

As a young man growing up in the Verde Valley my buddies and I took full advantage of the public lands and the countless dirt roads that lay within. We always made time to travel to our favorite mud-holes and "romp" in 4WD for hours, returning our trucks to the pavement proudly displaying a fresh earth-tone paint job.

As recently announced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Upper Verde River Wildlife Area will be closed to motorized access within the month due in large part to illegal off-road vehicle usage. At a younger age this announcement would have outraged me, especially if one of my favorite mud-holes was within the wildlife area. However, my formal education in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and current pursuit of a graduate degree in Ecology from Duke University as a PhD student has opened my eyes not only to the long-term ecological effects that result from four-wheeling, but also other opportunities for four-wheeling provided by our National Forests that are both legal and ecologically responsible.