USDA Forest Service- Tonto National Forest

The Pine Canyon Community and Water Protection Project is underway after all the hard work and preparation! The #TontoNF is working with @nationalforests on the Payson Ranger District to enhance forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and protect the communities of Pine and Strawberry and the water supply they rely on. Pine Canyon is especially prone to catastrophic wildfire across the entire steep canyon landscape, and post fire flooding would cause immense damage to water supplies, downstream communities, and beyond. Because the communities of Pine and Strawberry both rely on the Pine Creek water source for homes and businesses, and because of its unique wildlife habitat, beauty, and natural resources, Pine Canyon has been prioritized by the Forest Service as an area that needs thinning treatments and restoration. This project will: ▪️Reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and help handle wildfires that start 🧯🔥 ▪️Reduce the impacts of post-fire flooding 🛟 ◾️Protect Pine Creek water supply 💦 ▪️Support the economy by protecting homes and businesses 🏠 ▪️Protect recreation opportunities, wildlife habitat, clean air, clean water, and key Forest infrastructure sites 🚣🦌🌿 We’re thinning mixed conifers, juniper, and oaks on approximately 450 acres to create conditions suitable for the re-introduction of low-severity prescribed fire. In addition, parts of Pine Canyon are inaccessible and require technical steep slope operations in areas that are too steep for traditional machinery. 🚚Trucks are ready to roll, and the Forest Service is ready to help protect this key community. Increased truck traffic is expected on Pine Creek Canyon Road.🚦 All of this work will give the Tonto National Forest a huge edge in protecting communities from high-intensity wildfire! Thank you to the @u.s.forestservice and @nationalforests, @southwestforests_nff for helping achieve this important mission!

Come say hello to our OHV and recreation crew @scottsdaleazgov’s off-road Dirt Expo at @westworldofscottsdale! Our team will be there this weekend on Saturday and Sunday to answer any questions you may have about off-roading on the Tonto! #TontoNF staff will be providing information about the new OHV permit fees that will go into effect on January 1, 2025. The new approved fees include an annual permit for motorized vehicle use at four OHV sites (Bulldog Canyon, The Rolls, Desert Vista, and St. Clair OHV Permit Zones) for $80, a 6-month permit for $60, or a 3-day permit for $10. Fees at Lower Sycamore will also be implemented at a later date once all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have been met. These fees are based on comments from the public from an August 2021 to January 2024 public outreach period and the costs and maintenance of the amenities and services that were requested. Fees collected will immediately go back into the OHV sites to maintain the areas and complete improvements to create a better recreation experience for the users. A complete list of fee areas can be found at the link in our bio.

Even without a touch of desert greens or browns in these pictures, the mountain ranges and cactus of the Tonto stay beautiful!🌵 These shots were taken in the Superstition Mountain range, a great spot for recreating during the winter season. Photo credit: Ameer Hafeez

75 volunteers, including 9 youth volunteers, joined us the day after Thanksgiving for our 7th annual Green Friday Cleanup with @srpconnect at Bartlett Lake. * Thank you to everyone who came out to help us make a positive impact on the area!⁠ We staged at Bartlett Flats & volunteers spread out on foot & in their vehicles, exploring the area & picking up trash. ⁠Check out a few photos, we’ll share more soon along with the dumpster weight. ⁠ *⁠ Green Friday is our way of thinking differently about the day after Thanksgiving; it’s a chance to celebrate the connection between people & outdoor spaces, inspire environmental stewardship, & encourage use of outdoor spaces for education, recreation, & general health.⁠ ⁠ *⁠ Thank you to @srpconnect for awarding us a corporate contribution of operating support & a grant for Green Friday! We are grateful for their continued support of our mission!⁠ *⁠ This event was also possible due to support from our Sponsors:⁠ @arizonawg, @az4runneroutsiders, @aztoytech, @azwilderness, @battlebornoffroad, @beerbarnaz, @desertmonsterstours, @hdr_inc, @ivdsuspension, Illuminated Funds Group, @native.resources1540, @nitrogears, @odysea.aquarium, @resolutioncopper, @saguarolakeranch, @securitytitlearizona, @state48overland, @stellaradventures, @victory4x4, @wildwestorr, & @yamahaoutdoors.⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠ *⁠ Thank you to everyone from the @tontonationalforest who joined us today! We are grateful for their support of this event & our mission!⁠ ⁠ #naturalrestorations⁠ #greenfriday⁠ #greenfriday2024⁠ #bartlettlake⁠ #arizona⁠ #tontonationalforest⁠

As the Cottonwood Springs project comes to an end, we’d like to thank @azstateparks for their funding, @azgfd for helping repair the spring and trough, @bchamerica’s East Valley chapter for their dedicated to this project and @treadlightlyteam and @tral_az for their help with the signs and map. We’d also like to remind users that fencing and features like this are installed for everyone’s protection- recreationists, wildlife, and other natural resources. Please don’t damage the fence or create new routes around it. Projects like this and additional site improvements can be completed in the future with our new OHV fees that will go into effect on January 1, 2025. The new approved fee includes an annual permit for motorized vehicle use at four OHV sites (Bulldog Canyon, The Rolls, Desert Vista, and St. Clair OHV Permit Zones) for $80, a 6-month permit for $60, or a 3-day permit for $10. Fees at Lower Sycamore will also be implemented at a later date once all requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have been met. A complete list of fee areas can be found on the Tonto National Forest website at the link in our bio!

Happy Thanksgiving from the #TontoNF! Today, we are #thankfulfor our public lands and the endless benefits they provide us including clean air, water, and recreation activities! Friendly reminder that the #TontoNF Ranger District offices are closed today, Nov. 28, in observance of the holiday. Offices will resume normal business hours on Friday, Nov. 29. For a listing of normal business hours, please visit our website. #whatareyouthankfulfor?

Earlier this month, volunteers from @sonoraninsiders (a local group of ambassadors and partners focused on amplifying good stewardship and responsible recreation in the Sonoran Desert🌵) participated in a Wild Arizona event focused on decommissioning social trails. This ongoing project is a collaboration between the #TontoNF, @southwestforests_nff, @nationalforests, and @wild_arizona_ to educate and introduce forest improvement projects. Social trails are harmful to natural ecosystems and wildlife and can create dangerous situations for hikers on a new trail. Please #knowbeforeyougo on a trail by using a designated trail map which can be found online or at a #TontoNF Ranger District Office. And please refrain from creating and utilizing user-created trails!

Improving recreation site signs, cleaning up campground, trapping bees for research, and completing plant surveys sums up a slight portion of the work completed by two Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crews on the #TontoNF this 2024 summer season. @arizonaconservationcorps partnered with Gila County and the Tonto National Forest to host and provide for two YCC crews based out of Globe and Payson for eight weeks. Their role was to assist in helping Tonto staff complete priority work while crew members gained exposure to outdoor conservation work and various career paths within the @u.s.forestservice. The Globe crew worked on projects including: wet-dry mapping, maintaining and expanding firebreaks, trail maintenance and restoration, campsite cleanup and improvements, area restoration, fencing and sign installation, and trapping of wildlife. While the Payson crew worked on projects including: botany surveys, wet-dry mapping, invasive species removal, trail maintenance and restoration, campsite cleanup and trash pickup, and area restoration and fencing. Each of the crews were led by an AZCC mentor serving an @americorps term. This structure provided an opportunity for the two mentors to learn and apply leadership and professional skills, while keeping the crew safe and guiding each participant through the challenges of outdoor service work.

The #TontoNF sends a huge congratulations to Roberto Ybarra who is retiring this month with 50 years of public service!! Roberto began his career with the government in 1975 in his hometown of El Paso, Texas working at Chamizal National Monument with the National Park Service while still a student at University of Texas at El Paso. After graduating, he worked as a ranger at Big Bend National Park in Texas. He started his career with the USDA Forest Service in 1981 as an OHV patrol at Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon. Then, he transferred to Willamette National Forest in Oregon. In 1991, he left the pacific northwest for the sonoran desert, taking a job at the Tonto National Forest! He has spent 33 years working in the recreation department on the Tonto and will be extremely missed by our staff! Some highlights from his career include working security for a Hurricane Katrina Relief Base Camp in 2004, being a Special Emphasis Project Manager for the Hispanic Program and Disabilities Program at the Tonto, and winning an award for achieving the Highest Standards in Recreation Management. His dedication to public service is highly appreciated and honored!

Think differently about the day after Thanksgiving & start a new tradition with us! Join Natural Restorations & @srpconnect for our 7th annual Green Friday Cleanup at Bartlett Lake next Friday, November 29th from 9am-12pm. ⁠Click the link in our profile for details & registration.⁠ *⁠ Walk along the shoreline & through the vegetation picking up trash, explore the area in your vehicle while stopping to pick up trash when you see it, or bring your kayak or paddle board to pick up trash from the lake. Most of the trash is on land.⁠ *⁠ We are staging at Bartlett Lake Flats. ⁠Click the link in our profile directions, event information and to register for participation & updates. ⁠ *⁠ Our events are family friends and this is a great opportunity for youth volunteers! ⁠A parent, guardian, or adult group leader must accompany and supervise anyone under the age of 18 years old.⁣⁠ Groups & Clubs of any size are welcome! ⁠ *⁠ Thank you to @srpconnect for awarding us with an operations grant and a grant for Green Friday! We are grateful for their continued support of our mission!⁠ *⁠ This event is also possible due to support from our Sponsors:⁠ @arizonawg, @az4runneroutsiders, @aztoytech, @azwilderness, @battlebornoffroad, @beerbarnaz, @desertmonsterstours, @hdr_inc, @ivdsuspension, Illuminated Funds Group, @native.resources1540, @nitrogears, @odysea.aquarium, @resolutioncopper, @saguarolakeranch, @securitytitlearizona, @state48overland, @stellaradventures, @victory4x4, @wildwestorr, & @yamahaoutdoors.⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠ *⁠ Thank you to everyone from the @tontonationalforest for their support!⁠ ⁠ #naturalrestorations⁠ #greenfriday⁠ #greenfriday2024⁠ #bartlettlake⁠ #arizona⁠ #tontonationalforest⁠ ⁠ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1075817893279?aff=oddtdtcreator⁠

This last weekend, the #TontoNF hosted an appreciation ceremony honoring the efforts of the @river_rangers_az over the last year. Their 2024 achievements include: - removing more than 20,000 pounds of trash from the Salt River 🗑️ - reuniting hundreds of cellphones and apple watches with their owners 📱 - spending 3,490 hours volunteering on the Tonto by 39 members! 🕰️ A special shout-out goes to Michelle Jacobs who won the “river shall provide” award for finding the most unopened alcohol, Marie Thorhauer who won the golden croc for collecting the most discarded shoes, Curt Bruns who had the most volunteer hours, and Natalia Smith who won the leadership award.

In August, dry lightning storms sparked two fires in the Payson Ranger District – the Preacher and West fires. After years of preparation, fire managers saw these fires as an opportunity to turn nature’s ignition into a fire management tool. 🔥 Learn how the Tonto used wildfire to reduce extreme wildfire risk, protect homes, improve watershed conditions and support wildlife habitat. Watch the full video at the link in our bio.