Natural Resources

The Prescott Region is responsible for managing land, wildlife, and vegetation along roadway corridors of approximately 1,300 miles (20,000 acres).  The Prescott Region (Maps) spans across eight distinct biotic communities, six counties, four ADOT maintenance districts, and four National Forests.  The Prescott team is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds and college educations in:  natural resources management, wildlife and fisheries biology, entomology, forestry, parks and recreation, wildland fire suppression, and law enforcement.  All members possess herbicide applicator licenses issued by the Arizona Office of Pest Management and Class A Commercial Driver Licenses.

Boom axe I-17 Camp Verde       Timber axe on I-17 median       Boom axe on SR 71       Camelthorn on SR 95     Weed control at the Verde River      Bull Elk on SR 87    Burning slash piles    Desert Tortoises seeking shelter         Red Rock Scenic SR 179       Historical Route 66    Joshua Tree Forest   Granite Dells SR 89

Management Challenges The Prescott region’s centralized location within the State creates a set of unique challenges.  Listed are some of the unique challenges and features in our region: Management of three Interstates: I-10, I-40, and I-17 Arizona’s most highly used routes call for top management priority Over 1300 lane miles of interstate in our region alone Safety: public and our employees Speeds: 75+mph Traffic Volumes: working in high traffic volumes Working in the median areas   Tree and Brush Management Lower elevation desert species are continually resprouting Thinning and removing debris around wildland urban interface (WUI) areas to prevent destructive wildfires Hundreds of pine trees are dying annually on State Routes 260, 89A, and 87.  We continually remove the trees that pose a threat to the roadway, employees, and the public Removing vegetation around bridge and drainage structures for safety, structure protection and proper drainage   Noxious and Invasive weed program Our region spans across four National Forests, each requiring an Herbicide Use Proposal for each State Route that travels through the respective forest High quantities of rivers, creeks, and washes require careful planning and application Application timing: targeting weeds before they set seed in eight distinct biotic communities Mapping noxious weed populations yearly across the entire Prescott Region to track population fluctuations Meet monthly with the Western Yavapai Weed Management Group Respond to inquires by Medically Chemically Sensitive members of the public   Wildlife Monitoring Collect and map wildlife collision data across the entire Prescott Region monthly Identify areas where improved fencing could funnel animals to existing road crossing features Gathering habitat connectivity information Locate potential wildlife crossings Note crossings that need to be retrofitted during future construction Collect photo's of wildlife using existing road features Prescribed Fire Our region is usually restricted to burning in the winter months due to wildfire danger The Prescott region uses pile and broadcast burning for vegetation management and fuels reduction   Sensitive Resources A variety of Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive plant and animal species inhabit our region including the Mexican Spotted Owl, California Condor, Bald Eagle, Desert Tortoise (Sonoran and Mohave), Banded Gila Monster, Chiricahua Leopard Frog , Bonytail Chub, Razorback Sucker, Arizona Cliffrose, and Siler Pincushion cactus to name a few. Riparian areas throughout the region including Oak Creek Canyon, West Clear Creek, and Big Bug Creek to name a few. Major rivers within the Prescott Region's roadway corridors include: The Colorado, Verde, Agua Fria, Hassayampa, Santa Maria, and the Big Sandy Coordination with schools: our region has several schools that are located along State Routes Native American Lands: Yavapai-Apache Nation, Colorado River Indian Tribe, Fort Mohave Indian Tribe, Hualapai Indian Tribe, and Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe Scenic and Historical Routes  Each of the routes below have unique features that require careful planning, cooperation, and management to provide safety as while as pleasing aesthetics. Red Rock Scenic SR 179 Dry Creek Scenic SR 89A Mingus Mountain Scenic SR 89A Joshua Forest Scenic US 93 Historical Route 66 SR66                                  Historical Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood SR 89A   Natural Features Lake Mead National Recreation Area (US 93 Hoover Dam area) Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (SR95 Lake Havasu City) Bill Williams River National Wildlife Area (SR 95 Southeast of Lake Havasu City) Tonto Natural Bridge State Park (SR 87 south of Pine) Grand Canyon Caverns (Route 66 NW of Seligman) Granite Dells (SR 89 in Prescott) Joshua Trees (SR 93) Mogollon Rim (SR 87 North of Payson) Montezuma Castle National Monument (I-17 North of Camp Verde)

 

Maintaining Recovery Zone I-17  Mule Deer crossing in box culvert   U93 Desert Tortoise Monitoring        SR 179 Cleared Side Road          SR 87-260 hazard tree pile           West Clear Creek SR260

Current and Completed Projects I 17 Recovery Zone Project (Current) Clearing and maintaining the shoulder and median areas of brush and tree hazards within recovery zone (42 feet from the nearest white line) Equipment in use consists of chainsaws, boom ax, mowers, and herbicide spray vehicles   Wildlife Movement Monitoring on I-17, SR 89 and SR 87 (Current) We currently monitor six sites using infared digital game cameras This data will be used to determine what species are using or not using exsisting crossing features   US 93 Desert Tortiose Interagency Project (Completed) Our crew assisted the Arizona Game and Fish Department with traffic control and tortiose monitoring   Wildlife Vehicle Collision Monitoring (Current) Conduct GPS data collection monthly Develop maps showing species and locations where animals are being hit by vehicles   SR 179 Bicyclist/Recovery Zone Project (Completed) Removed encroaching trees and brush up to 10 feet from roadway edge Cleared vegetation away from signs, side roads, and curves for sight distance   SR 87 & SR 260 Hazard Tree Project (Completed) In coordination with the USDA Forest Service and ADOT Payson Maintenance we removed over 400 hazardous trees along State Routes 87 and 260   SR 260 West Clear Creek Bridge Project (Completed) Our crew removed vegetation from under the West Clear Creek Bridge to prevent debris buildup and bridge damage