The Veteran’s Fire Corps, Flagstaff, AZ met with U.S. Forestry Recreation Technician and qualified C-Sawyer, Justin Loxley, and began the week in assisting with the clean up of recreational campgrounds owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service. The beautiful drive forty-five minutes south of Flagstaff past Upper and Lower Lake Mary brought the VFC Team to both the Lakeview and Dairy Springs campgrounds.
The clean-up of Dairy Springs allowed the VFC Team to witness Loxley’s daily recreational work in campground cleanup. Lakeview and Dairy Springs required the falling of hazardous, rotted Ponderosa Pine trees snags in order to prevent possible dangerous interactions with falling trees and recreational campers. The project work also included the bucking up of fallen Ponderosas into three to four foot sections in order to be properly cleared by heavy equipment operators. Although the Lakeview Campground’s dead and down trees typically harbor hidden Timber Rattle Snakes, the VFC team was lucky enough to avoid any interaction.
Week 12 also allowed members of the VFC Team to work in other forestry departments such as Range and Wildlife. Brian and James spent two days with Wildlife Supervisor, Lauren Lasuleur, and conducted bird collaring, begging calls, and general annotations of Arizona’s Northern Goshawks, as well as the Narrow-Headed Garter Snakes. During the week, Davon was able to work with Range Supervisors, Mandi and Gary, and surveyed federal land pastures for feed allotments of privately owned cattle within the Coconino.
