District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler’s update for May 21 — Tuba City Veterans’ Computer Center open house on May 24

Grand Canyon, AZ – The twenty-ninth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held Saturday, June 22 through Saturday, June 29, 2019 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. Amateur astronomers from across the country will volunteer their telescopes and expertise for the enjoyment of park visitors. Numerous telescopes will offer views of planets Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars, as well as double stars, star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies-and the Moon, earlier in the week. By day, keep an eye out for solar telescopes pointed at the sun. Weather permitting, expect spectacular views of the universe!

National parks such as Grand Canyon are protective havens for some of the last remaining dark skies in this country. Three years ago, Grand Canyon National Park announced that it received Provisional International Dark Sky Park status through the International Dark-Sky Association. Provisional status gave the park three years to retrofit two-thirds of the lights in the park to be night-sky friendly.

This year, the National Park Service celebrates Grand Canyon National Park’s full designation as an International Dark Sky Park, having completed the retrofit requirements in May 2019. We also celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Grand Canyon was a training ground for the Apollo astronauts where they learned about geological processes before making their epic journey to another world.

To celebrate this confluence of milestones we will host a kick off ceremony on June 22 at 10 a.m. at Mather Point Amphitheater. This ceremony will feature remarks from Grand Canyon National Park leadership, Grand Canyon Conservancy leadership, and International Dark-Sky Association leadership.

During the day on the South Rim, visitors can stop by the Grand Canyon Visitor Center for a variety of activities. Cultural demonstrators will be present all week from 9 am to 5 pm Jr. Ranger Day will take place on June 22 and a film festival will take place June 23-28. Finally, to close out the week, the park will host a Summerfest festival on June 29.

During the evening on the South Rim events include a nightly slide show at 8 pm in the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater followed by free telescope viewing and constellation tours behind the building. To guarantee a seat at the slide show, arrive early; doors open at 7:40 pm and the theater has limited capacity. Green-laser Constellation Tours will be offered at 9, 9:30 and 10 pm. Night sky photography workshops will be offered at 10 pm on the 23, 24, 25, 26 and 28 beginning at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater. Parking is available in Lots 1 through 4 (Lot 4 is accessible), or arrive by the free Village Route shuttle bus which runs until 11 pm. Telescope viewing is best after 9 pm and continues well into the night; visitors may arrive any time after dark. A flashlight is recommended for the walk to the viewing area, but white lights are not permitted on the Telescope Lot. Give your eyes time to adapt to the dark, or use a red headlamp.

On the North Rim, telescopes will be set up on the veranda of the Grand Canyon Lodge every evening. Astronomers will also use green lasers to point out constellations. An astronomy slide show will be presented at 8 pm nightly in the lodge auditorium. By day, look for solar telescopes on the veranda and elsewhere. Check the Visitor Center and park bulletin boards for program topics and additional details.

Nighttime temperatures on both rims can be quite cool, even in summer. Those attending the Star Party are encouraged to bring warm layers of clothing. When traveling in the park on the South Rim, it is best to find a parking space and use the free shuttle bus system to access points of interest in the Grand Canyon Village area. For shuttle bus information, visit http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm.

This event is sponsored by the National Park Service, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (South Rim), and the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix (North Rim), with funding from Grand Canyon Conservancy and in partnership with the International Dark-Sky Association.

For additional information on the Grand Canyon Star Party visit http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm or contact Rader Lane at 928-638-7641.

For more information on Grand Canyon National Park’s Centennial anniversary and a full list of Summerfest activities please visit, go.nps.gov/2019_events.

Images from the 2012 and 2013 Grand Canyon Star Party (South Rim) are available at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/sets/72157630320405928

https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/sets/72157634555278306

-NPS-

Temporary I.D. card now available online
MVD continues to add web-based transactions to streamline service

Arizona motorists who’ve had their Driver License suspended may now order a temporary six-month I.D. card online at ServiceArizona.com.  Until now, this service required an in-person visit to an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division office.

“People often need a valid I.D. in order to buy items at the store, go to the bank, and apply for a job among other things,” MVD Field Operations Administrator Mike Cryderman said. “When customers are faced with a suspended license, it makes having a temporary I.D. card vital.”

He added, “Offering this service more conveniently through ServiceArizona.com speeds up the process for these customers. It also has the effect of reducing customer traffic at MVD offices so we can better serve our customers who need to make an office visit.”

To get a temporary I.D. card, a customer must first have a suspended Arizona Driver License. The expiration date on the suspended license must be beyond the six months the temporary I.D. is valid. Also, the customer must already have an Arizona license photo that has been taken within the past 12 years on file with MVD in order for the temporary I.D. to be produced.

For more information: www.ServiceArizona.com

The vision of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is to “get Arizona out of line and safely on the road”. Dedicated MVD employees, Authorized Third Party providers and offering more services online help MVD achieve this vision.

Kaibab National Forest to offer firewood permits in Navajo and Hopi communities

May 2, 2019—For Immediate Release. The Kaibab National Forest will offer free-use, paid personal-use and ceremonial firewood permits for the Tusayan Ranger District at a variety of locations in Navajo and Hopi communities over the next three months. These opportunities are part of the Kaibab National Forest’s ongoing effort to increase access to firewood for tribal members and communities.

Kaibab National Forest representatives will offer firewood permits on the specified days and times and at the following locations:

A permit must be acquired by anyone harvesting firewood on the Kaibab National Forest. The 2019 firewood season runs from May 1 to Dec. 31 for the Tusayan Ranger District.

Each person, with proper identification, may obtain permits for up to 30 cords per season of combined paid-use and free-use firewood. Individuals may purchase up to two 10-cord paid-use firewood permits at a rate of $2 per cord, and may obtain one 10-cord free-use firewood permit. Ceremonial-use permits are also available, which authorize collection of two cords per individual.

The Kaibab National Forest has increased the amount of wood available to each person for purchase while reducing the cost per cord by crediting firewood cutting for the contribution it provides to forest restoration goals. By removing dead and down as well as small-diameter trees, firewood cutting can help improve forest health and reduce the risk of unnaturally severe wildfire.

It is important that a permit be acquired even for free-use areas because by tracking public demand for the various kinds of permits, the amount of wood removed, and other factors, forest managers are better able to plan for the future needs of firewood collectors and provide greater opportunities for accessing these important resources. Firewood from the Kaibab National Forest is frequently used by local community and tribal members for home heating, cooking and other critical purposes.

All firewood permits issued by the Kaibab National Forest will include a map and detailed cutting
regulations as well as load tags, which must be physically attached to each ¼ cord of firewood and visible
from the rear of the vehicle. The goal of this load tagging system is to ensure accountability for the
amount of wood removed from the forest and to inform planning for future firewood cutting areas to meet
public need and forest restoration objectives.

The removal of firewood is permitted only from National Forest lands on the specific district for which
the permit is issued. Firewood cutters are reminded to take note of property boundaries and cut only on
National Forest lands.

Firewood cutting permits may also be obtained throughout the 2019 season at the following locations and
during the specified hours Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays:

Detailed firewood cutting information and maps will be updated throughout the firewood season on the
Kaibab National Forest website at http://bit.ly/KNFfuelwood.
Kaibab National Forest information is also available through the following sources:

Community Resource Link:

 Tuba City & Window Rock Resource Guide

This guide is a compilation of information provided by agencies and service providers in Coconino County.