Arizona celebrates Arbor Day April 27

ARIZONA ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION – APRIL 27, 2012

Phoenix, Arizona, 13 April 2012 – The Arizona State Forester Scott Hunt and The Arizona State Forestry Division (ASFD) are excited to announce and celebrate Arbor Day in April 27, 2012.

History of Arbor Day

Arbor Day was first celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. As the Nebraska Territory was quickly being populated in the mid to late 1800’s, a need for the planting of trees was quickly realized. Trees that aided in soil stabilization, provided shade from the sun, and supplied a demand for fuel and building materials were encouraged to be planted. This encouragement came strongly from the “founding father” of Arbor Day, J. Sterling Morton.

Since 1872, Arbor Day is celebrated across the United States and in numerous countries throughout the world. The most common date for Arbor Day is the last Friday in April. Some states celebrate on different dates, to coincide with the best time to plant trees based on the local climate. Based on Arizona statute, this year’s Arbor Day will be Friday, April, 27, 2012.

Why is Arbor Day Important?

As J. Sterling Morton and many others have realized, the importance of trees is insurmountable as they provide a multitude of social, environmental, and economic benefits. Socially, trees can lift our spirits and create serene environments for stress release and aesthetic viewing pleasure. Environmentally, they help cool our communities by providing shade from the sun, improve air quality by sequestering carbon dioxide and other air pollutants, and reduce storm water runoff by intercepting rainfall. Economically, a tree shading a building will cut costs associated with air conditioning. A landscaped home is more valuable than one that is non-landscaped and trees aid in increasing home/property value.

How do we celebrate?

There are numerous ways to celebrate Arbor Day as an individual or with a group. As an individual you may simply plant a tree yourself, visit a park, or go for a hike. You may even take some time to educate yourself further about trees by taking a tree care class and reading a book.

There are also many ways a group can celebrate Arbor Day. Organize a local tree search where your group locates either the largest or oldest tree in the community. Dedicate a tree and talk about its value to your community. Organize a block party that celebrates trees, or organize a beautification project in an area that can be seen by many.

The sky is the limit when it comes to celebrating Arbor Day. Enjoy!

For more information and ideas on how to celebrate Arbor Day, visit: http://www.arborday.org

Statewide Arbor Day Events

Each event varies but may include commemoration ceremonies, tree plantings, educational talks, races, and a variety of other activities. Check with the individual event for further information.

Arizona State Celebration – April 27

Downtown Phoenix

Sponsored by: Arizona State Forestry Division

Arizona Nursery Association

Arizona Community Tree Council

Chandler – April 20 at 4:00pm

City of Chandler Environmental Education Center

4050 E. Chandler Heights Rd.

Gilbert – April 21

Morrison Ranch Neighborhood

NE Corner of Elliot & Recker Rds

Glendale – April 26 at 9:30am

Delicias Park

48^th Ave & Orangewood; ¼ mi S of Glendale Ave

Maricopa County – April 19 at 9:00am

Terrific Tree Blossoms! Walk

Usery Mountain Regional Park

3939 N. Usery Pass Road

Mesa – April 27 at 10:00am

Palo Verde Park – 3135 S. Dobson (Dobson & Guadalupe)

Falcon Hill Park – 7222 E. Jensen (McKellips & Power)

Peoria – April 21 at 8:00am

New River Trail near Union Hills Rd.

Phoenix – April 28 at 8:00am

Margaret T. Hance Park

67 W. Culver Street (between Central & 3rd Ave)

Pinetop-Lakeside – April 27 at 10:00am

Blue Ridge Jr. High School

3050 N. Porter Mountain Rd.

Prescott Valley – April 27 at 10:00am

Antelope Park

8075 E Powers Ave

Scottsdale – April 25 at 3:45pm

Mountain View Park

8625 E. Mountain View Rd.

Snowflake – April 21 at 7:00pm

Snowflake Town Hall

81 West 1st South

Tempe – April 27 at 6:00pm

Arbor Day 5k

Tempe Town Lake

BLM plans public meetings on renewable energy development areas in AZ

Public to get a chance to comment on Environmental Impactment Statement

 

PHOENIX, AZ – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Arizona is holding a series of public meetings on the draft environmental impactment statement (EIS) for its Restoration Design Energy Project.

 

The meetings are to inform the public and give them a chance to comment on the draft EIS.

 

Meetings are scheduled in March and April:

March 20:  Phoenix­­­­, Sheraton Crescent Hotel, 2620 West Dunlap Avenue

March 21:  Flagstaff, High Country Conference Center, 201 West Butler Avenue 

March 22:  Kingman, Hampton Inn, 1791 Sycamore Avenue

April 10:  Yuma, Yuma Civic and Convention Center, 1440 Desert Hill Drive

April 11:  Tucson, Holiday Inn, 4550 South Palo Verde Road

 

The open house meetings are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A formal presentation will be at 7 p.m. It will include an introduction to the Restoration Design Energy Project, or RDEP, and the alternatives that the BLM is considering. After the presentation, members of the public will be able to make comments.

 

The RDEP will identify lands across Arizona that may be suitable for renewable energy development and will establish a baseline for environmental protection measures for such projects. The focus is on previously disturbed sites and lands with low resource sensitivity and few environmental conflicts.

 

As part of the project, the BLM is identifying renewable energy development areas, or REDAs. Those areas would be designated in the BLM’s resource management plans, making the siting and permitting of renewable energy projects more efficient. 

 

Among the considerations for the identification of REDAs:

·         Using formerly disturbed sites or lands with low resource sensitivity;

·         Limiting renewable development to areas within 5 miles of designated utility corridors and existing or proposed transmission lines;

·         Designating lands near cities, towns, or industrial centers;

·         Addressing water issues by instituting design features to avoid negative impacts to watersheds, groundwater supply, and water quality;

·         Identifying suitable areas for development on BLM-managed lands that have been identified for disposal.

 

The BLM’s preferred alternative in the draft EIS is for the designation of lands within 5 miles of utility corridors and existing transmission lines or near a point of demand and includes features to protect water resources. It also includes lands identified for disposal. The BLM manages 237,100 acres in Arizona that meet that criteria.

 

The REDAs could be used for wind or solar projects, both utility-scale (more than 20 megawatts) or smaller distributed-scale development.

 

In addition to the REDA evaluations, the BLM is also evaluating a solar energy zone near Dateland in Yuma County, Arizona, about 70 miles east of Yuma.  The solar energy zone evaluation is a complement to BLM’s six-state Solar Energy Programmatic EIS.  The Solar Energy EIS focuses on utility-scale solar development.

 

In considering establishing the Agua Caliente Solar Energy Zone, the BLM looked for these characteristics:

·         an expanse of available BLM land larger than 2,500 acres;

·         proximity to an electrical transmission system with available capacity;

·         limited known environmental or cultural issues;

·         proximity to roads and infrastructure;

·         adjacent to existing solar developments.

 

The RDEP draft EIS analyzes three footprints for the solar energy zone:  2,760 acres, 6,770 acres and 20,600 acres.  The 6,770-acre site is the BLM’s preliminary preference.

 

An electronic copy of the draft EIS is available at http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/energy/arra_solar.html.

 

The RDEP EIS does not evaluate specific sites and does not eliminate the need for further environmental review of individual sites. The BLM will make decisions on a case-by-case basis as applications are received.  Proposed renewable developments outside of a renewable energy development area or a solar energy zone will also be considered on a case-by-case basis and are subject to applicable BLM state and national policy being developed for utility-scale solar energy development through the Solar Energy Programmatic EIS.

 

The BLM is taking comments on the draft EIS through May 16. All comments will be considered and addressed in the final EIS, which is planned for release later this year.

 

Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

·         E-mail:  az_arra_rdep@blm.gov;

·         Fax:  Attn:  Lane Cowger, (602) 417-9454;

·         Mail or other delivery service:  BLM Arizona State Office, Attn:  Restoration Design Energy Project, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004-4427.