Photo courtesy of http://bit.ly/VYBJgy

The 1,450 mile river has shaped Arizona into what it is today. Although much of its water is diverted for urban and agricultural use, the river also nourishes vital habitat for diverse plant and animal species and is a place for recreation and refuge for many Arizona residents.

The river is known for its dramatic canyons and whitewater rapids. Whitewater rafting trips are available from numerous guide companies.

The Colorado River is important to many Native American communities surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. For over 12,000 years, the river has been an important source of water and life. Contemporary Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Paiute, Navajo, Yavapai-Apache, and Zuni Tribes are active in decisions and discussions regarding the uses of the Colorado River.

Those who visit the river will see what encompasses it: an expansive canyon walled lakes, cascading whitewater, peaceful flows through wildlife refugees and, of course, the Grand Canyon.

The Bullhead city River Regatta is the largest tube float ever that occurs on the Colorado River. This year, the premiere event will occur on August 9, 2014. Activities will begin Friday night with pre-float parties at hotels. Saturday is the nine mile river float trip down the river on rafts and inner tubes.

Image courtesy of oatmangoldroad.com

Should you decide to take a leisurely drive along Historic Route 66 and down through Oatman, nestled between Kingman and Lake Havasu City, don’t be surprised if your journey comes to a sudden halt thanks to a certain roadblock. No, not from construction – due to some stubborn mules who like to hang out with the town folks and passersby.

Certainly, Oatman’s got a gold-mine tour, Wild West shootouts and an annual egg-frying contest, but it’s the braying beasts of burden everybody comes to see. The burros, though they’ve gotten quite comfortable among humans, are actually wild. It’s estimated there are about 600 feral burros meandering in the area, and about a dozen of them enter Oatman on a daily basis. They come down from the Black Mountains of their own accord and invade the town as though commuting to work. When the shops begin to close and the tourists start to leave, they head back out again.

They’re direct descendants of pack animals that were once used in local mining operations. When the federal government shut the mines down in the 1940s in response to the war effort, workers simply let the burros go.  These days, the burros willfully amble among Oatman’s small collection of storefronts, planting themselves along the shoulders and walkways. They persistently beg for handouts, which come in the form of carrots sold in many of the town’s shops. The animals aren’t subtle about it, either. They head-butt their way into car windows and wander directly into the shops to get what they’re looking for. Tourists who neglect to have treats on hand are sometimes chased down the street. Those with an ample supply quickly find themselves outnumbered and drowning in donkey slobber.

Oatman insists the burros are friendly, but still advise visitors to beware. The more zealous of the bunch have been known to mistake fingers for carrot sticks. Kicking isn’t unheard of, either. In fact, the locals recommend you leave the pets at home, as some of the pack tend to see dogs as furry soccer balls.

Image courtesy of Quartzsite.az.us

In Quartzite a special tomb holds the remains of “Hi Jolly,” or, Hadji Ali, a Syrian caretaker who received the nickname from his American masters. In 1865, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis came up with a plan to transport freight and people across the desert Southwest by means of camels. Davis eventually imported more than 70 of the beasts and along with the first batch came Hi Jolly. However, the Civil War intervened and Davis was reassigned elswhere, and without his support the project was abandoned. The camels were set free to fend for themselves in the desert near Quartzsite.

A plaque on Hi Jolly’s tomb says of the camel experiment: “A fair trial might have resulted in complete success.” Hi Jolly remained, living into his seventies. The locals were so fond of him that, after he died, they spent several weeks building Hi Jolly a pyramid tomb made of multicolored petrified wood and quartz. It was dedicated on Jan. 4, 1903. Thirty-three years later the Arizona Highway Department came along and cemented a bronze plaque to the tomb, telling Hi Jolly’s story, and topped the pyramid with a metal camel silhouette.

In those long-ago days the Quartzsite cemetery was remote, just bare ground and a few scrubby sagebrush at the edge of an obscure desert outpost. Now you have to drive through a bustling Quartzsite market area to get to Hi Jolly. Still, his tomb is the largest figure on its tiny patch of desert solitude.

On a side note, the camels outlived both Davis and Hi Jolly, and their last reported sighting was in 1942

Photo Courtesy of 50statesorless.com

The Yuma Territorial Prison is a reminder of the days of the old west when outlaws were wreaking havoc and Billy the Kid was King.

The Yuma Territorial Prison saw its first prisoner in 1875 and operated for 33 years thereafter. It saw a total of 3,069 prisoners, 29 of which were women.

The prison was a model institution since it provided education to its inmates along with amenities like electricity. The prison, now a museum, houses photographs and colorful exhibits of those who once stayed here and the prison life they had to endure. Visitors can get a glimpse into the life of this prison as they walk through its strap iron cells and solitary chambers.

Photo courtesy of americantrails.org

The Painted Desert Trail in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, near Yuma, was developed by the Youth Conservation Corps. Construction began in 1980 and the trail officially opened on November 4, 1983. The trail is 1.3 miles with trail markers interpreting the geologic and natural history of the area. It traverses two washes and climbs over a mesa with a picturesque view of the Lower Colorado River Valley and Sonoran Desert.

This trail was named for the multi-colored mounds of rock from ancient volcanoes that were once active 20-30 million years ago. Colors are determined by the minerals present in each mound. For example, iron creates a rusty red color, while copper shows as green. Home to unique desert plants and animals, the trail is a naturalist’s paradise. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to observe beavertail cactus, desert bighorn sheep, and lizards amidst unusual rock formations.

For more information, call (928) 783-3371

or visit: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/imperial.html

Image courtesy of Arizona Highways

The Hualapai Mountain Park near Kingman provides for a vast collection of majestic views, hiking trails, picnicking, camping, wildlife viewing, biking or cabin rentals in this county park nestled in the forest. Higher elevations are home to mule deer, elk, mountain lions, foxes and a wide variety of birds. Hiking trails wind up Aspen Peak and over to Hayden Peak, and depending on how adventurous you feel, the hike can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

Take a hike on one of 14 trails.  These include 6 miles of developed trails and 10 miles of undeveloped trails ranging from elevations of 6,300 to 8,240 feet.  Enjoy the cool shade of Ponderosa Pine, Pinion Pine, White Fir, Aspen, Gambel, Scrub Oak and Manzanita, among granite rock formations.

Want to plan a hike overnight? With more than 70 individual camp sites available in three separate areas with grills and picnic table, and a limited supply of water, the Hualapai Mountain Park has you covered.

At an elevation 7,601 feet, towering in the high desert landscape about 30 miles southeast of Kingman, Wabayuma Peak is the second highest peak in the Hualapai Mountains, and dominates the 40,000-acre Wabayuma Peak Wilderness. There are two routes to the trailhead, but the better and slightly easier road lies south of Kingman. At the trailhead elevation of 6,047 feet, the rewards of this wilderness reveal themselves in instant solitude, birdcalls and the rough expanse ahead.

For the first mile, the 2.5-mile trail climbs at a reasonable incline, with occasional steeper sections, through turbinella oak, pointleaf manzanita and scattered piñon pine and juniper trees. It takes about 45 minutes to travel 1 mile and reach the crest (elevation 6,700 feet) of a sharp ridge line and a couple of exceptional campsites, flat and shaded by tall ponderosa pine trees, which overlook the southern end of the mountains, this section is a great part to set up camp for the night and enjoy the cool pines. When you awaken the next morning, refreshed and ready for the next part, be ready for a little bit more of a challenge, and if you’re not careful, about a half-mile farther, you’ll miss a cairn that directs you toward the summit. If you read the cairn correctly you will encounter a steep climb of approximately 400 yards through thick brush takes you to the summit of Wabayuma Peak, where the western face of the wilderness opens before you. Feel like taking the long way around? Instead of following the cairn, wander north and downhill, along an overgrown jeep track through dense chaparral, which takes an extra hour to two hours (depending on your pace).

For more information, call: 928-718-3700

Buckeye Police Officer Jeffery Lumadue has been named School Resource Officer of the Year by the Arizona School Resource Officers Association!

In March, AZ Cities @ Work featured Lumadue for going above and beyond the call of duty with Officer Michael Miklus. The two helped a boy whose bike was stolen. Cities @ Work is overjoyed that Lumadue is being further recognized for his outstanding initiative.*

Lumadue is a 14-year law enforcement veteran who has been the SRO at Buckeye Elementary School for four years and Buckeye Union High School for another two.

Lumadue was cited by the state group for his strong stance with school children on truancy, drug use and bullying. It’s Lumadue’s pilot program, though, that has attracted the most attention. The program holds some parents criminally responsible for their children not attending school.

The program Lumadue initiated now operates at schools throughout the Buckeye Elementary School District. It has shown a significant drop in truancy rates.  Only a handful of parents have been ticketed by police for the continued absence of their children from the classroom.

“This process works because the school secretaries, counselors, assistant principals and principals are an integral part of the process before a citation is ever issued,” Lumadue said.  “We make every effort to work with the parent and child to find out what possible issues may be causing the child to miss school.  The vast majority of parents have been very receptive to the program.”

Lumadue is humbled   by the attention his SRO state award has brought because he feels it’s the consistency in the anti-truancy program – from the classroom to the courts – that has brought the positive results.

“Communication is the key,” Lumadue said.  “We don’t want to prosecute parents.  We want kids to have the chance to regularly go to school and to succeed, and this program has had some phenomenal results.”

But Lumadue’s efforts aren’t just limited to truancy.  Two years ago he spearheaded a move to redefine the Drug Free School Zone around Buckeye schools, a 1,000-foot sign-posted boundary now recognized at all the schools.

An anti-bullying campaign has also been in Lumadue’s focus.  The classes he teaches in the schools illustrate the importance of youngsters setting goals, to build character and develop leadership skills.

“We take a very pro-active stance on bullying, if we see or hear it, we indicate that it needs to stop,” Lumadue said.  “We tell students that they have a right to feel comfortable when they’re in school, and if they worry about bullying before school and it prompts fear of any kind, they need to talk to someone so it can be stopped.”

Like most professionals in public safety roles, Lumadue isn’t in it for the praise, accolades or headlines.  Since he first entered Buckeye Elementary School that first day of school, he’s relished the switch to this different kind of police work.

“All this is part of my job, and that’s why I enjoy going to work every day,” Lumadue said.  “I like working with kids and making a difference in their lives.  These are critical times in their lives, and these kids really look up to you as a role model and see police officers in a different role.”

*Watch the video that highlights Lumadue’s and Miklus’ outstanding work in March here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zkPQioaDhc

Nothing beats spending a summer day biking on a trail, playing in a park, or swimming in a refreshing pool.

During the summer months, we can’t get away from the outdoors. That’s why, as designated by the U.S. House of Representatives, Park and Recreation Month is being celebrated nationwide in the month of July.

Some Arizona cities that aren’t formally celebrating Park and Recreation month in July will instead be celebrating at a later time when the temperature cools down.

This year the National Recreation and Park Association has encouraged communities to show and share the love parks and recreation with a 2014 theme of “OUT is IN,” making this the year that people go outside, change their outlook, and get involved in their community through parks and recreation.

We love what Queen Creek is doing for Park and Recreation Month and hope other cities and towns follow suit.

Queen Creek opened the community’s first dog park and first splash pad to celebrate the special summer month.  The town recently held a grand opening celebration for Queen Creek’s Pocket Park for Pups, located at 22526 S. Ellsworth Road. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the 4,100-square-foot Splash Pad will take place at Founders Park, 22555 S. Ellsworth Road, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 5.

Queen Creek’s Mayor Gail Barney says these unique features will “help increase [Queen Creek’s] property values, expand the local tax base, increase tourism and the attraction and retention of businesses, greatly improve community healthy and reduce the amount of crime in Queen Creek.”

Is your city or town celebrating Park and Recreation Month in a momentous way? We want to hear about it! Be sure to leave a comment about what your city is doing, today!

For more details other activities Queen Creek is offering throughout the month of July, visit QueenCreek.org/Recreation