Undaunted by years of frustrating delay, Payson continues to push for a plan to save its long-term water supply by prodding the Forest Service to thin the watershed of the C.C. Cragin Reservoir.
Payson Mayor Tom Morrissey last week hosted a Zoom meeting that pulled together top forest restoration and watershed officials statewide in an effort to jump-start the long-stalled effort to thin the 64,000-acre watershed.
The meeting focused on efforts to this summer launch two thinning projects totaling some 4,500 acres â after years of study, discussion and delay. The meeting also resulted in a plan to revive a formal partnership with key agencies to raise money for the effort to thin the watershed from about 1,000 trees per acre to more like 100 or 200 trees per acre.
True West Magazine
Al Sieber & U.S. Troops vs. Na-ti-o-tish’s Apaches
One of the scouts spots the Apaches waiting in ambush on the north side of the canyon.
July 17, 1882
Apache leader Na-ti-o-tish (center) positions his warriors along a narrow gorge eight miles north of the Mogollon Rim in east central Arizona. They have built rifle pits and stacked rock wings adjacent to large pine trees, awaiting a small troop of soldiers (55 men) who will pass, single file on horseback, directly below them.
Stopping within three-quarters of a mile from the chasm, the first officer on the scene, Capt. Adna Chaffee, sends 30 scouts on foot to the west to get behind the canyon, as a precautionary move. The troopers and the remaining scouts move into a skirmish line along the south rim of the canyon. As they do, one of the Indian scouts discerns the hostiles’ position on the north side of Big Dry Fork. Captain Chaffee orders a feint to the center, then sends out two flanking movements:
KAFF News
New York Man Rescued After Becoming Stranded On The Arizona Trail
A man had to be rescued after he became stranded on the Arizona Trail along the Mogollon Rim. Coconino County Sheriff’s officials say on Sunday at around 8 a.m., search and rescue crews responded to a 41-year-old man from New York, who was stranded in deep snow at the General Springs Cabin. The cabin is located about nine miles east of Highway 87 off Forest Service Road 300. The road is closed to vehicle travel due to winter conditions. The man had been hiking since March 2nd when he started in Superior and was camping along the way. Even though he was well-equipped for the long hike, he wasn’t equipped for snow. Rescuers responded to the area with snowmobiles and a snowcat. He was found at the cabin in good condition and was transported back to the highway and was given a ride to Payson.