1. Don’t Get Buried In an Excavation Trench. Ignorance of OSHA’s safety rules could result in you being buried alive, crushed, is an unimaginable fate; as little as two cubic yards of dirt collapsing into a six-foot-deep trench has the same force as a pickup truck moving 45 miles per hour. But trench collapse is all too common, and death and serious injury befall hundreds of workers across the United States every year.
Unfortunately, the problem is getting worse: 2016 saw as many trench deaths as years 2014 and 2015 combined. Why? A booming economy is driving more construction, and there is also a serious lack of awareness of the risks of trenching among companies and workers (and sometimes corner-cutting to save time and money). All of these factors combine to put lives at significant risk.
The private construction industry accounted for 80 percent of all fatalities that occurred during the most recent timeframe for which data is available (2011 through 2016). Within the construction industry, 38 percent of those fatalities were at industrial locations, 30 percent were at residential locations, and 20 percent were at street/highway sites.
OSHA has recently responded to the rise in deaths by launching a National Emphasis Program on Trench and Excavation in October 2018. The purpose of this program is to increase awareness of safe practices and to step-up enforcement. If you are excavating more than four feet deep, use your head and sidewall stabilizers.
2. Southwest Climate Outlook.Monthly Precipitation and Temperature: August precipitation was much below average in most of Arizona, while most of New Mexico ranged from above average to much below average, and both states saw small pockets of record driest conditions
August temperatures were much above average to record warmest in Arizona.. The daily average temperature anomalies for Aug 1 – Sep 17 highlight the fluctuations at select stations around the region.
Seasonal Precipitation and Temperature: Total precipitation for the last three months (June-August) was below average to record driest in Arizona.
Mean temperatures for the same three-month period were above average to much above average across the region.
Water Supply: Most of the reservoirs in the region are at or above the values recorded at this time last year, but most also remain below their long-term average.
There have been improvements over the last year, but concerns remain about the recent below average precipitation, along with the accumulated water resource deficits associated with multiple years of drought.
| Reservoir | Capacity | Current Storage | Max Storage |
| 1. Lake Powell | 56% | 13,610.2 | 24,322.0 |
| 2. Lake Mead | 39% | 10,610.2 | 26,159.0 |
| 3. Lake Mohave | 93% | 1,678.0 | 1,810.0 |
| 4. Lake Havasu | 92% | 567.9 | 619.0 |
| 5. Lyman | 38% | 11.5 | 30.0 |
| 6. San Carlos | 3% | 27.9 | 875.0 |
| 7. Verde River System | 54% | 156.3 | 287.4 |
| 8. Salt River System | 72% | 1454.5 | 2,025.8 |
3. EnviroInsight.org To Participate In City Of Glendale’s G.A.I.N Event. The people who bring you this newsletter will be hosting a canopy at the City of Glendale’s “Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods“ event on November 2, 2019 at the Glendale, AZ Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 N. 59th Ave. Meet the people behind EnviroInsight and possibly learn something about recycling in Glendale by interacting with EnviroInsight’s staff. The event runs from 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
4. Kaibab Engages In Assessment For Plateau Ecological Restoration Project Daily Sun Staff The Kaibab National Forest is looking to engage in forest thinning work in an attempt to reduce the threat of high intensity wildfire over 518,000 acres of forest and grasslands north of the Grand Canyon National Park, according to a media release.
The U.S. Forest Service officials say the work will help restore the structure, species composition, and functions of ecosystems within the forests and grasslands of the North Kaibab Ranger District. The project plans to use a combination of prescribed fire and non-commercial, mechanical vegetation treatments on the over 500,000 acres.
The conditions and structure of the project area’s forests, woodlands, shrub land and grasslands have changed dramatically from natural conditions, in large part because fire has been excluded due to decades of successful fire suppression, Kaibab officials said in a press release. Most of the Kaibab National Forest’s vegetation is adapted to recurring wildfires, and fire plays a vital role in maintain ecosystem health.
The prescribed fire treatments include broadcast and pile burning to reduce fuel levels and tree densities, control conifer regeneration and promote understory plant vigor. Mechanical treatments include pruning ladder fuels, mastication, chipping and thinning to remove smaller diameter trees with the goal of protecting larger or older trees by removing understory and ladder fuels.
North Kaibab District Ranger Randall Walker said the project has garnered a lot of interest.
“We gave decided to provide this additional comment period due to the interest in the project and the changes we made to address public concerns received from the initial scoping period,” Walker said.
For detailed project information, including the full proposed action document, please go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54226
5. New Fees For Certain Uses On Mount Graham
Coronado National Forest will begin making adjustments to the developed recreation fee program during the fall of 2019.
Work begins this month and is expected to be completed in December.
A contractor will begin construction on projects intended to repair fee facilities that are in poor condition and upgrade signs and pay stations to be more consistent and visitorfriendly. Pay stations will also be installed at new fee sites, and a shade ramada will be built at Pena Blanca Lake. Visitors are cautioned to be careful as crews, equipment and associated noise may be present at construction sites.
As part of the Restructuring Developed Recreation initiative to increase program sustainability, a draft fee proposal was developed by the Forest and shared extensively with the public in 2017 and 2018. The proposal was approved by the Recreation Resources Advisory Committee in December 2018.
“We have very much appreciated input from our stakeholders and users in helping us to shape a more sustainable developed recreation program,” said Forest Supervisor Kerwin S. Dewberry. “In previous efforts to that end, we removed underutilized facilities, reduced the recreation program work force, worked with partners and volunteers, applied for grants, increased fee compliance and installed lower-maintenance facilities. Implementation of the fee proposal will move us closer to where we need to be to provide the quality of experiences our visitors have come to expect.”
Changes do not affect cabins or campgrounds operated by concessionaires.
$20/night campgrounds (high use) include: Arcadia, Bog Springs, Cochise Stronghold, General Hitchcock, Gordon Hirabayashi, Idlewilde, Lakeview, Molino Basin, Riggs Flat, Soldier Creek, Stewart and Sunny Flat.
$15/night all other campgrounds (lower use) include: Camp Rucker, Columbine Corrals, Cypress Park, Cunningham, Herb Martyr, Hospital Flat, Noon Creek, Peppersauce, Ramsey Vista, Reef Townsite, Rucker Forest Camp, Rustler Park, Shannon, Stockton Pass, Sycamore and White Rock. New fee sites on Mount Graham include: Day use sites: Riggs Lake Fishing and Boating Site
6. Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden Plant Sale October 19-20 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Go to dbg.org for more information
