Enforcement
One of the original organizers of the Stewards of Public Lands, retired District Ranger Tom Bonomo, had fought for years to try to keep the Allen Springs/West Mingus Avenue area cleaned of rampant illegal dumping. The Forest Service would clean up the area, and within days, it would be totally trashed again. The missing component, Bonomo felt, was a collaborative law enforcement approach. Clarkdale Police Chief Pat Haynie put up signs in the Clarkdale city limits and has consistently enforced illegal dumping ordinances. He believes that it works well to deter illegal dumping. The Cottonwood Public Works Department, in collaboration with the Cottonwood Police Department, placed no dumping signs in the Cottonwood city limits, with the Cottonwood Police Department number posted so illegal dumping can be reported via citizens' cell phones. The Yavapai County Sheriff in collaboration with the Stewards, Arizona Game and Fish, and the Forest Service will be placing more signs in the county areas of the Upper Verde Valley.
Cottonwood Street Maintenance Worker Jim Wixom and Public Works Director Tim Costello place a no dumping sign in the Ogden Ranch Road area in Cottonwood. City employee volunteers collaborate with the Stewards of Public Lands and other governmental agencies to clean up and maintain local public lands.
Clarkdale Police Chief Pat Haynie placed signs in the Allen Springs-West Mingus project area, and reports being pleased with their effectiveness.
Stewards Meet with Upper Verde Valley Law Enforcement
Stewards of Public Lands Co-Chairs Diane Joens and Jess Tyler recently met with local law enforcement agencies to discuss collaborative methods to control illegal dumping.
Joens says, "The Stewards acknowledge that no one single governmental entity has the financial or human resources to clean up and manage the illegal dumping problem on public lands. We search for creative ways to coordinate existing programs at the federal, state and local level to address the issue of overlapping jurisdictions." The Stewards maintain and monitor areas in the upper Verde Valley to keep them clean and support public education to reduce further dumping and littering. The Stewards encourage and assist law enforcement to deter littering and dumping on public lands, working to keep them safe, enjoyable and accessible for the public.
Stewards also work with law enforcement to deter further dumping by posting signs in targeted cleaned areas that indicate dumping is illegal and provide a phone number to call if illegal dumping is observed.
Clarkdale Police Chief Pat Haynie placed signs in the Allen Springs-West Mingus project area, and reports being pleased with their effectiveness. The City of Cottonwood Public Works Department, in collaboration with the Cottonwood Police Department, recently placed no dumping signs in the Ogden Ranch Road-Old Highway 279 area of the city. Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh agreed to coordinate with the Stewards and, with some collaborative assistance from Arizona Game and Fish, will place no dumping signs in the county's jurisdictional area. Prescott-Kaibab National Forest Patrol Captain Reamer said the Forest Service could provide the posts, if Stewards volunteers install the signs. Joens says, "This is real collaboration."
"The Stewards of Public Lands have coordinated 2000 volunteer hours and cleaned up 110 tons of unattractive refuse from 3300 acres of public lands by creating partnerships with local citizens, businesses, media, organizations and multiple governmental agencies, Tyler says. "Cooperation with citizens and law enforcement has dramatically reduced additional dumping in cleaned areas."
The Stewards of Public Lands recently coordinated a multi-agency law enforcement meeting to discuss cooperative efforts to combat illegal dumping. From left, Yavapai County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Francis, Prescott-Kaibab National Forest Patrol Captain Mike Reamer, and Sheriff Steve Waugh discuss no dumping signage for upper Verde Valley public lands.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park's George Christianson, from left, and Max Castillo met with State Land Department Land Manager Bill Webster, Arizona Game and Fish's Tom Bagley and Cottonwood Police Chief Doug Bartosh to discuss collaborative methods to enforce laws against illegal dumping.
This article was published in the Verde Independent and Cottonwood Journal Extra. Many thanks to these partners, including Yavapai Broadcasting, for their support of the Stewards' activities.
