Home Page

Groups and Activity Sections

News Releases and Action Alerts

Echo Newsletter

Join the Sierra Club!

Email Webmaster

Grand Canyon Sierra Club News Releases and Action Alerts

12-19-01, Help protect Sonoran Desert Monument from new ADOT project!

The Arizona Dept of Transportation is paving the way for more pavement in the Vekol Valley, on private land INSIDE and adjacent to the Sonoran Desert National Monument. They are proposing a rest area, complete with parking area, lights and water, be placed in Vekol wash inside the National Monument.

Cris Howard of HDR Inc., the company doing the environmental consulting on Vekol rest area, is currently soliciting scoping comments from anyone who might be concerned about or interested in that rest area. Her e-mail is choward@HDRinc.com. Snail mail addess is HDR Engineering, Inc., 2141 E. Highland Ave., Ste. 250, Phoenix, AZ 85016. Cris's phone is (602) 508-6658. COMMENTS ARE DUE BY JANUARY 11, 2002!

Please let Cris know that:

• ADOT should consider placing the rest area someplace other than within and directly adjacent to the Monument and in the Vekol Wash

• ADOT should analyze the extent to which Vekol Wash which may be an important corridor for wildlife under and over I-8, thereby connecting 2 parts of the Monument.

• ADOT should consider the impacts to wildife and native flora of pumping water from this area.

• ADOT should consider the impacts to wildife of surface disturbance, 24 hour lights and noise issues resulting from a large rest area.
  

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Julie Sherman, Arizona National Monuments Coordinator

Page updated: 12/19/01

Return to News Releases and Action Alerts page

Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633