Willow Bend, in partnership with City of Flagstaff’s Open Space Program and with generous funding from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire, will be leading a FREE interpretive walk of McMillan Mesa. Join Willow Bend and local experts, Annie Lutes and Chris Bockey. Learn about McMillan Mesa’s urban forestry, open space, wildlife and more! This program is targeted for adults (we do have family McMillan Mesa programs on July 17th and August 7th, see details above).

More on our local experts:

Annie Lutes is the Cultural Resources Team Lead for the Flagstaff Office and has been with SWCA for over 8 years. Prior to SWCA, she gained valuable operational experience as a Type 2 wildland firefighter on prescribed and managed fires, as well as serving as a single resource on larger, complex wildfires with Incident Management Teams with the U.S. Forest Service. Her professional knowledge also includes fire management planning, fire ecology, fire effects on cultural/natural resources, and post-fire landscape restoration. As a Flagstaff local for over a decade, Annie is passionate about the importance of community preparedness and being “fire-wise” as we live, work, and play in a fire-dependent ecosystem.

Chris Bockey joined SWCA in October of 2019 and has over a decade of experience as an environmental planner in Arizona with a focus on wildfire planning. Prior to becoming an environmental planner, Chris was a structural firefighter and has brought that experience and knowledge of the urban interface to the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and other municipal plans for county governments in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Additionally, he has supported federal agency wildfire planning projects developing wildfire management plans for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and evaluating proposed infrastructure projects and the environmental impacts relating to the wildland environment. Chris has a keen interest in wildfire planning and mitigation and its impacts on rapidly growing wildland-urban interface communities.

Meet at 9AM in Buffalo Park, (2400 N Gemini Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004). Meet near the entrance, by the buffalo. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring sunscreen a hat and plenty of water.

For inquiries or more information please contact Sylvia Struss at Sylvia.struss@flagstaffaz.gov or 928-814-8894.

The event is FREE but registration is required.  Select the date you would like to attend and register below:

Register Here

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