The Haley Hills Report 5/2/07

For photos that accompany this report, please go to my AOL Public Photo Gallery.


Week of April 21, 2007 – April 26, 2007

The day after the last report, Saturday, 4/21, was a very active day for the ORVs on account of the great spring weather. What looked like 2 brand new ones – red & blue -- whizzed passed our property and into the Vekol Wash. Later on, while John was standing outside, 2 ORVs departed the Vekol heading toward our house, then stopped. They were yelling at each other. One of them didn’t want to ride past our property, but the other one did. The bold one finally convinced his friend to follow him and as they rode by he waved at John. John did not wave back. Later, a blue ORV sped past followed by a dirt motorcycle. Both riders were helmeted and suited up like racers, each with a number on the back of his uniform. I carry my video camera with me practically all the time now so I try to catch them on film as they pass by, but sometimes they’re just too fast. The next day, Sunday, was much quieter fortunately. Saw a Red Tail Hawk circling over the hill. Monday morning I noticed that several different ORVs had gone up and down the Vekol. Also, a full size pickup truck had been in the north bank of the East Vekol. It made a u-turn where the north lane merges with the south and headed back in the other direction. Looked like most of the ORVs kept to the old rancher access road and the middle and east trail where the Arizona Game & Fish “no motorized vehicles” signs are posted. In fact, there were new ORV tracks through the first east wash just north of the Vekol. Also someone dumped an ashtray in the middle of the east Vekol. Gross!

Saw a Curved-Bill Thrasher next to the Vekol just singing away. A wide assortment of wild birds (including Orioles, Gila Woodpeckers, Cardinals, and Finches) visit my feeder now regularly.

John saw two Mexican men – probably illegal immigrants – walking eastward through the wash on the south side of our property. The dogs saw them and started barking. Think that scared them because they exited the wash and started running.

Friday morning, 4/27, we went through the cattle gate and hiked down the west trail, through the Vekol, then around the hill next to our property. Hop Bush and Creosote are blooming everywhere now.

The beginning of the west trail had no recent ORV tracks. A gallon of water was lying on the ground near the west gate. It looked like it had been deliberately placed there so we left it. Might save a life.

Week of April 28, 2007 – May 2, 2007

Sunday morning, 4/29, the dogs & I took a nice long stroll through the west wash – the southernmost boundary of the BLM land where ORVs hardly ever go. A couple crows flew over and several buzzards were flying low, riding the thermals. The Saguaro crowns are blooming.
I was extremely fortunate to witness one of our resident Gila Monsters out and about. Got some great film footage -- lots of action shots and close-ups in its natural setting.

Gila Monster in the Wild at YouTube !

This sighting was less than fifty feet from the main access road to the BLM land. In fact, at one time, the lizard was walking in that direction. The Gila Monster is a threatened species in Arizona and it is against state law to harass, harm, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, and trap or collect this gorgeous reptile. Yet that is precisely what ORVs regularly do when they’re driving off-road over burrows and other critical habitat. I’ve informed the authorities more than once of the likelihood of a healthier than normal population in this area on the basis of my frequent sightings. This amplifies the issue; as such sightings are reported to be rare.

On Monday morning, 4/30, we checked out the west trail and west Vekol again. Two huge piles of horse manure were on the west side of the cattle gate. The good news is that the westward trail north of the Vekol has not seen any ORVs in quite a while (probably due to the fine fence repair that Troy Christensen of Arizona Game & Fish did) and is beginning to see some recovery. Did not see any new ORV tracks in the West Vekol but did see new full-size pickup tracks again. Looked like they had come down the south lane of the west Vekol, cut across the island when they got near the fence, and made a U-turn at the gate, went back across the island and back into the Vekol. They had actually gone up onto the south bank of the Vekol at one time across a heavily vegetated area before returning to the south lane. When they cut across the island they left a lot of unsightly tracks. This is also near the location of the mountain lion tracks.

Since it did not appear that they went through the gate, I wonder if they were the ones who left the water and perhaps that was their sole purpose for going back there.

We had a nice little rain storm last evening (5/1). I love it when it rains because it softens and smears the ORV tracks in the dirt making it easier to spot and monitor new tracks. Saw some this morning (5/2) on the middle trail just east of the old access road, but they did not look like ATV or full-size pickup tracks. More like a jeep or dunebuggy. They crossed the first east wash and kept on going.

A few minutes ago, the little Latino boy that lives on Miller Road flew past our house on his red ATV coming from the Vekol Wash. He never wears a helmet and he was bouncing all over the place. Someone should talk to his parents. Got him on video again for whatever it’s worth. While Kevin Harper and Melinda Mahoney of the Bureau of Land Management promised additional signage almost two months ago and are receiving these reports, no action on their part yet is evident. That’s it for now.

For the Haley Hills,

Judy Kennedy

www.judykennedy.com

www.waywardmuse.com