Rimrock cattle issue update

 RIMROCK – Unbranded cattle roaming public lands belong to the U.S. government.

That was one piece of information learned in the aftermath of a free-ranging cow dying on private property in Rimrock as described earlier in The Verde Independent (“Cow carcass left to rot in neighborhood symbolic of unbranded range cattle,” Sunday, June 19, 2022).

While neighbors complained the Arizona Department of Agriculture had stopped communicating with them about the problem of free-range cattle wandering into and damaging their property, the department had picked up at least one calf three days before the article’s publication.

But the gears of progress were still slow to turn within the Department of Agriculture or any other agencies to assist the residents of Beaver Creek.

ARS Title 3-1296 states: An owner who knowingly permits range livestock, except unweaned animals running with their mothers, to roam and feed upon the ranges of this state without being branded and marked as provided by law, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

The statute provides the accountability of any ranch and may also be considered a theft deterrent of inspected, valuable and claimed livestock. However, unbranded cattle took over the area, wandering from yard to yard. Neighbors said they could get no accountability from the owner.

As previously reported, neighbors had to chip in for the removal of a rotting carcass from a vacant yard, due to the overwhelming smell, maggots and swarms of flies surrounding it. This had been in addition to the homeowners shoveling daily piles of excrement from their lawns. Most have extensive property damage, without state restitution for the destruction.

After offering a possible solution to allow residents to sell off the healthier, unbranded cattle that stumble into their yards, Department of Agriculture Capt. Janelle Lincoln explained that would be stealing.

“Unmarked cattle belong to the U.S. government” Lincoln stated. When asked why the government would allow its own property to trespass on private properties, she had no comment that day, (at the time investigating a Phoenix man who was charged with more than 60 counts of animal cruelty).

Robert Smook, spokesman for the Agriculture Department, said the agency returned to pick up more cattle July 2 and again July 8.

“The Arizona Department of Agriculture along with the help of the community were able to set up pens at the Beaver Creek School, where 22 cattle have been trapped and permanently removed,” he said. “Only three cattle remain with the owner at this time. The cattle have not left the owner’s property since July 8, 2022.

“The Department will continue to monitor these cows and we sincerely thank the community for their help in resolving this matter.”

Beaver Creek School had already become a focal point when cattle were seen on its campus.

“Aggressive bulls have become a real danger around here” said residents Jina Peterson and Annette Bloomfield. Some of these unclaimed bulls migrated to school property and were spotted grazing there. Risks of children being harmed were the community’s greatest concern.

Peterson is also a qualified expert in wildlife rehabilitation. She spoke up about the possibility of various illnesses being transmitted from free-range livestock.

“This has become a serious health risk. Leptospirosis (Swamp Fever) and even [bacterium causing] Anthrax are transmittable to humans through cattle,” she said. If left untreated after a bite from a rabid bat or raccoon, an entire herd could potentially be carriers of rabies through cross-contamination.

Restitution for neighbors whose property was damaged by the cattle and recent sightings of unbranded strays have yet to be addressed.

A resort company walks into a small town: Cottonwood's rental crisis is no joke

 12 News Author: Kevin Reagan Published: 12:45 PM MST August 1, 2022

Melany Walton had thought Cottonwood would be the perfect place for her to spend her retirement years.  

When she decided to move from California to the small Arizona town 12 years ago, she expected her costs of living to be cheaper. 

And for a while, they were. 

Walton's rent for her three-bedroom home was significantly cheaper than the prices she might have expected back in the Golden State.

But the housing situation in Cottonwood has started to change and Walton's worried she might soon end up homeless. 

 "There's not a lot of available to rent," the 72-year-old resident said. "I still don't have a place to go. It's getting more desperate." 

Walton's predicament began earlier this summer after she received a notice that her home had been bought by The Enchantment, a luxurious resort located about 20 miles away in Sedona. 

The disabled retiree thought the change of ownership might result in her rent getting raised. But the new owners didn't want more of Walton's money: They wanted her out. 

The resort is giving Walton until the end of August to find a new place to live and she hasn't had luck finding another rental she can afford solely with her Social Security funds.

"It's very depressing," she told 12News. "At my age, I didn't think I was going to have to move again."

'It's ruining the town'

Walton is not the only tenant in Cottonwood who has been struggling. 

The Enchantment has bought at least 28 units in the Cottonwood area to house its employees, which the resort's representatives say is needed to provide relief to resort workers who can't find housing of their own.

The resort says it has simply bought properties that were listed for sale in order to "render additional aid and support for employees."

But locals say the Enchantment issue is only one piece of a much broader issue that's been recently affecting their community -- a major lack of affordable housing. 

A shrinking supply and rising prices have put some tenants in a difficult dilemma and some feel it's unfair for a company in another city to buy up properties on their turf. 

"It's ruining the town," said Ken Wood, a Cottonwood resident for nearly 40 years. "It's sad to hear what's going on." 

Wood owns a moving company and says he's been getting many desperate phone calls from locals who don't know where to go. 

"I have never seen something like this," Wood added.

Representatives for Enchantment say they had to look for housing in neighboring communities due to a shortage of affordable homes and apartments in Sedona.

Cottonwood is a rural town of about 12,000 residents located in Yavapai County that doesn't have an abundance of housing listed on the market. A quick search on the website Zillow only yields a handful of available properties to rent and most are considered beyond the price range of locals who've been living in Cottonwood for years. 

April Montgomery's daughter has had to resort to living in an RV on her mother's property after failing to find any affordable place to live in Cottonwood. 

Like Walton, Montgomery's daughter got a notice earlier this year warning her that she and her children had to vacate their property after it was bought by Enchantment. 

Now Montgomery's daughter is being asked to pay up to $2,500 per month for the same type of home she had been renting before and residents in Cottonwood are not used to seeing rents at that price level. 

"We're not living in the Silicon Valley, this is just Cottonwood," Montgomery said.

'Where are we all going to go?'

The housing situation in Cottonwood has gotten so dire that it's forced some locals to leave the community altogether. 

Barbara Reed has recently relocated to Florida after her landlord decided to move back into the three-bedroom unit she had been renting. 

She tried to find another place in Cottonwood but eventually decided she was probably better off moving across the country. 

"There's nothing available at all," Reed said.

Residents throughout Arizona have been feeling the ramifications of the state's housing crisis for several months. A spike in demand and limited supply has been quickly elevating prices while wages have not kept pace with the rising costs. 

According to a study by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, Arizonans must earn at least $23.44 per hour or work 73 hours per week on the state's minimum wage to afford the average cost of a two-bedroom rental.

But the housing crisis can be even more burdensome in Arizona's rural communities, where home developers may not be as eager to build and the socio-economic conditions may not be as great as in the metro areas.

The most recent census statistics show a higher percentage of Cottonwood residents live in poverty compared to the national and statewide percentages and the city's median household income is significantly less than Arizona's average.

Lisa Sanchez was busy working two jobs when she found out her rental was being bought by The Enchantment earlier this summer. She didn't have much time to ask questions before discovering she and her college-age son would soon have to find a new residence.

She spent days stressing and losing sleep before Sanchez found a place for herself, but she still worries about her neighbors who haven't been as lucky in finding another rental.

"Where are we all going to go," asked Sanchez, whose family has deep roots in Cottonwood going back several generations.

Sanchez says she's never experienced a housing predicament quite like this before and feels it's unfair her community is being asked to forcibly go someplace else. 

"Our whole world has just been turned upside down," she said.

Story source: https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/its-ruining-the-town-rural-arizona-residents-feel-displaced-by-sedona-resort-buying-up-properties/75-fdcd8cd8-24bb-4829-ab50-9a0d9ae8960f

City welcomes rentals as sawdust fills the air

By Vyto Starinskas published in the Verded Independent July 24, 2022 

COTTONWOOD – The aroma of freshly cut lumber was filling the hot desert air surrounding the construction site of the 192-unit Inspiration apartment project – just as another 48-unit residential development was approved for Main Street on Monday.

The new project, which is across from the former Hog Wild building, is to be known as Bungalows on Main, according to the LLC.

The site is a large vacant parcel on the south side of Main Street, at the entrance to Old Town, and will be developed as a multifamily residential rental development with a density of approximately five units per acre, according to the application submitted for design review at a meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission. The city once looked at this site for a city hall location, but deemed it too expensive.

Bungalows on Main will function more like a grouping of attached single-family buildings and is akin to a compact single-family subdivision, they explained in the agenda for the hearing.

Buildings will be grouped to create intimate courtyards, anchored by shade trees to support healthy neighborhood interaction

P&Z Commissioner Randy Garrison said the motion, which passed 5 to 1, only dealt with the design, and said the project already met the zoning requirements.

Garrison said he felt the density of the project was too high and too close to the road, but they only could discuss the architectural design. There will be a lot of open space as part of the trade-off, he said.

Garrison asked city staff to give a monthly report on all the apartments that the city has approved in the last half year. He said the city has spent a lot of time approving several apartment projects and he wanted to know how many are breaking ground.

Fain Signature Group broke ground for its 192-unit Inspiration apartments with a ceremony on Dec. 7, 2021, and the group said Phase One of the five-phase project is 50% complete.

The project is going well and it is on schedule, according to Guy Roginson, of, Fain Signature Group, on Thursday. “Leasing has not begun yet. Typically, leasing starts approximately 90 days before opening. We are hoping to begin occupancy in March of 2023.”

The multi-family residential apartment community can now be seen rising at 345 State Route 89A across the street from the Verde Valley Medical Center.

Inspiration’s apartments will have one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, the developer explained. Amenities include a clubhouse, community pool, spa, work-out room, dog park and barbecue areas.

Leasing offices will not be open until the project is near completion, but Roginson said people can submit inquiries at InspirationApts.com

City Manager Ron Corbin said the apartment construction is going along “as expected.” He was amazed by the amount of lumber being used at Inspiration.

In another housing project in the city, the developer at Mesquite Hills, which is building more new homes off Mingus Avenue near the Verde Valley Humane Society, started paving new streets last week. He said there will be hundreds of homes.

Across the street from the Human Society on Mingus Avenue ground is being prepared for a new RV park similar to the one in Camp Verde, Corbin said.

Also, he said, the development Kindra Heights is going gangbusters at the end of Old Town Cottonwood. “Beautiful homes.”

Plans are ready to be picked up for the Sixth Street Lofts apartments for about 50 units, he said. They can start once they pick up their permits.

The city staff is still in the “process” with the developer from the proposed apartment project behind Walmart and apartments on Cherry and 12th streets that have been approved by P&Z, he said.

Corvin added that some more apartments were approved behind the Post Office several months ago. “Those are still in the works.”

Houses are being built at the Vineyards, which is farther up State Route 89A towards Clarkdale, he said. The current phase is about 96 homes.

Corbin said if you ask the developers, the higher interest rates do not affect sales or construction that much.

He said instead of 20 offers, they are now getting five for a home. “There’s still more demand than there is product.”

A Phoenix developer is still moving along a proposal to develop the land across from the Verde Santa Fe development on Cornville Road and State Route 89A. They are working through water and sewer and infrastructure, the city manager added.

And “still nothing” from the developers of the Spring Creek Ranch Development, he said.

The Cottonwood City Council approved an ordinance that annexed Spring Creek Ranch, along with about 11 square miles of Coconino National Forest land in January 2021.

The Borowskys would have to present a plan to the city to develop the 282-acre Spring Creek Ranch property and have it approved by council, he said. “They have to solve water and wastewater.”

Cornville Cell Tower

By Vyto Starinskas

CORNVILLE – The plans for a cell tower near Cornville Road behind Crazy Tony’s Cornville Country Market are up in the air, according to the Yavapai County Development Services Director Jeremy Dye.

The tower was approved Feb. 2 by the director, and did not require a hearing in front of any Yavapai County Board of Supervisors.

“The applicant has notified the County that the project is suspended,” Dye said.

“To date, the applicant has not applied for building permits,” Dye said. “The applicant has 180 days from the date of the approval letter to apply for building permits, or for a 180-day extension to allow additional time to apply for building permits.”

Dye did not go into any specifics on why the permit was suspended.

However, a neighbor of the cell tower, Gillian Goslinga, said, “We wanted proof that the developer, Tilson Technology Management, had done the federally required National Environmental Policy Act review or ‘NEPA.’

“On Jan. 27, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the FCC asking for this information because the county and applicant ignored our requests,” Goslinga said. “NEPA can become a recourse, maybe the only recourse a community has, to make sure a tower placement is environmentally the smartest, safest and most responsible.”

NEPA was the only recourse, she said, because Yavapai County was not applying the full legislative intent “of their own code to protect of our environmental resources.”

“Meanwhile, the county went ahead and approved the permit on Feb. 2, stating Tilson was in full compliance with all local, state and federal regulations, including the FCC,” she said.

To make sure NEPA was reviewed, Goslinga and cell tower neighbor Runnin’ W Wildlife Center owner Billie Harvey filed a pleading with the FCC listing red flags for the NEPA review.

In an April 14 email, Jennifer Flynn, attorney-advisor for the FCC, wrote to Goslinga that “Tilson Technology Management, Inc. acknowledged receipt of Dr. Goslinga’s concerns and informed the parties that it expects to complete its environmental screening report within 60-90 days. We therefore toll the pleading cycle until July 7, 2022.”

“The FCC agreed and gave Tilson until July 7 to respond with an environmental report of their own, to which we will, of course, respond,” Goslinga said.

She brought to the FCC’s attention that there are three federally registered Oak Creek critical wetland habitats, eight endangered species, and 10 threatened migratory species as well as a native raptor and wildlife recovery center inside the immediate “action area” of the tower, and a kindergarten, she said.

Tilson Technology Management did not return requests for comment.

In an email to the Verde Independent, Dye said the applicant provided “all documentation required by the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Ordinance section 605 to our office. “

Federal requirements for wireless communication facilities are separate processes outside of the scope of Yavapai County Development Services, he added.

The tower is an allowed-use on this property “by right,” given its C-2 commercial zoning, Dye said. So it does not have to go in front of the Board of Supervisors and is approved by the Yavapai County Development Services director administratively under Section 605 of the county zoning ordinance which he did in February.

“Our county ordinances don’t require proof of NEPA review for permitting towers. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 does allow local governments to write into their codes such protections and many other protections we still don’t have here in Yavapai County,” Goslinga said. 

“We also have let the county know they cannot claim FCC compliance in a legal permit approval letter like they did without actual binding proof of compliance,” Goslinga said. 

She said she asked county officials to make sure the applicant was NEPA compliant, but Goslinga said they ignored her.

“The problem is that the county doesn’t seem to be responding to the seriousness of placing permanent and massive microwave radiation infrastructure in the middle of our rural communities and lives,” Goslinga said.

“County’s blind eye to this is a big problem for a growing many of us in Cornville and in the Verde Valley as towers and antenna pop up everywhere. “

Verde Village Commentary

Dr. Cheryl Kasdorf

This "article" was published in "The Verde Independent" at 9:01 PM, July 2, 2022. It was not bylined or sourced to a reporter.  Therefore we believe the article/letter was submitted by the Verde Village Property Owners Association (VVPOA).  It has all the earmarks of a "submitted piece".  Therefore we believe this article is outside of Copyright protection from Verde News and can be used as a public domain piece.  Anyone wishing to dispute my claim may email me at johnparsons@gmail.com

This article is meaningful to me personally even though I don't know the author.  It speaks to why someone would move to The Verde Valley and fall in Love with the area, especially The Verde River.  I believe the article is instructive because the author carefully describes the various phases she passed in her journey.  It's quite well written and a wonderful personal testimony to "All Things Verde."

"Codes, Covenants and Restrictions or CC&R’s are designed primarily to upgrade and enhance property values in a community. For more than 40 of VVPOA’s 50 years, there was an Architectural Control Committee of volunteers who devoted time and efforts to enforce the established CC&R’s to help keep the Verde Villages a desirable place to live.

Due to lack of funds, volunteers and resources, the VVPOA no longer has the ability to enforce the covenants and they have not been renewed at the 25 year deadline. Therefore, it falls on Yavapai County to enforce restrictions.

The Verde Villages were not developed like most “planned communities.” The Queen Creek Cattle Company did not follow through with essentials, such as good roads, access to utilities and fire protection. The VVPOA was formed to address these issues and thanks to the original founders, the community has turned out to be a nice place to live.

So as taxpayers, residents of the Verde Villages should call on the county when they have issues in the community that they feel need to be addressed such as junk on lots, overgrown weeds, unsightly buildings. The VVPOA cannot address any violations of covenants, codes or restrictions.

So does the VVPOA still have a purpose? We believe that we do. Volunteers have currently proposed a new mission statement which reads as follows: The VVPOA Community connects us to our neighbors, to Nature, and to the lifestyle we all seek. We’d like to invite all members of our community to help keep this a great place to live. Call 928-646-6505, leave your number and tell us what you would like to do to help.

Introducing Unit #2 Director Dr. Cheryl Kasdorf in her own words:

I established my Naturopathic Medical practice in Cottonwood in 1998. I had lived in different parts of Yavapai County since 1976 and wanted a small-town environment and found it here. When it was time to buy a house in 2013, I found exactly what I needed in the Verde Villages. It is a quiet neighborhood, dog friendly, and a 7-minute commute to my office.

What impressed me when I arrived in central Arizona were the wide-open skies. Nighttime stars, the winter rising of Orion and the ever-present Big Dipper, the moon, and a breath-taking view of the Milky Way! I had never seen it before like I can see our galaxy here.

Daytime unobscured horizons allowed me to watch storms roll in, notice when I could see the moon depending on its phase, and see the seasonal shifts of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset. All of this connected me deeply to Nature as I attuned to her cycles. That connection is now evident in my Naturopathic Medical practice.

I celebrated Flagstaff becoming the first International Dark Sky City in 2001, and I then saw Cottonwood follow in 2019. I discovered that Yavapai County, where I live, has had a dark sky ordinance since 2002. I am passionate about maintaining the darkness of night not only for star gazing, but for us humans and all the other creatures whose circadian rhythms depend on darkness. At least half of all bugs as well as animals such as foxes, skunks and coyotes are nocturnal and many others are active at dusk and dawn. Porch and yard lights left on all night disrupt their activities, impacting their lives and the balance of Nature.

I think neighbors would be surprised at how many people around them are also bothered by excess night light, especially if a light shines directly into your window. I have politely asked neighbors to turn off or shield lights, and they were happy to do so, not realizing the situation.

Now, the YC ordinance does not require residents to change existing fixtures, but for people who value the balance of Nature and perhaps also balance with their neighbors, an easy step would be to turn off outside lights when not needed, and install downward-facing and motion-activated lights for safety.

Another passion of mine is water and the Verde River. I feel fortunate that the Verde Villages have a Nature Preserve, and I go there to connect with the river. I am looking into what more I can do such as catching rainwater to make my home River Friendly as promoted by the Friends of the Verde River. I have found practical solutions to make the city water that comes into my house as healthy as possible. I myself drink, and water my garden with revitalized water, and it makes a difference in my energy and the vitality the produce gives me.

In my early adult life, I lived in community and enjoyed its many benefits. As someone who enjoyed spending lots of time by myself, it was refreshing to have ready access to others for connection and creativity.

Today I have community in various aspects of my life, but discovered that I am missing going out my door and connecting with people. I have recently come to realize that one of the most important aspects to a healthy life is community participation. A mentor impressed this upon me when he talked about the most vital part of a meal is not where the food came from, but the people you are sharing it with. That showed me where I can grow in my life.

When I saw the potential of the Verde Village community through its Association, and the efforts of the current leaders to develop a vital, supportive, fun, inspirational community, I jumped in. I am currently the elected Director for Unit #2 and am volunteering to fill the office of Secretary as well as helping with the community vision, mission and message.

I am looking for neighbors who also value real-life connection to others, beyond technology. I see that the future depends on us coming together on a neighborhood level to share resources, grow food, and celebrate together. Nothing is ever going to be the same, and we now have the opportunity to create “the lifestyle that we all seek” as stated in our mission. Let’s come together to discover what that looks like.

For my part, I know it includes a focus on Nature and health, dog walks, dark skies, Verde River conservation, creative collaboration on community projects, and getting me and my neighbors out of our houses to share together.

Lloyd Masayumptewa

Verde News photo of MOCA Supt. Lloyd Masayumptewa Copyright 2022 by Vyto Starinskas

This article was written by Verde News Reporter Vyto Starinskas and appeared in the June 8 editions of "The Verde Independent" and "The Camp Verde Bugle." It is Copyright 2022 by Verde News and used here without permission.  We believe a wider circulation beyond the newspaper's paywall is important for cultural awareness in The Verde Valley and beyond.

MONTEZUMA CASTLE – The superintendent of the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments and the Interior Secretary of the United States have two things in common.

They both started their jobs a year ago and both are Native Americans.

Superintendent Lloyd Masayumptewa is Hopi from the Third Mesa village of Orayvi (Old Oraibi) and is of the Water-Coyote clan.

He was raised by his grandparents on the mesa, where they didn’t have running water while growing up about 50 miles southeast of Tuba City. They would get pails of water to fill trash cans or oil containers after monsoons.

Masayumptewa said growing up on the mesa helped him relate to his new job at Montezuma Castle because he used to wake up to similar architecture every day.

“The various luxuries that we have these days, we didn’t have those days,” he said.

“I take great pride in having the opportunity to work in one of the Hopi People’s ancestral homes,” Masayumptewa said when hired. “I joined the National Park Service to help preserve the legacy of my people’s existence and migrations in the Southwest.”

He was named the superintendent of the Montezuma and Tuzigoot monuments in July 2021, but had been acting superintendent since March 2021.

“His leadership skills and passion to preserve and protect our nation’s public lands and cultural resources make him a great fit to serve both of these parks,” Regional Director Mike Reynolds said at the time. 

The same month, Interior Secretary Deb Haalan, of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, was confirmed as the first Native American Interior Secretary.

Dorothy FireCloud was the previous superintendent at Montezuma and Tuzigoot, Masayumptewa said. She is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. But there are only a handful of Native American superintendents at national monuments, he pointed out.

Masayumptewa spoke to The Verde Independent about his first year as superintendent and how getting a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University changed his destiny.

He now lives in Rimrock and says one of his priorities is to build more on-site housing for his federal employees at the Montezuma and Tuzigoot monuments because of the worker-housing shortage in the Verde Valley.

Montezuma Castle was built and inhabited between 1100 and 1400 AD and it was a permanent settlement, he said. But eventually, they left. Drought may be the reason.

Archaeologists have termed the people “Sinagua,” the predecessors to the Hopi, because of the types of wares that were associated with the area, Masayumptewa said.

Historically, he said his heritage goes back to those days at Montezuma Castle, but it’s difficult to tell if his clan was ever at the location. He can track his direct lineage about three generations.

As an archaeologist, he wants to identify who lived at the ruin. Sometimes clans leave identifiers.

“The thing I also want to entertain and answer is: Where did they go,” he asked.

Some people say, “They just vanished,” he said. “And that’s not true.”

“I am part of these people that lived here,” Masayumptewa said. “There’s people at home that feel the same way that I do.”

As quickly as people vanished, modern visitors are now appearing to view the historic ruins and the architecture at the Camp Verde and Clarkdale monuments. There will be a need for a little more development because “visitation is huge,” he said.

“A lot of people visit this place, and we just can’t accommodate the number of people that come in,” he said. “Particularly during spring break.”

He wants to bring in interpretive talks that discuss the perspectives of all the people who used to live in the area.

Masayumptewa said he did his master’s thesis on ruins’ preservation and received his master’s degree from NAU in archeology.

His first job was at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments near Flagstaff. He served as the deputy superintendent for the Southern Four Corners Group of parks, which includes Navajo and Canyon de Chelly National Monuments and Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.

Masayumptewa said he wanted to thank the NAU professors who helped put him on the right educational and career path.

Cultural anthropology professor Michael Vásquez “took me under his wing a little bit,” he said, introducing him to another archeology NAU professor, Chris Downum, who was in the preservation field. He said it was very rewarding for him to work at Hopi sites.

“It was significant for me,” he said.

“That I could actually go out to these places was the most rewarding thing for me because it fulfilled those talks that were provided for me when I was growing up by my grandparents and other elders, and where clans came from.”

Friends of Camp Verde Library Communiqué

Hi Everyone! 

Welcome to the Friends of the Library June-July Newsletter!

So much has been happening at our library! First, I want to tell you about our bargain BOGO Book Nook sale. It starts Thursday, June 2 and goes through the end of June (or whenever we run out of books). Take a look at the titles on the Friends' shelf by the front door, in the Book Nook, and on the tables in the walkway on the second floor. You will find a selection of new donations not seen before. Find that summer read you've been looking for. And, since most books are priced at 50 cents, the BOGO sale is not to be missed!!

The “Little Laundromat Library”, sponsored by the Friends, is extremely popular!  The customers enjoy the variety of books that are on the shelves for adults, teens, and children! Some read a book while waiting for their laundry and others find an author they like and take it home to read later! The children especially love the choices that are there just for them. The stories they tell melt your heart! A special thanks to Charlie German for building these wonderful shelves for all to enjoy! Our motto is “Take one or leave one!” Come and see for yourselves! Maybe you will be there when a little child gets excited over a new book! 

Many of you that have been to the library lately may have noticed a beautiful wall of art. Each one was donated and we sold 24 pieces through April and May! It was so successful that we will be doing it again next year. If you have a piece of art you would like to donate, think about us next Spring! All the proceeds go to the Friends of the Library and used to purchase new programs, books, and items necessary for our library. Thank you for your support!

The Friends are so thrilled to have new shelves in our workroom to make our jobs easier! Kent Hellman took time out of his busy weekend and put them up for us. We are so thankful for them since we get so many donations and now have an actual place to put them. Thank you, Kent! We really do appreciate all that you do for us! 

We are still selling the Community Bashas cards for $10. Remember that your card will have $10 on it, so it will not cost you a single penny. Not only can you add money to your card repeatedly so you can shop for yourself, but you can also give these cards to someone as a gift for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and other special occasions!  The first 4 months of this year, Bashas sent our library a check for $1200!  They pay us out of their pocket, not yours!  Every penny goes back into our library!  We are very thankful for what they do to support us!

If you have not stopped by Sweet Pea lately, you need to go and see what the library booth has for sale. There are not only books, but 45-vinyl records, lamps, dolls, knick-knacks and more.  Ambie always puts her all into everything she displays on every single shelf. Over the past 4 months, sales at Sweet Pea have added up to over $1000!  Every dollar helps us expand ideas for our library! So, stop on by!

Most everyone shops on Amazon. If you go to smile.amazon.com and designate Friends of the Library of Camp Verde, AZ as your charity, Amazon will send a small percentage of what you spend back to our Library. In the last Quarter, the library received over $50!  We are happy to receive this free money!

There is so much more that we could mention of the happenings at our very busy library!  Check out the Library website or Facebook page to find out more!

We have a big surprise for the next newsletter that you are going to LOVE!  Till then have a GREAT summer!  See you in August!

Your Friends of the Library 

Lake Montezuma icon on market

Commentary by John Parsons: Greater Beaver Creek's Lake Montezuma was once the epitome of rural gentrification in The Verde Valley.  Many members of Flagstaff's affluent middle class aspired to retire to Lake Montezuma.  And many did.  So many, in fact, Flagstaff residents of Lake Montezuma once staged an annual picnic at Montezuma Well that drew upwards of 200 people!

The golf course and Ranch House were the Heart, Pride and Joy of Lake Montezuma movers and shakers.  Everybody who was anybody had something to do with either the golf course or the Ranch House...or both.  Countless thousands of volunteer hours went into "betterment" of the facilities.  The facilities were genuine gems.  I remember being totally awed by them on my first encounter over 40 years ago.

Some how, some way, something happened and a heartless developer let the golf course die while shuttering the Ranch House, too.  A feeble community attempt to resurrect the Ranch House ended with allegations of possible misdeeds.  The sad fate of both facilities have lingered like a dark cloud over Lake Montezuma for many years.  

The article below brings a ray of hope to the golf course and Ranch House.  Of course, in this day and age, sale of such a plum property is fraught with peril. Whether the Glory Days of Lake Montezuma will ever return is a dubious, fanciful flight of fantasy.  What's much more likely is a rezoning and massive, high density development--just the thing that will send Lake Montezumians into a froth-at-the-mouth fitful frenzy.

This article appeared in the Easter Sunday issues of "The Verde Independent" and "The Camp Verde Bugle".  It is Copyright 2022 by Verde News.  It is used here WITHOUT permission because we feel this story transcends the publication's ironclad paywall.  This is a story that needs wider circulation in the interest of public awareness and involvement.  It's a classic "heads up" story.

Reporter Lo Frisby did a great job writing the article but also gifted the community with an outstanding video of the time-frozen interior of The Ranch House.  The video is an instant historical classic!  You can watch the 1:28 production here:  https://youtu.be/FnBUpClx38k

End of commentary by John Parsons.

Original article is below the dashed line:
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By Lo Frisby

Originally Published: April 17, 2022 12:05 a.m.

LAKE MONTEZUMA – Beaver Creek Ranch has a long and colorful history, including its years spent as a hidden getaway for famous actors working on films in Sedona during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Nowadays, it more closely resembles Mrs. Havisham’s mansion in Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations”: forlorn, neglected, and showing signs of decay.

The contents of Beaver Creek Ranch House have been suspended in time ever since its closure in 2010. Now, it is back on the market and could come back to life.

Realtors Richard Chambers and Sam Worseldine of Camp Verde’s Chambers Realty Group are the listing agents of the ranch, and say the property has many possibilities and they are excited by the thought of it being brought back to life.

“There’s so much potential already,” said Worseldine, who spent summers at the property in his youth.

“The water rights alone have a lot of value," he said.

Chambers said the property’s previous owner had an attorney assess the property’s water rights, which include portions of the historic “Schroeder Ditch,” and it was determined that at the time, there were over 600 acre feet of water.

“The water rights alone justify the ($2.6 million) asking price,” Worseldine added.

Other assets include a restaurant, office building, retail store, and a 1,927 square foot residence.

The golf course, which has continued to receive “basic” maintenance, is over 100 acres.

Chambers and Worseldine say they can envision a vineyard, golf resort, barley farm, boutique hotel, or potentially a combination of things.

“I’d love for it to stay local and see it become what it used to be,” Chambers said.

“It’s a shame that such an icon has been sitting vacant,” Worseldine said.

What about big development?

Chambers explained that despite community rumors of the property being converted into a large-scale development, only a small portion (3.48 acres out of 108) of the property is zoned for commercial use.

The rest of the property is zoned “Open Space,” which can only be utilized for agriculture and cultivation, public or private parks, and other recreational types of spaces like a golf course.

For a larger-scale development to occur, the property would have to first undergo a re-zoning process with the Planning & Zoning Commission, which Chambers said would be a “lengthy endeavor” requiring community input.

“I don’t think it’s likely,” he said.

In addition to rumors of big development, there has been a story going around that the rock ‘n’ roll legend Alice Cooper has taken an interest in the property.

“So far, he hasn’t contacted our office,” Chambers said with a laugh.

“I don’t know how that rumor got started,” he said.

Rumors of Cooper notwithstanding, Chambers and Worseldine say they have received numerous inquiries about the property since it first came on the market a month ago, and are actively engaged in “direct marketing” to local “big name folks” including farmers that they think may be interested.

“Whoever buys it, it’s going to be an improvement,” Worseldine said.

With an active listing posted on Flexmls.com and regular inquiries coming in, it seems it will only be a matter of time until the community knows just what will become of the ranch.

“It’s exciting,” Chambers said.

A historic marker, which was placed by the community, stands at the entrance of Beaver Creek Ranch. Despite its rich history dating back to the 1830s, the ranch is not listed in the Arizona Register of Historic Places.

Verde River Sheep Crossing 2011

By Diane Lovett

Originally Published: July 17, 2011 7:52 a.m.

 The Verde River, clear and clean, rolled out of the shade of the desert willows and into the bright sunlight, flowing toward the cacophony and commotion just ahead.

Dozens of small hooves milled around on the sandy river bank, sending clouds of dust skyward. Up and down the river, shouts rang out and dogs barked. A wether walked out to the middle of the crossing, the bell on his neck clanking loudly.

On May 21, a band of 2000 sheep were being pushed into the water at a place on the Verde River known as Sheep's Crossing.

Even though a string of pack animals had already crossed and the bell wether bleated and beckoned to them, the ewes refused to budge.

With insistent voices and long shepherd's poles, three Peruvian herders urged them on. Members of the Auza family of Casa Grande, the owners of the sheep, called out and waved their arms.

A few onlookers, locals who'd gotten word of the crossing, added their voices to the fray to help start the band across the river.

A seasoned border collie wore back and forth behind the flock, nipping at rear ends and barking furiously. A younger dog mimicked him without much result. Finally, a ewe at the head of the bunch crowded closest to the river's edge stepped into the water and proceeded across.

The rest of the flock followed, wading into the river as quietly as you please, as though there'd never been any fuss at all.

The date could just as easily have been May, 1911, and the same scenario would be playing out in exactly the same spot on the river.

According to Carmen Auza, member of one of the oldest sheep ranching families in Arizona, "in the 1900's there were well over one million sheep in Arizona.

Today there are approximately 20,000 and only a few operations of substantial size.

They are Manterola Sheep, Dobson Sheep, Joseph Auza Jr., Joe Auza Sr., and Rudy Echeverria." She also explains that in the early 1900's, many Basques from the Pyrenees of Northern Spain arrived in Arizona to herd the sheep. Among them were Ramon Aso, Tony Manterola, Frank Auza, Pete Espil, Manuel Aja, Miguel Echeverria, and Juan Aleman.

In those days the sheep were driven from Phoenix to various spots in Northern Arizona to graze in the cool mountain meadows.

Approximately 10 bands of 2000 sheep were driven by herders who walked the distance, along with a pack string to carry supplies, and two or three good dogs who did the hard work of keeping the sheep bunched together and moving north.

The sheep were required to stay within prescribed driveways, determined by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, who hired outriders to keep an eye on the bands and make sure they didn't wander out of those driveways.

There was the main north-south driveway between Black Canyon and Flagstaff, the Beaverhead-Grief Hill Driveway that headed east, and a more westerly route north that traveled through Munds Park.

Early on, the sheep ranchers joined together and formed the Arizona Wool Growers Association. They controlled watering sites, bought property as necessary along the drive routes, and did much to protect the rights of the sheep ranchers. Over the years, as the number of sheep and sheep ranchers declined, the association scaled down accordingly and was renamed the Arizona Wool Producers.

For some years, the sheep were trucked north in the spring and back down in the fall, but as Mrs. Auza explains, her family and the Manterolas resumed the historic drive north for "a couple of reasons. . . . First, we can't enter the Forest Service permit areas until the first of June, and it is too hot to keep the sheep in the Valley. Also, walking puts the sheep into better shape for breeding. The trip takes 30 to 45 days and the sheep are driven three to four miles each day." And, making this token drive each spring helps to protect the sheep ranchers' right to use the historic driveways.

In early May, 2011, the Auza family trucked 2000 of their 7000 ewes to the Badger Springs area north of Phoenix. From there, the Peruvian herders and camp tender (flown in each year for the purpose) began the annual historic drive. Along with their pack string and a couple of dogs, they head north towards Black Canyon, following the route that will take them through the Verde Valley and on to Flagstaff. Mrs. Auza relates that the daily ritual begins with a hearty breakfast prepared by the camp tender. Then "they break camp at daylight, pack up the burros, and start guiding the sheep. At about 11 a.m., the camp tender unloads the burros and prepares lunch." After a couple of hours' rest they begin again, grazing the flock along the way and pushing on until sunset.

Just after leaving the windmill and water tank near the top of Copper Canyon, the band enters the Verde Valley, winding its way down to Cherry Creek and up to the next watering spot just beyond Cherry Road. From there, they go under Highway 260 at Hayfield Draw, down a valley to Thousand Trails camping area, and on to Sheep's Crossing. The Auzas met the band at the crossing, bringing fresh supplies to the herders before they head on to the high country. The burros are repacked and everyone is rested before the sheep are pushed across the river and up the hill on the far side. From our vantage point on a rise above the river, it looks as though the entire hill turned white. Slowly, the sea of white creeps out of sight and into the blue sky beyond.

If you'd like to catch a glimpse of history played out just as it was 100 years ago, watch for the sheep as they come across our valley to Thousand Trails and head north. You'll spend an exciting and interesting day!

With special thanks to Carmen Auza for the use of information from her article: Auza, Carmen. "Handing down History." Pinal Ways, Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, Inc., Summer, 2010: 4 - 6, 34.