http://www.redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city

Some of you may recall that during the 2011 Wallow Fire, which devastated parts of the White Mountains, the American Red Cross played a huge role in making sure those affected by the blaze were given food, water and shelter. Once again, the Red Cross is working overtime for the victims of yesterday’s 2-mile-wide tornado that ripped through the tiny town of Moore, Oklahoma, destroying homes, a hospital and an elementary school.

To date, the Red Cross has deployed almost 30 emergency-response vehicles to distribute food and relief supplies, and more are on alert. Emergency aid stations will also be available so people can get food and snacks, mental and physical health services, and information about what help is available.

We reached out to our sister publication, Oklahoma Today, and their editor, Steffie Corcoran, emailed us an update about the devastation.

“Many of us at Oklahoma Today and our parent agency, the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, know at least one person or family who has suffered losses in the devastating May 20 tornadoes in Moore,” wrote Corcoran. “Officials from that south Oklahoma City suburb are working hard in partnership with neighboring communities as well as state and federal resources to assess the damage and locate victims. For the time being, those who want to help are encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross, which is consolidating and coordinating relief efforts. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping us recover from this incredible tragedy.”

You can also visit http://www.redcross.org or call 800-RED-CROSS. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.

Courtesy of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

We hope you’ll join the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in welcoming their newest addition: a five-and-a-half-month-old mountain lion cub. The little guy was rescued and nursed back to health by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; but because he was unsuitable for reintroduction into the wild, his adoption by the Desert Museum was arranged through the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Once the cub was in good health suitable for transport, California departmental agents traveled nine hours to rendezvous with Desert Museum staff in Blythe, California,” said Shawnee Riplog-Peterson, the museum’s curator of mammalogy and ornithology. “After arrival at the Museum, the cub was quarantined in the exhibit’s night-holding area at which time veterinarians and keepers monitored its well-being and began training efforts.”

Known scientifically as Puma concolor, mountain lions (a.k.a. pumas or cougars) are the largest of the small cats. Even though they are referred to as lions, they lack the ability to roar. They are consummate predators, with a small head, muscular body, powerful shoulders, strong legs, large paws and a long tail. Cougars have powerful claws and jaws armed with impressive canines. They are stalking, ambush hunters that normally live solitary lives.

Now that this little guy is home and in good health, the museum needs your help. This cub needs a name and you’re invited to enter the naming contest at www.desertmuseum.org. The winner will receive a special gift from the mountain lion and a family membership to the Desert Museum. The winning name will be announced at a special naming celebration on July 6.

OK, to help you come up with a suitable name for this fella, below are some details about this cute cat:

Sex: Male
Age: 5 1/2 months
Rescued: March 9 in San Jose, CA
Rescue Weight: 15 pounds
Current Weight: 51.5 pounds
Current Length: 37.5 inches (not including the tail)
Current Paw Size: 4 3/4 inches
Favorite Food: Goat’s milk
Favorite Activities: Chasing rock squirrels and lazing in the shade

Doug Koepsel | Lockett Meadow, SF Peaks

In honor of our June Summer Hiking Guide, which features 10 of our favorite places to hit the trail, we asked you to share your photographs of life on the trail. Thanks to everyone who posted photos on Facebook. Once again, we have another fantastic gallery featuring Arizona’s beautiful landscape.

Keep posting, and we hope you’ll share this week’s gallery with your favorite peeps.

Enjoy!

Photo by Kelly Kramer

A very important message from our friends at the U.S. Forest Service:

Springerville, AZ – May 15, 2013—Campfire and smoking restrictions will be implemented at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, May 23 in Apache and Navajo Counties, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, and within local fire districts located in both counties.

White Mountain area cities, counties, and federal agencies, along with commercial partners that make up Northeast Arizona Public Information System (593 JIC), and the White Mountains Fire Restrictions Coordination Group have been collectively planning for months to implement timely fire restrictions for public lands within the White Mountain area.

With extremely dry vegetation, the risk of wildland fire is extremely high. People who enjoy public lands in Apache and Navajo Counties can reduce the risk of fire by practicing fire safety and by adhering to fire prevention restrictions. The criteria officials consider before implementing fire restrictions include current and predicted weather, fuel conditions, fire activity levels, and available resources. Due to increasing fire danger, the following fire restrictions are deemed necessary to prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public health and safety:

• Fires, campfires, charcoal, coal and wood stoves are allowed in developed campgrounds only.
• These restrictions limit smoking to within enclosed vehicles, buildings, or in developed campgrounds.
• Pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns, and heaters that can be turned off are allowed.

The fire restrictions will remain in place until lands within Apache and Navajo Counties receive significant precipitation.

White Mountain visitors are reminded that some campfire restrictions are always in effect, such as in forested areas within city limits of most northern Arizona communities. Additionally, fireworks are never allowed on National Forests. For more information about restrictions on public lands by calling (928) 333-3412 or toll free 1-877-864-6985 or visit (www.593info.org), and also the NEW interagency website: (Firerestrictions.us) created to inform residents and visitors about fire restrictions and closures across the South-west area.

Forest and White Mountain visitors are encouraged to be fire safe and show their commitment to wildfire prevention by going online and taking Smokey’s pledge.

Which is your favorite cover?

Check out this sneak peek of our June issue. We’re showcasing 10 of our favorite hikes in our summer hiking guide. Of course, if you can’t wait until June, you can always find great hiking options in the Arizona Highways Hiking Guide: 52 of Arizona’s Best Day Hikes for Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall.

Enjoy… and don’t forget to pick up your copy, on newsstands in just a couple of weeks.

Tim Van Den Berg | Tucson

We sure love babies here at Arizona Highways… and in honor of Mother’s Day, this week’s theme is all about baby wildlife (and, in some cases, their mamas, too). As usual, we received several fantastic photographs — thanks to everyone who posted images to our Facebook page.

We hope you’ll share this week’s blog with your friends and family on social media.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Save the date: Tomorrow, Saturday, May 11, the historic mining town of Crown King will host a festival to help raise money for road repairs. Last year, the Gladiator Fire burned more than 16,000 acres; then, complicating matters, monsoon storms caused mudslides and rockslides. Saturday’s event will feature live entertainment, food, a kids area and a beer garden.

Melinda Ripley, the president of the Crown King Chamber of Commerce, talked to Arizona Highways about tomorrow’s festival and why Crown King needs your help.

Tell me about this Saturday’s festival. What’s going on?
We will be raising funds during this event for several different organizations. Some of the funds will be given to the Crown King Chamber of Commerce for our Community Improvement Project. We are currently selling raffle tickets to give away a “gold nugget.” The funds from this will go to improve the downtown Crown King area. We are planning to purchase many loads of Agra-Soil to cover the main road in town. This will help take care of the boulders and such that are making our street rough. Crown King is an unincorporated town; therefore, we do not get county or state help to maintain the roads inside our community. Once we can obtain the needed amount to replace the soil, we are planning to place old-fashioned, wrought-iron, solar-powered lamp posts throughout the area as well. It will be a beautiful project when we can complete it.

We have also started a “Crown King Kids Corral.” This is an area that we are planning to have during our bigger events dedicated to the children. They can make crafts and play games that are related to the current event. For instance, this weekend, we will be making paper-plate tamborines, wind chimes (out of Dixie cups and straws and bells) and a coloring contest. (Per the request of our children, they “want to know who the winner is THAT day and want candy as a prize!”) We plan to carry this idea out throughout the year. Funds donated from this area will remain in a separate envelope to replenish our supplies used. We have had a tremendous outpouring from some community members that have donated yarn, buttons, gluesticks, etc. We are very excited to offer something for the children to do when they visit Crown King.

What will you do with the funds raised?
A portion of some food sales will go directly to the Chamber of Commerce for continued advertising and permit costs.

How has business been since last year’s fire, and how can people help?
Business has been extremely slow for the merchants following the fire and rain last year. It was a rough winter for them. However, we have tried to come together and plan numerous fun events for the remainder of this year and will continue on next year! We have really tried to pump our marketing and utilize Facebook, radio stations, news stations, publications and any other venue of advertising that we can reach. We have started Facebook pages for all our businesses; this has really helped, as Facebook seems to spread very quickly.

We are currently seeking volunteers to set a table up at the event with donation buckets that list all of our nonprofit organizations: the Crown King Fire Department, our churches, our American Legion, our Crown King Road Association, our Forest Service Department, and obviously our Historical Society. We also have a Crown King Community Association that tries to focus on individual needs for those who live in the community. We also have an Americorps group that works in Crown King during the busy wildfire months. We have one of the only remaining one-room schoolhouses. I think 11 remain in the U.S. We currently have three students.

So people know once and for all, is Crown King open for business?
Crown King is definitely open for business! We welcome all those to come see our very historical and beautiful little hideaway! It is one of the most untouched pieces of America’s history that we are so very hard trying to keep.

I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing this young woman for our November people profile. She’s fantastic, and I think you’re going to love learning more about her muddy line of work and why she absolutely loves her job.

—Kathy Ritchie, Sr. Associate Editor