Sedona AZ (October 6, 2016) – Nicole Branton will speak about “The State of the Red Rocks in 2016” at KSB’s Wednesday, October 12th Preserving the Wonder™ Speaker Series.
Members, residents and visitors are all welcome to join Keep Sedona Beautiful (“KSB”) at 5:30 p.m. at its historic Pushmataha Center on 360 Brewer Road. The evening will include complimentary appetizers donated by El Rincon Restaurante Mexicano and refreshments provided by KSB.
As the Red Rock Ranger District wraps up another year (the federal fiscal year starts in October) please join District Ranger Nicole Branton for a look back at all that the Forest Service and its partners accomplished in 2016, as well as the emerging challenges.
According to Branton, “This year was one of big changes with our new recreation staff, the Fossil Creek reservation system, new facilities for Cathedral Rock trailhead, restoration work at the Crescent Moon cabin, and some infamous graffiti. We also tackled a number of watershed restoration and wildlife habitat improvement projects, as well as the Point Fire. And together with our partners the Sedona Friends of the Forest and Arizona Natural History Association, we put on over 140 environmental education programs!”
Nicole will also talk about the challenges facing our National Forest in the year ahead, including increasing recreation in riparian areas, wildfires, and smoke. “It takes a community (or more) to protect and enhance a place like the Red Rocks, so please join us to appreciate all we have done together for this special place” she said.
Red Rock District Ranger since the spring of 2014, Nicole Branton is an archaeologist by training with a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. Her archaeology career focused on cultural landscapes, oral history and historical archaeology, as well as cultural resource management. Nicole has worked for the USDA Forest Service for over 18 years on National Forests and Grasslands in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
Keep Sedona Beautiful’s monthly Preserving the Wonder™ Speaker Series is held the second Wednesday of each month from September through May. It focuses on presenting a diversity of programs relevant to the unique environment of our region.
Keep Sedona Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that, by acting through the stewardship of its members and volunteers, is committed to protecting and sustaining the unique scenic beauty and natural environment of the Greater Sedona Area. For more information about Keep Sedona Beautiful, please call 928.282.4938, or visit http://www.keepsedonabeautiful.org/.