The U.S. Forest Service owns an 80-acre section of land next to Windmill Park in Cornville. Yavapai County wants it.
“It abuts our property, crosses Oak Creek, and then goes on top of the hill,” said Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor Tom Thurman. “It’s completely surrounded by private property. So it’s kind of a headache for the Forest Service.”
Meanwhile, the county owns a plot of 369 acres close by along Mingus Avenue, just east of the bridge where it crosses the Verde River. That plot of land features numerous specimens of cliffrose, an endangered plant.
In the view of county officials, this land could be handled much better by the Forest Service, which is better equipped to deal with endangered species, than by the county. A land exchange for the two parcels seemed like the obvious solution.
Thurman said the Forest Service was on board with the proposal from the beginning, and happy to swap land parcels with the county. However, he ran into administrative headaches when trying to execute the exchange.
“They were in agreement, but the system on land trades right now in the Forest is very complicated right now and can take anywhere from five to 10 years,” Thurman said. “I don’t want to wait that long, so I went to Congressman [Paul] Gosar.”
On June 21, U.S. Rep. Gosar [R-District 4] introduced House Resolution 6146, the Cottonwood Land Exchange Act of 2018. Gosar said he hopes to bring U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran [D-District 1] along as a co-sponsor and get the bill passed and signed by the president this term, allowing the county to skip the long administrative process of a land swap with the Forest Service.
“This bipartisan bill is good for the county, good for the Forest Service, good for local species and good for families that like parks,” Gosar stated in a press release. “I’m pleased to have worked with Yavapai County officials, community leaders, students, parents and the Forest Service to craft this common sense bill that allows for the most efficient use of lands involved in the exchange.”
The House Subcommittee on Federal Lands — part of the House Committee on Natural Resources — will hold a hearing on HR 6146 on Tuesday, July 17. Either Thurman or District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison is expected to testify before the committee on the value of making this swap.
“It’s important enough to me that I will go back there if I have to,” Thurman said.
With the usual slow schedule of Congress, the bill is not expected to come up for a vote for a while.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to get it through the committee,” said Jeff Small, a senior adviser to Gosar. He said he believes the potential for conservation from giving the Forest Service jurisdiction over the area filled with cliffrose will bring Democrats along and make the bill bipartisan. Nevertheless, he said he thinks the bill has a ways to go before being enacted.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that no bill is ever a sure thing,” Small said.
Thurman said he hopes to improve the land east of Windmill Park on behalf of the community if the bill is approved, with plans for walking trails, benches along the creek and a bridge across it. He said he wants to connect the park via walking trails all the way to the Bridgeport Ruin, where State Route 89A crosses Zalesky Road.
“I’m the trail guy really for the county,” Thurman said. “And I try to do things to get not only adults but children to turn off the TV and video games and enjoy why we live in Northern Arizona.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
