A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE TASK FORCE: Outdoor Ethics
There are tens of thousands of visitors to the Oak Creek Canyon annually, so in order to preserve the integrity of the Canyon environment, and the quality of water in Oak Creek, there must be rules for everyone to understand and follow.
Visitors should be aware that litter is to be taken out of the Canyon with them, or deposited into a trash receptacle, and the creek is not to be used as a bathroom, nor is the forest.
These are basic standards of behavior that any family would enforce in their own home. In the Canyon though, any potential litter or pollution problem is exacerbated by the sheer numbers of visitors.
We simply can't afford to be lax. The Canyon is in our trust perpetually, generation after generation. The fragility of its environment is at stake.
Our quest, therefore, is to recruit all visitors as Canyon Ambassadors, so they can pass along some common sense information called protocols, to their family, and friends.
We affectionately call our protocols, "bearisms" and they are presented by "CareBear" throughout our site as well as on our Protocols page. "CareBear" is a cousin of "Smokey the Bear" but with a different message. They're both important.
On the three major holiday weekends each year... Memorial Day weekend; July 4th weekend; and Labor Day weekend, we supplement our ongoing KEEP OAK CREEK CANYON BEAUTIFUL program by giving out trash bags to visitors, and sponsoring a ten ton dumpster at Indian Gardens for visitors and residents to deposit their trash.
Starting in 2009, we will also be co-sponsors of a Trailhead Ambassador program in which high school students will be visiting campgrounds and picnic areas to personally welcome visitors and give out trash bags as well as pass along useful information.
At Indian Gardens our Task Force has built the first roadside public restrooms in Oak Creek Canyon with the help of many private citizens, businesses and government entities. Why?
Because in order to maintain the highest quality of the water in Oak Creek, we must prevent its pollution from every source we can determine. Oak Creek is drinking water to people downstream, and was designated a "Unique" watercourse in 1991 by the state of Arizona.
So your visit is important. We hope you have a wonderful time and enjoy the beauty of the Canyon, and the peaceful meandering of Oak Creek, and its West Fork.
Take many photographs, but leave only footprints, and please be part of the Canyon's legacy.
Together, we ARE making a difference.
Barry Allan, Co-Chairman Morgan Stine, Co-Chairman |
