The Spirit of Pine Valley

A Unique Community Living with Nature

Forest Service Sub-Committee Update and Comments Request

To Our Pine Valley Community:

Many of you are familiar with the recent trail building activity by the US Forest Service (USFS) immediately west of Pine Valley which has occurred over the past several months. Increasing visitor activity throughout the Sedona area prompted USFS to develop new routes to ease crowded trail and trailhead conditions. This particular project was authorized in 2018.

However, few (if any) Pine Valley residents were aware of the plan until trail building was underway since the USFS did not adequately notify potentially affected parties. With the recent completion, Pine Valley residents are already noting an increase in audible noise, visual intrusion, general invasion of seclusion and privacy based on the placement of the trail on the Pine Valley side of the ridge, lost hikers showing up on private property, and non-residents driving through Pine Valley seeking shortcuts to the trail system. See maps below.

The PVPOA Board has thus established an ad-hoc committee to solicit community involvement in working with USFS and other parties to mitigate impacts from surrounding forest land activities to the greatest degree possible. The Board expects this “Forest Service Ad-Hoc Committee” to address the following matters (and others that may arise in the course of their work):

  • Potential for increased fire risk
  • Abatement of noise associated with new trail
  • Potential re-routing of problematic trail segments
  • Improved trail signage
  • Resident access to forest from within Pine Valley
  • Guidance to vacation renters who are unfamiliar with trail access from Pine Valley
  • Discouraging non-resident from driving through Pine Valley to seek trail access
  • Coordination with USFS on future trail system improvements and expansion activity
  • Cattle fencing maintenance and improvements
  • Impact of increased hunting activity
  • Potential for increased crime in the neighborhood
  • Impact on surrounding wildlife in the forest

If you would like to participate in this committee, please send an email message to PineValleyFSComm@gmail.com 

Current volunteers are Mark Carlson, Steve Rossi, Jackie Barbour, Mart Schonberg, Steve Fiedler and Dave Kinz.

Sincerely,
Vic Lukas, President PVPOA

 

Detail of above map ⤵️