Arizona Forward 2015

2015 Threats to forest health put Arizona at risk Environmental Excellence Awards spotlight state’s best Arizona Forward leads the way on sustainability

30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

ARIZONA FORWARD

FORWARD THINKING Promoting sustainability and conserving resources preserves quality of life

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here’s a lot right about Arizona. But unfortunately, all too often we focus on what we think is broken, like our politics, policies and laws. It’s time to change the mindset. After all, perception is reality.

Arizona is a leader in environmental sustainability and ranks high in many quality of life indicators. Our cities and towns are demonstrating unique and innovative ways to promote green design, conserve natural resources and preserve our precious desert environment.

We’re setting the bar on several fronts.

We surpass California and much of the world, when it comes to managing our water supply. The drought has been devastating to California. Water providers and planners in Arizona have worked hard to avoid the same fate. SRP has been a steward of what’s right for Arizona for 112 years, serving power and water needs with a vision of helping the Valley grow

Diane Brossart Arizona Forward

into a vibrant and sustainable metropolitan area.

The Arizona Water Banking Authority with its operating partner Central Arizona Project has stored nearly 3.4 million acre-feet of Colorado River water underground to protect against the impacts of shortage.

These and other cooperative efforts have greatly increased the resiliency of Arizona’s water supplies.

We are without water challenges but bright minds are working daily on innovative ways to respond to potential shortages. Everyone should be part of the solution and engage in this important dialogue.

Our state is further breaking new ground in an unprecedented effort to manage the largest forest health project ever undertaken in the U.S. – the Four Forest Restoration Initiative. It envisions restored forest ecosystems on portions of four National Forests along the Mogollon Rim, supporting natural fire regimes, functioning populations of native plants and animals, and thriving forest communities that pose little threat of destructive wildfire. There are a multitude of issues and a fair amount of controversy involved in this massive undertaking but 4FRI is a remarkable program of national significance.

Arizona is further excelling in green building strategies.

Our state is tied with New York in 10th place nationally for LEED certified buildings, which set the competitive price scale for commercial and institutional real estate in major metropolitan areas.

That’s just some of what’s trending. If you want to be inspired by good work that balances economic prosperity and sustainability in individual communities across our state, look to projects recognized in Arizona Forward’s 35th annual Environmental Excellence Awards program.

Open to entries statewide for the first time ever, more than 125 nominations were received representing 30 municipalities, 18 of which were from outside of Maricopa

County where the program has historically concentrated.

Top honors overall went to the City of Tucson for its Sun Link Streetcar that connects more than 100,000 people with affordable, clean and comfortable travel, linking five districts along a four-mile line with 23 stops along the way. It is the largest, most complex construction project the city of Tucson has ever undertaken and is also the nation’s first Made in America streetcar system in almost 60 years.

Arizona Forward has a long, rich history of supporting sustainability initiatives since 1969 when it operated as Valley Forward and focused on metropolitan Phoenix.

The mission was expanded statewide in 2013 with impressive results. Large companies and small businesses joined forces with municipalities and government agencies, educational institutions, related non-profits and a host of concerned citizens throughout the Grand Canyon State.

They share a vision for environmental quality and economic prosperity throughout Arizona, which is expressed in a robust agenda that includes: a balanced statewide multimodal transportation system; smart growth strategies and open space planning; healthy forest ecosystems; improved air quality; energy alternatives; and a resilient water supply – all under the umbrella of healthy communities.

First and foremost, Arizona Forward is a businessbased organization. Members recognize that promoting sustainability, conserving natural resources and preserving our unique desert environment is imperative to maintaining and improving the quality of life here for future generations.

Arizona Forward is helping to ensure that decisions about how residents will live tomorrow are made with foresight and imagination today.

Diane Brossart is president and CEO of Arizona Forward.

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ARIZONA FORWARD

Forests in jeopardy

Arizona needs healthy woodlands for clean water and quality of life, experts say

By CHERYL HURD

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ense forests that blanket millions of acres in northern Arizona are a lightning strike away from a potentially catastrophic wildfire that could threaten our quality of life statewide.

Healthy forests impact air quality and maintain our water supply through watersheds that feed the Verde and Salt rivers.

They also contribute to our state’s economy through tax revenue and billions of tourism dollars.

Ongoing fire suppression that encouraged an abundance of fuel growth combined with continuing drought conditions have created a dangerous tinderbox that, if left unchecked, has the potential to compromise our major water sources and air quality, damage homes and business, cause flooding and soil erosion, endanger wildlife, and forever change the landscape that once enticed tourists who contribute to a robust state economy.

Arizona Forward, a business-based environmental public interest organization, formed a committee of more than 25 people, including those from the Nature Conservancy in Arizona, the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University and the Sustainable Economic Development Initiative, to study the issue.

In an effort to increase awareness and educate the community about the importance of forest health, the organization released a primer that details the critical state of our overgrown forests, the potential problems that impact the entire state and possible solutions.

Changing landscape Eric Marcus, executive director of the Sustainable Economic Development Initiative, explains, “Historically, Arizona forests had roughly 50 trees per acre and that same acreage today is supporting up to 1,000 trees. Much of that growth is small

diameter trees that are competing for nutrients and water. They are less healthy and highly susceptible to fire and insect infestation. That is an enormous fuel load. The fires burn hotter, longer, and the acreage is much more significant.”

What once would have been a fast moving, low-intensity ground fire, that singed trees and left scorched grasses to add nutrients to the soil, now utilizes the Diane Brossart dense vegetation to build mega fires that obliterate old growth trees and leave soil exposed and vulnerable to flooding.

“If we don’t get our forests more healthy, we will lose those beautiful old trees and put our water in jeopardy. We can’t afford to do nothing,” Marcus says, explaining that the problem stretches throughout the West.

“Look at California’s recent fires, the property damage, lives taken. If it were not for the rains we had in June and July, that same loss of life and property that Eric Marcus California is experiencing could have happened here in Arizona,” Marcus says.

Diane Brossart, president and CEO of Arizona Forward, suspects most Arizonans are unaware of the overall impact wildfires have on residents throughout the Grand Canyon State.

“It destroys our landscape, tarnishes our water supply and hits all of us in the pocketbook,” Brossart says. “Tourism suffers and our quality of life is diminished. It doesn’t matter where in the state you live, you’re impacted.”

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ARIZONA FORWARD

“We need to fix this now and we can. We have the resources. We have the technology. We simply have to exercise the will. The sooner we get started the safer we can make the state.

Vital water supply Arizona’s forests are critical to the water supply that supports millions of Arizonans, billions of dollars of agricultural production and our economic future, Brossart says.

Marcus agrees, “I don’t think that most of us in the state understand how critically important those forests really are.

For example, they provide a majority of drinking water to residents. There’s a 13,000 square-mile watershed around the Salt and Verde rivers that feeds six reservoirs and provides water to almost 2 million residents in the Valley.”

In a healthy forest, with a mix of amply spaced trees, grasses and wild flowers, the trees absorb greenhouse gases and melting snow fills the reservoirs.

If a major fire ignited in Arizona’s overgrown forests, beyond the loss of thousands of acres of trees, and tons of particulate matter spewed into the air, the land would be void of any ground cover designed to keep soil intact. Rains would sweep through the burned acreage, causing postfire floods. Sludge would carry ash, sediment and debris downstream, destroying natural habitat, contaminating water and lessening the storage capacity of the reservoirs.

Economic impact Replenishing the destroyed land, dredging the sludge from the reservoirs and purifying the water is time consuming and costly.

“You also have the costs of wildfires in terms of homes, businesses, lives. It’s the cost of suppression, it’s property losses, it’s damage to recreational resources, evacuation of residents, health related impact. It’s enormous and then there’s costs felt long after: loss of tax revenue, decreased property value, lost business revenue,” Marcus explains.

Northern Arizona draws tourists from around the world, contributing $2.5 billion to the state’s tourism industry. When the Slide Fire damaged 20,000 acres near a popular Sedona tourist attraction last year, visitors’ numbers dropped from more than 44,000 in June 2013 to about 2,700 in June 2014 and revenue plummeted from $8,000 a day to $200 a day. The Sedona Chamber of Commerce estimated the overall financial loss of that fire to exceed $100 million.

With three million acres in Northern Arizona at high 94

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Michelle Olson, APR President Fingerpaint fingerpaintmarketing.com Interest in environment: “I was a kid in the 1970s when the ‘crying Indian’ commercial was running, illustrating the pollution problem of the era.

That, coupled with long gas lines, protests in front of bulldozers and stories about acid rain — remember that? — awakened my sensitivities to man’s impact on the environment.”

Interest in Arizona Forward: “I moved to Phoenix in 1991 and worked for a PR firm with numerous land use-focused clients. It was clear our city was growing quickly and I wanted to be part of the dialogue to do it wisely. Arizona Forward was where businesses and government could meet and offer solutions for growth-oriented issues of the day.”

Issue to watch: “The sale of State Trust lands will have a huge impact. Potential development of several million acres, some in prime urban locations, will impact water, air and transportation, and the livability of our state.”

ARIZONA FORWARD risk for wildfire, the uncertainty also impacts businesses considering relocation.

“How do we attract businesses to Arizona when they are concerned if we are going to have a water supply or if they are concerned about if we are going to have catastrophic wildfires?” Marcus asks. “We need to fix this now and we can.

We have the resources. We have the technology. We simply have to exercise the will. The sooner we get started the safer we can make the state.”

Forest products industry returns Work has already begun with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, designed to restore and maintain more than 300,000 acres in the Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, Kaibab and Tonto forests by using a variety of methods that include thinning and prescribed burning.

“If we want to protect our old growth forests, we have to remove the fuel that is sitting around them,” Marcus says.

He says the forest product industry needs to return to Northern Arizona and reports that timber mills are emerging in Williams.

Advanced technology, like GPS satellite to locate specific smalldiameter trees, is streamlining the removal process.

“We can use private, commercial business to help us do that thinning to help mitigate the cost of forest thinning,” Marcus says, adding that businesses can take the problem of too many small trees and turn it into an opportunity. “Technology is coming around now to be able to make use of that material.

Arizona could be a leader in the biomass industry. We have the resources to do it.”

More to be done Brossart asks Arizonans to get involved. “Arizonans need to express their support for forest thinning and prescribed burning, reestablishing a forest products industry, adaptive management of treated forest lands and limiting fire borrowing so these projects can be fully funded.”

Fire borrowing is the process of shifting money designated for forest maintenance and restoration and using it for fire suppression. Without the availability of disaster relief funds and with the cost of suppression so much higher than maintenance and restoration, the operational budget is rapidly depleted, leaving little funding for restorative efforts. Forest fire fuel continues to grow, larger fires ensue, and the cycle continues.

“These catastrophic fires are getting worse every year,” Marcus says, “and we have the ability to prevent billions of dollars in damage by spending a few million dollars today.”

He explains that there are bills currently in the legislature to address this problem but no resolution has materialized.

“Don’t minimize calling your representatives,” he says, “That’s how things get changed.”

He says residents should also talk with city officials and state legislators.

“I would like to see the state of Arizona take a leadership role in moving forward for a solution that gets us healthy forests.”

“Only when we get the majority of the people who live in the state to appreciate the importance of this problem will we be able to move in the direction we need to so we don’t have these catastrophic fires,” Marcus says.

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David R. Skinner, PE Area Operations Manager HDR hdrinc.com Interest in environment: “Environmental issues are all around us and the choices we make every day deeply impact our environment, from how we commute to work to how we choose to recycle at home to packing out our trash from a weekend camping in the woods.”

Interest in Arizona Forward: “As a recent transplant from Washington State, I was told that I must become involved with Arizona Forward because of the organization’s broad depth of commitment to the environment and all the things in our state that impact it. Because of both my own and my company’s connection to the environment, it was an easy connection to make with AZF.” Issue to watch: “The biggest impact to Arizona’s economy and the environment will be a well thought-out balanced investment in multi-modal transportation infrastructure. Transportation solutions that reduce environmental impacts yet expand Arizona’s economic growth like light-rail will allow us to grow while being good stewards of the environment.”

Congratulations to

The New Arizona Prize will unveil its second challenge early next year.

Visit www.newarizonaprize.org for details on registering a team.

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WORLD

CHAMPIONS Arizona Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards spotlight those projects, plans and processes that make our state a healthier place

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t’s refreshing in this day of constantly evolving technology that a re-imagined, centuries-old mode of transportation has grabbed the spotlight.

The Sun Link Tucson Streetcar — the first “made in America” streetcar in nearly 60 years — earned the coveted President’s Award at Arizona Forward’s Environmental Excellence Awards, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2015.

Arizona Forward and SRP presented 17 first-place Crescordia awards and 31 Awards of Merit.

Jurists selected the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar for top honors because the iconic project is vital to improving the look and feel of downtown Tucson, while providing a much-needed boost to the community’s infrastructure.

The $196 million endeavor is the largest and most complex construction project the city of Tucson has ever undertaken. The construction of the streetcar generated more than 500 jobs and triggered six new housing projects along the corridor. Boasting about 4,000 riders per day, this innovative project is fostering and connecting a healthy, vibrant community in southern Arizona.

In addition to Sun Link Tucson Streetcar, Crescordia winners for 2015 include: Governor’s Award Arizona’s Future:

Team Arizona Colorado River Shortage and Drought Preparedness. Submitted by City of Phoenix/CAWCD/ ADWR Partnership.

Awards of Merit: Central Arizona Conservation Alliance, submitted by Desert Botanical Garden; NAU Solar Thermal Air Heating, submitted by Northern Arizona University.

Buildings and Structures — Civic:

Mariposa Land Port of Entry. Submitted by Jones Studio.

Awards of Merit: El Mirage Fire Station and Administration, submitted by LEA Architects, LLC; City of Maricopa City Hall, submitted by Gensler.

Buildings and Structures — Historic Preservation: The University of Arizona Old Main

Restoration. Submitted by Sundt Construction, Inc. Awards of Merit: The Newton, submitted by John Douglas Architects; Silver King Marketplace/Padilla Park, submitted by EPG. Buildings and Structures — Commercial and Institutional: Museum of

Northern Arizona Easton Collection Center. Submitted

by Kinney Construction Services, Inc. (KCS).

Awards of Merit: Arizona State University Downtown - Sun Devil Fitness Complex, submitted by Gabor Lorant Architects, Inc.; The Village at Prescott College, submitted by Weddle Gilmore black rock studio.

Buildings and Structures — Industrial and Public Works: Regional Optimization

Master Plan, Submitted by Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department.

Awards of Merit: Clarkdale’s Broadway Water Reclamation Facility, submitted by Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona; Cornell Cookson Industrial Door Manufacturing and Offices, submitted

by Jones Studio.

Healthy Communities — Sustainable Communities: Downtown Tolleson

Redevelopment Project: Paseo de Luces. Submitted by J2 Engineering and Environmental Design.

Awards of Merit: Stepping Stone Place, submitted by Chasse Building Team; Mountain Park Health Center, submitted by SmithGroupJJR. AB | November - December 2015

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Healthy Communities — Multimodal Transportation & Connectivity: Sun Link Tucson

Streetcar. Submitted by Engineering and Environmental Consultants.

Awards of Merit: Hardy and University Drives Streetscape Projects, submitted by City of Tempe; GRID Bike Share, submitted

by City of Phoenix.

Healthy Communities — Public Policy and Plans: Low-Impact Development Toolkit. Submitted by City

Arizona Trail Association’s Gift to Arizona. Submitted by Arizona Trail Association Awards of Merit: Echo Canyon Recreation Area Trailhead Improvements, Ssubmitted by EPG; Riverview Park, submitted by City of Mesa Art in Public Places: Phoenix Sky Harbor Terminal Three

Phoenix Planning and Development Department; Northern Arizona Forest Fund, submitted by National Forest Foundation.

Sky Train Station Platform and Bridge. Submitted by City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.

Awards of Merit: Shade for Transit Series, submitted by City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture; Pinnacle Peak Water Reservoir Public Art Project, submitted by City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.

Healthy Communities — Sustainable Workplaces: Honeywell Arizona Aerospace - Being the

Environmental Education/Communication — Public and Private Sectors: City of Peoria Sustainable

of Mesa.

Awards of Merit: ReinventPHX, submitted by City of

Difference!, submitted by Honeywell.

Awards of Merit: Risk Recycling, submitted by Maricopa County Risk Management; Workplace Wellness Nurtures Work Well Done, submitted by U-Haul International.

Energy and Technology Innovation: Solar Thermal Hot Air Technology. Submitted by Northern Arizona University.

Awards of Merit: IO Modular Deployment, submitted by IO; InfinitPipe®, submitted by QuakeWrap, Inc. Site Development — Public Sector: Arizona State University, College Avenue. Submitted by SmithGroupJJR. Awards of Merit: Phoenix Tennis Center, submitted by Hoskin Ryan Consultants, Inc.; GateWay Community College Integrated Education Building, submitted by SmithGroupJJR. Site Development — Private Sector: Valley Partnership Community Project. Submitted by Arizona Foundation for the Handicapped Award of Merit: Airport I-10, submitted by Wespac Construction Inc. Site Development — Parks and Trails: The 102

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U. Submitted by City of Peoria.

Awards of Merit: 7th Avenue @ Melrose Curve Recycling Awareness, submitted by City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture; Avondale - I Heart Environment, submitted by City of Avondale.

Environmental Education/Communication —

Educators, Students, and Nonprofit Organizations: Bachelor of Architecture Sustainability Pedagogy. Submitted by University of Arizona School of Architecture.

Awards of Merit: Mrs. Green’s World, submitted by Mrs. Green’s World; Water RAPIDS (Research and Planning Innovations in Dryland Systems) Program, submitted by Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona.

SRP Award for Environmental Stewardship:

Arizona State University Facilities Management Grounds/ Recycling. Submitted by Arizona State University.

President’s Award (Best of Show): Sun Link Tucson Streetcar. Submitted by Engineering and Environmental Consultants.

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BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ALL OF US.

Together, we can keep Arizona beautiful. SRP is proud to work with its customers on programs that help reforest land destroyed by fire, support solar for local nonprofits and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. After all, taking care of Arizona takes all of us. That’s why SRP demonstrates environmental leadership by using a diverse mix of wind, solar, and other sustainable resources. To learn what SRP is doing and how you can be a part of it, visit srpnet.com/environment.