BEST OF BUSINESS WINNERS p. 34
INSIDE THE MARCH 2021 ISSUE: Liz Archuleta Joins Biden Team p. 3
Amangiri Features Serene Luxury p. 8
Wee Sewing Shop Finds Fit in Downtown p. 4 Discovering Hidden Culinary Gems p. 6
IFL’s Wranglers Preparing to Play in PV p. 12 Community Profile: Meet Grand Canyon’s Chocolatier p. 17
Legendary Cattle Ranch Ushering in New Era in Renewables Wind turbines to co-exist with Babbitt Ranches cattle herd, wildlife conservation efforts and public recreation while golden eagle conservation area being planned By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
A
renewable energy project is being planned by NextEra Energy Resources on the expansive high desert rangeland of Babbitt Ranches and Arizona State Trust Land, about 30 miles north
of Flagstaff. The proposed Babbitt Ranch Energy Center is said to be an innovative project that combines wind energy, solar energy and battery energy storage – all in the same location – making more renewable energy available to customers for more hours of the day, even when the sun is not
shining and the wind is not blowing. The project will have a capacity of up to 161 megawatts of wind energy and 60 megawatts of solar energy, paired with a 60 megawatt, four-hour battery energy storage system. The Babbitt Ranch project is expected to create 250 jobs during construction.
Once operational, the project has the potential to create good-paying jobs and millions in additional revenue for the local community. “As Babbitt Ranches honors its 135th anniversary on April 7, we are celebrating a legacy of landContinued on page 38
Snowbowl Ski Paw-trol Ava the avalanche rescue dog is trained to find skiers under the snow By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
A Ava rides on Hagerty’s shoulders as she skis the slopes. Avalanche drills include games like hide and seek and tug-of-war. Photo by Bonnie Stevens
March 2021 | Issue 3 Volume 14
t 4 years old, Ava can be found bouncing through a heavy powder day, catching a lift on the Arizona Gondola or riding on the shoulders of her handler, Hailey Hagerty, as she skis the trails at Arizona Snowbowl. Her favorite activity is playing hide and seek in the woods. For her, that means finding a human scent buried in the snow and then digging until she finds what she’s looking for.
“We put people in really shallow snow caves underneath the snow for this exercise – it’s safe and there’s plenty of air,” said Hagerty. “She uses her sense of smell. And when she does find somebody, she keys in on that spot and then alerts the ski patrollers searching by digging down and barking. Once she gets to them, she tries to get them out of the snow with a tug-of-war toy. It’s the most exciting thing in the world for her. She gets super stoked when she finds somebody.”
Ava, an English Cream Golden Retriever, is Snowbowl’s first avalanche rescue dog. She was introduced to the mountain resort when Hagerty was an undergraduate student in public health at Northern Arizona University. “My capstone project was to start this Avalanche Rescue Dog Program up here.” As she developed her project, Hagerty pitched the idea to Snowbowl. Today, at age 26, Hagerty is an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) on Ski Patrol as well as a nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center. Ava, her dog and co-worker, Continued on page 43
CHECK OUT OUR NEW FBN PET NEWS SECTION, COVERING A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS ABOUT OUR FAVORITE FURRY FRIENDS ON PAGE 24
