INSIDE THE JUNE 2022 ISSUE: CCC Wins Vote of Approval p. 3 Rosie’s Story Inspires Special Care Nursery Support p. 4 Two Men and a Truck Move into Flagstaff p. 6
Kari Rauch Coaxes Metal, Stones into Art p. 10 Camp Verde Vineyard Bottling Reds and Whites p. 12 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt is Grand Marshal p. 14
Astronauts are Back, Training in the Dark Flagstaff’s lunar legacy continues with preparations for upcoming Moon missions
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By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
pace-suited astronauts are training again on Babbitt Ranches, preparing for the manned Artemis mission scheduled to explore the lunar South Pole in
2025. The goal is to find ice, which may enable future explorers to set up a space station on the Moon and serve as a launching pad into deeper space. “Because of where Artemis and VIPER [a planetary rover set for launch
next year] are landing, the angle of the sun is really, really low. Craters may contain ice that never sees the sun. The astronauts are going to have to work in dark regions, so they have been conducting nighttime tests on Babbitt Ranches using a portable sun – a large spotlight-type device – to learn how they can operate safely on the Moon,” said USGS Astrogeology
Science Center research geologist Jim Skinner, who works with NASA’s Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS). Babbitt Ranches’ dark skies and rugged Moon-like landscape have been critical elements for astronaut training and space equipment testing for decades, dating back to the USGS Continued on page 42
Last of the Large Loggers Leaves Flagstaff Ribelin Logging parks its loaders for good By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Tim and Ken Ribelin work in the sort yard as Ribelin Logging closes down. Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography.
June 2022 | Issue 6 Volume 15
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hen forest restoration giant Wally Covington drives by the Ribelin Logging Co. sort yard on East Huntington in Flagstaff and sees the equipment up for sale, it makes him sad. “They are very good operators in the forest and had a huge impact on the community.” With decades of experience, millions of dollars invested in logging equip-
ment and a deep love for the forest, Ribelin Logging Co. President Ken Ribelin says the family-owned and operated business – a thriving logging company that at one time employed almost 70 people and could run 50 to 60 truckloads of timber a day – is closing. “We really cared about what we did,” he said. “We hope our legacy is about bringing the image of the logging industry up. We always prided ourselves on what we did. We thinned a lot of acres, kept a lot of fire restrictions down and supplied a lot of jobs. Others looked up to us in what was Continued on page 37
Good Business Requires Good People.
Flagstaff businesses can receive 50% off
Check Out the New FBN Local Employment Opportunities Section on page 25 Sponsored by Flagstaffcitycareers.com
