USFS blocks bank access1 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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A light snow falls near Cave Springs Campground on Saturday, Dec. 15. Signs and temporary fencing are currently in place to keep anyone from wandering out onto the unstable bank.
Jeff Bear/Larson Newspapers

Cave Springs Campground near the headwaters of Oak Creek in Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most picturesque camp grounds in the Coconino National Forest.

A river bank adjacent to the campground, however, is being undercut by Oak Creek, causing a potential hazard to campers, anglers and hikers.

The rocky bank, which runs parallel to the road that enters the campground, has been a popular hangout for anglers in particular, but that bank has become unstable enough it can no longer be fished from and is badly in need of stabilization.

The U.S. Forest Service is very much aware of the problem and has listed it on its Schedule of Proposed Actions for the Coconino National Forest. Amina Sena of the USFS said the project has been discussed for a very long time.

“It’s been on the radar of the Red Rock Ranger District to address for close to a decade now,” Sena said.  “We’re trying to address the problem from a safety standpoint as well as a stream function standpoint.”

Signage and temporary fencing are currently in place to keep anyone from wandering onto the bank that Sena said does have the potential to collapse, although, to date, no one has been injured at the site.

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“We’re just trying to be preventive and fix this before anyone gets injured,” Sena said.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Dec. 19, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.