Vekol Valley BLM Fence Removal Project
January 18, 2020
Project Location: We will be working on BLM lands approximately 4 miles south of Interstate 8, at the Vekol Valley Exit at Mile Marker 144, 25 miles west/southwest of Casa Grande, AZ.
Project Begins: Saturday, January 18th. Please meet at camp not later than 8:00AM. This is a one-day project. Due to the road conditions we will be carpooling to the worksite in 4X4’s only. If you arrive after 8:00 AM you may be unable to drive individually to the worksite. While as of this printing we don’t know the exact work activity to occur on Friday we will have work to be accomplished for those that arrive by 1PM.
Project Activity: We will be removing 2-3 miles of 4-strand fence.
Sonoran Pronghorn Benefits: This effort is located on the eastern boundary of historic endangered Sonoran Pronghorn habitat and near a proposed future release site. The BLM has a long-term plan of removing up to 54 miles of un-needed livestock fence in this zone to make it more attractive to Sonoran Pronghorn. This marks our 2nd of multiple fence removal projects planned in this zone. Last year we removed 4 miles of fence.
What to Bring: Work gloves (The AAF will have a limited supply), snacks, water, personal gear.
Meals: Please provide your own lunch to eat in the field on Saturday. AAF will provide field water on the project day and dinner for all volunteers on Friday and Saturday nights and continental breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
WEATHER CAUTION/WARNING; If you are planning on attending and have RSVP’d through our online website please check your email on Thursday January 16th for a possible cancellation notice due to rainfall/weather. We will be unable to access the project work sites due to the multiple washes we must cross if we receive significant rainfall prior to or during the project weekend. If you don’t have email please call at the cell number given below.
Directions to Camp:
AAF project/camp site will be on BLM lands, 2 miles south of Interstate 8 at the Vekol Valley Exit Mile Marker #144. Access to the camp site is on a maintained road. The 2-mile drive to the campsite and campsite itself are trailer friendly.
From Gila Bend: Drive 25 miles east on Interstate-8 and exit south at the Vekol Valley Exit MP #144. Drive 2 miles south to the campsite located on the west side of the road.
From Casa Grande : South of Casa Grande on Interstate-10 take the Interstate-8 intersection west toward Yuma. Drive 34 miles west on Interstate 8 and exit south at the Vekol Valley Exit MP #144. Drive 2 miles south to the campsite located on the west side of the road.
Please RSVP by January 13th so we can plan to have enough food and tools.
Download the Map Here
Download the Flyer Here
