State's Non-Profit Sector Shows its 'Mighty' Power

BUDDY SYSTEM OUR STAND: JOIN A 'FRIENDS' GROUP TO HELP PROTECT OUR NATIONAL MONUMENTS

We all need friends.

And so do Arizona 's newest national monuments.

These five magnificent places, proclaimed monuments by President Clinton, are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

They contain fragile archaeological sites, sensitive wildlife habit and striking natural formations. BLM resources need a boost to provide the protection and education that the monuments deserve.

Now, the first formal "friends" group is going into action. The Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument had its inaugural meeting this month.

The group will raise funds and recruit volunteers to support the Agua Fria, 71,100 acres that straddle Interstate 17 north of Phoenix . While the BLM has a liaison on the board of directors, the organization is independent of the bureau.

Among the first projects will be helping the BLM get baseline data about exactly what's on the ground at the Agua Fria . The monument has at least 450 prehistoric sites, and some have never been surveyed. The BLM lacks information on small mammals, which are supposed to be protected under the monument designation.

The friends group will work with a zoology professor at Arizona State University to collect antelope droppings for a nutritional analysis.

A critical job will be finding ways to protect the traces of Native American settlements, which the group expects to do in conjunction with the state's volunteer site-steward program.

The Friends of the Agua Fria can be a model for similar groups to help other monuments. It has laid the groundwork on some of the technical and legal steps, such as writing bylaws.

The BLM helped the process by obtaining funding for assistance from the Center for Nonprofit Management at ASU.

Agua Fria National Monument is a wonderful asset for education and enjoyment, with stark mesas and dramatic canyons, right on the doorstep of our huge urban area.

You can protect an! d enhance its value by joining Friends of the Agua Fria , volunteering and making donations.

Information: (623) 939-0566 or aguafriafriends@yahoo.com.

Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, whose Editorial Board consists of Sue Clark-Johnson, Patricia Biggs, Phil Boas, Ward Bushee, Richard de Uriarte, Jennifer Dokes, Joanna Hensley, Cindy Hernandez, Kathleen Ingley, Doug MacEachern, Joel Nilsson, Dan Nowicki, Robert Robb, Paul Schatt, Linda Valdez, Ken Western, and Steve Benson.

CAPTION: Hikers explore a riparian habitat in the Agua Fria National Monument

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