13th annual Four Peaks Cleanup & 3rd annual save our saguaros replanting event with four peaks brewing co., the national forest foundation, Natural restoraitons & the u.s. Forest SErvice Tonto National Forest

On Saturday, November 5th, 2022, we partnered with Four Peaks Brewing Co., the National Forest Foundation, the US. Forest Service Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District for the 13th annual Four Peaks Cleanup and the 3rd annual Save Our Saguaros Replanting Event.

222 volunteers, including 46 youth volunteers, helped us make a huge impact at Four Peaks & the 2020 Bush Fire burn scar.

Volunteers helped us remove 8,120 pounds (4.06 tons) of trash & 3 tires. Volunteers also helped us replant a section of the 2020 Bush Fire burn scar with 127 native desert cacti, including 72 Saguaros, 46 Hedgehog, 5 Barrel, and 3 pincushion beehives.

Volunteers spread seed balls and assisted Friends of the Tonto National Forest by removing hundreds of bundles of invasive Buffel Grass, an important part of restoring a burn scar because it helps ensure native desert plants are not choked out by invasive species. ⁠Restoring a burn scar goes beyond putting cacti in the ground, we have to look at the big picture and take action to remove invasive plants and trash that can be fuel for fires.

We would like to recognize and thank the National Forest Foundation for donating funds that allowed us to increase the number of saguaros replanted at the event. Our Dedicated Restoration Team salvaged the remaining cacti from a private property in San Tan Valley.

Thank you to everyone at U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District for joining us and helping out wherever we needed it!

We also want to recognize and thank Tready Lightly! for donating the dumpsters,⁠ RideNow Powersports for donating a delicious lunch and an amazing raffle prize, Stellar Adventures for donating bathrooms, the Salvation Army for donating water & hand sanitizer, Quality Vans & Specialty Vehicles for donating ice, J. Bowers & Associates for helping with water and hauling trash back to the dumpsters, and American Way Smokehouse for making the delivery the lunch donated by RideNow Powesports. Thank you to everyone from Tonto Recreation Alliance for your help!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2020 BUSH FIRE

On June 13th, 2020 the 5th largest wildlife in Arizona history was sparked when an individual driving south on SR87 from Payson to Phoenix, noticed their car was overheating. They pulled off the highway to safely inspect the vehicle, but they parked on dry grass and the heat from their brakes sparked the fire.

Flames carried through 193,455 acres of the Tonto National Forest. It devastated multiple ecosystems in the Four Peaks Wilderness Area as the fire burned over the top of Four Peaks and back down towards Roosevelt Lake. Unfortunately, most of the fire occurred in the Sonoran Desert, an ecosystem not evolved or adapted to wildfires. With the impact to over 80,000 iconic saguaros and thousands of other native desert cacti, plants, and trees, we are dedicated to the long-term efforts to restore and revegetate the burn scar.

We would also like to thank the following organizations for their support of this event: American Way Smokehouse, AZ 4Runner Outsiders, Arizona Toy Pros, Battle Born Offroad, Desert Monsters Tours, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Illuminated Funds Group, J. Bowes & Associates, Joyride Society, Nitro Gear & Axle, ON Semiconductor, Overland Expo Foundation, Phoenix Suns, REI Co-op, Salt River Project, State 48 Overland, Tru Flask, Victory 4x4, Waymo, and Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative.

Thank you to Sergio & everyone at the Discount Tire in Queen Creek for helping us recycle 3 tires.

3rd annual SAVE OUR SAGUAROS~ RESTORING AN ICONIC LANDSCAPE

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Photos courtesy of Justin & Nicole Corey

WATERING CACTI IN THE DESERT

Watering cacti is not only valuable in providing initial water to reduce transplant shock, it also aids in compacting the soil around the freshly planted root network. This was accomplished by providing each newly planted cacti with several gallons of water, no easy task in the middle of the desert. We used the water trailer that we purchased earlier this year through a grant from the the National Forest Foundation.