Educational Events a Great Perk for Friends of the Forest Volunteers

On a recent January morning, 11 volunteers with the Friends of the Forest Trail Ambassador Committee had the pleasure of joining leader Barry Mallis for an educational geology hike. This was one of numerous educational events the organization offers for its members to...

Friends of the Forest Volunteers Receive Recognitions

During Friends of the Forest’s Annual Meeting in November, milestones were shared and volunteers celebrated. Between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, FOF volunteers provided the U.S. Forest Service’s Red Rock Ranger District with a record 37,669 volunteer...

Volunteers Catalog Lichen Species in the National Forest

The Sedona area is full of rocks of varied kind and colors, as is evident on any given hike. But it is also full of certain composite organisms that are often on those rocks and yet may be completely overlooked. Have you noticed crust-like mats on sandstone or basalt...

Join Friends of the Forest

Friends of the Forest Sedona is one of the largest all-volunteer organizations in the nation that is dedicated to providing a volunteer workforce to the U.S. Forest Service. Our volunteers partner directly with the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National...

Protecting Your Home in Wildfire Country

Wildfire is a constant topic these days in the news and in our regional landscape. The Coconino National Forest has implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions, and just a few weeks ago the lightning strike-initiated Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon...

The Complexity of Our Public Lands

The term “public land” has become a hot-button political topic in recent months and has been a controversial topic since its inception. Without delving into the politics or discussing the pros and cons, let’s look at a brief history and the numerous designations of...

Hiking in the Heat — Be Prepared, Stay Safe

Although we still are in “spring” — a word triggering images of blooming bulbs and with other delightful connotations, it is quite a time of transition. Allergies abound, particularly from all the conifer pollen being blown around. And just before Easter, rain became...

Not Just Ancient History…

The Coconino National Forest’s Red Rock Ranger District is home to three well-known cultural Heritage sites, Palatki, Honanki, and Crane Petroglyph — visited by 65,000 people annually.  Although considered “prehistoric,” these sites and the area’s National monuments...