14 Jul marshall morgan – Rain in Arizona?

Hi everyone & greetings from the Flagstaff Area National Monuments!

The past couple of weeks of my internship have been quite interesting! I, unfortunately, started off the month of July feeling sick. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to go to the doctor, and the doctor believed it to be a combination of allergies and a common cold. As of the moment that I am writing this, I have already been feeling much better for a couple of days!
Additionally, these past couple of weeks, the Flagstaff Area has been impacted by the numerous forest fires that have been burning in the surrounding areas. While the fires did not reach the city of Flagstaff nor my monuments, the community and the monuments’ operations were impacted. One of the significant ways that the community was impacted was due to the US Forest Service deciding to close to Kaibab National Forest and the Coconino National Forest. As the city of Flagstaff is intertwined with these forests, many people who camp and live in the forests became temporarily displaced. Additionally, as my national monuments are intertwined with these forests, their closure resulted in the closing of several park trails and roads. While the monuments and community were impacted by the fires, other than risks with smoky air and ash falling from the sky, everyone was fairly safe and protected!

While my month started off a little hectic, it has substantially gotten better! One of the highlights of my past week is that the monsoon season finally started! Monsoon season is the time of year where Arizona gets heavy (and constant) rains that help prevent droughts and replenishes ecosystems. Unfortunately, these past couple of years, much of Arizona has not seen any monsoon storms. This has created unfortunate conditions for our natural ecosystems that have been challenged with dry and hot conditions.
With the monsoon season actually starting this year, every Arizonian is excited and happy to see the rain once again return to our desert ecosystem. Plus, an additional positive is that with the assistance of the heavy rains, many of the forest fires in neighboring areas have been controlled and/or extinguished.

July has been quite an interesting month thus far, and I can’t wait to see what the remainder of the month and the remainder of my time with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments entails.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and until next time!

And Don’t Forget To Explore Your National Parks!