01/28/23

14th Annual Hewitt Station cleanup wtih Footprints Matter to US

On Saturday, January 23, 2023, we teamed up with Footprints Matter To Us for the 14th annual Hewitt Station Environmental Stewardship Event. Thank you, Sue Schaffer from Footprints Matter to Us, for starting this cleanup 14 years ago! It was wonderful working with Sue for more than 6 years on this event and we are honored to continue the annual environmental stewardship event.

125 volunteers, including 19 youth volunteers helped us remove 13,460 pounds of trash & 9 tires! That’s 6.73 tons of trash no longer littering this beautiful area.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting this event year after year, we cannot thank you enough for your support!⁠

Thank you to Resolution Copper and their Social Investment Committee for awarding us with a grant to cover two dumpsters & the disposal fees, we are grateful for their continued support!

Thank you to everyone from the the U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest - Mesa and Globe Ranger Districts coming out to the event to help! Thank you to Forest Service Law Enforcement for being on site before dawn to enforce the target shooting closure and help us keep volunteers safe!

Thank you to Officers from Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Pinal County Citizens on Patrol Posse for continuing to provide support for this annual event!

Pinal County Citizens on Patrol Possee.jpeg

Thank you to everyone at Imery’s Perlite USA, Inc. in Superior and Dalmolin Excavating Inc. in Globe for supporting this event year after year! They teamed up to bring out a front-end loader and Frankie from Dalmolin was the operator during the event, helping us get trash back to the dumpsters.

Thank you to everyone at Empire Southwest LLC for continuing to support this annual event! They brought out a backhoe and Zane from Empire Cat helped us move trash back to the dumpsters.

After the cleanup, our friends at Red Bear Outfitters treated volunteers to grilled burgers on-site for our Volunteer Appreciation lunch & raffle. Thank you to everyone from Red Bear Outfitters for donating lunch & your time!⁠

Thank you to JJ Bowers, representing his Dad, Judd, & J. Bowers & Associates, for passing out water & hauling trash back to the dumpsters!

⁠We would also like to thank our Sponsors, they help us put our mission into action every day! Thank you to: AZ 4Runner Outsiders, Arizona Toy Pros, Battle Born Offroad, Desert Monsters Tours, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Illuminated Funds Group, Joyride Society, Nitro Gear & Axle, ON Semiconductor, Overland Expo Foundation, the Phoenix Suns, REI Co-op, RideNow Powersports, Salt River Project, State 48 Overland, Stellar Adventures, Tru Flask, Victory 4x4, and Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative.

Thanks to Burt Morin for helping with photos!

click picture for full-size image gallery

During lunch, our friends from AZ4Runner Outsiders presented us with a check for $12,500 that they raised for our Restoration Programs in December at their year-end event! We are honored & grateful for the support from the AZ4Runner Outsiders community!⁠