Our 2021 Totals
We have a lot to be grateful for and we'd like to take a moment to reflect on what we accomplished in 2021. This week, we will continue to share projects we completed in November & December, stay tuned!
2021 Totals
🔹107.52 tons of trash removed, that's 215,052 pounds of trash no longer littering Arizona's outdoor spaces!
🔹429 tires removed & recycled
🔹4,147 square feet of graffiti removed from rocks & boulders.
🔹17,011 trees, plants, & cacti replanted in burn scars
📌Our Dedicated Restoration Team completed 28 projects and removed 78.8 tons (157,600 pounds) of trash, 396 tires, & 4,147 square feet of graffiti. Our team also planted 16,486 trees, plants, & cacti.
📌We hosted 17 volunteer events across the state. Volunteers helped us remove 28.72 tons of trash & 33 tires! Volunteers also helped us plant more than 500 cacti!
📌Overall, Natural Restorations has removed 644.4 tons of trash! That's over 1.2 million pounds of trash!!! We have also removed & recycled 1,361 tires, removed 40,396 square feet of graffiti, planted 22,555 trees, plants & cacti, and we have provided 10,499 hours off contract work to Military Veterans on our Dedicated Restoration Team.
12/04/21 Hewitt Station Volunteer Event
Natural Restorations teamed up with Footprints Matter to Us again for the 13th Annual Environmental Stewardship Event with Footprints Matter to Us at Hewitt Station OHV Area in Queen Valley on Saturday, December 4th, 2021.
Volunteers helped us remove 11,440 pounds of trash, that’s 5.72 tons of trash no longer littering this area! We also removed and recycled 7 tires.
Click HERE to view the entire project.
Save Our Saguaros 11/07/21 Revegetation Event
On Sunday, November 7th, 2021 we teamed up with Four Peaks Brewing Co., the US Forest Service Tonto National Forest, the National Forest Foundation, Tonto Recreation Alliance, & Copperstate 4 Wheelers for a Save Our Saguaro’s Volunteer Event. Volunteers helped us plant over 300 native desert cacti, flowers, & grasses to revegetate the burn scar.
Click HERE to view the project.
AZ 4Runner Outsiders Becomes an Official Sponsor of Natural Restorations
We would like to welcome AZ 4Runner Outsiders as an official Sponsor of Natural Restorations! Thank you to everyone from the @az4runneroutsiders community for supporting of our mission!
Natural Restorations was selected as the beneficiary of the raffle proceeds at their annual celebration a few weeks ago. The @az4runneroutsidersAZ 4Runner Outsiders community raised $10,050 for our Restoration Programs!!!!! We are honored and grateful for their support!
Thank you so much for everyone's support of our restoration work, including our work in OHV areas and along all of the trials we love and enjoy across Arizona. It means the world to us to have so much support from the OHV community! AZ 4Runner Outsiders has created something truly wonderful; they are an all-inclusive group that welcomes those who are new to the trails and new to Arizona.
Thank you to Matt, Dylan, Brian, and everyone at AZ 4Runner Outsiders organizing such a wonderful celebration! A lot of time and hard work went into this event and it showed! It was a great event for everyone, included families with kids. We loved seeing so many cool rigs, cool people, amazing sponsors, great food & drinks, fun games, an amazing raffle, and a Toy Drive for St Vincent De Paul!
Thanks again for supporting our mission to keep Arizona's trails & outdoor spaces clean & open for everyone to enjoy!
In addition to everyone from AZ 4Runner Outsiders, we would also like to thank their featured sponsors for the event: Chemical Guys, DuroBumps, Westcott Designs, GP Walsh Designs, Infusion Coffee & Tea, Desert Armor, Diode Dynamics, Alpha FoxTrot Designs, Wander Off-Road, Victory 4X4, Midland USA, Berge Ford, DRT Fabrication, Four Cam Engineering, Matador Powder Coating in Queen Creek, Rhino USA, BDM Customs, MORRFlate, Vortex Auto Films, Metal Tech 4X4, and everyone else who helped support this wonderful celebration!
Thank you to everyone at Desert Rat Offroad for letting AZ 4Runner Outsiders present their donation check to us at the December Coffee & Crawlers event!
Four Peaks & Sugar Loaf Cleanup
On the 1st Saturday in November, we team up with our friends at Copperstate 4 Wheelers for the 12th annual Four Peaks Cleanup. This event also included a cleanup of Sugar Loaf OHV area, directly across the 87.
The Sugar Loaf OHV Area portion of the cleanup event was financed in part by a grant to Natural Restorations from the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Fund administered by Arizona State Parks & Trails.
177 volunteers, including 24 youth volunteers, helped us make a huge impact on Sugar Loaf & Four Peaks on the Tonto National Forest - Mesa Ranger District. Volunteers helped us remove 2,620 pounds of trash (1.31 tons) & 3 tires from the Sugar Loaf OHV Area and 9,640 pounds of trash (4.82 tons) of trash and 1 tire from Four Peaks for a total of 12,260 pounds of trash (6.13 tons) & 4 tires removed from Sugar Loaf & Four Peaks!
Check out the event HERE.
South Adair Trail Restoration Project ~ Part 2
Our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 7,660 pounds (3.83 tons) of trash and removed & recycled 22 tires from the South Adair Trail in Yuma. Click HERE to view the entire project, including before & after photos.
Between both projects, we removed 11,560 pounds of trash (5.78 tons).
Click HERE to view Part 1 of the Restoration Project.
South Adair Trail Restoration Project ~ Part 1
Our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 3,900 pounds (1.95 tons) of trash from the South Adair OHV Trail in Yuma. Click HERE to view the entire project, including before & after photos.
Bulldog Canyon at Hackamore Restoration Project
Our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 4,780 pounds (2.39 tons) of trash, 17 tires removed and recycled, and 124 square feet of graffiti removed from Bulldog Canyon at Hackamore on Bureau of Land Management public lands.
Click HERE to view the entire project, including before & after photos of trash and graffiti.
SRP Awards Natural Restorations with Operating Support Grant
We would like to thank everyone at Salt River Project for awarding Natural Restorations with a corporate contribution of operating support for the fifth year in a row! We are extremely proud to continue our partnership with @srpconnect! ⠀ ⠀⠀
As a community based, nonprofit public power utility, Salt River Project makes corporate contributions to nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services which meet the needs of their customers and enhance the quality of life we enjoy. They are steadfast in their commitment to partner with nonprofit organizations that provide meaningful and beneficial programs to their customers and community. ⠀⠀
Thank you, Salt River Project, for recognizing the value of the programs we provide! We are excited to continue our relationship and provide volunteer opportunities for SRP employees and their families.
Arizona Federal Credit Union Awards Grant to Natural Restorations
We would like to thank everyone at @arizonafederal for selecting Natural Restorations as one of the Fall 2021 recipients of Arizona Federal Credit Union's Local Artist, Local Causes grants! Thank you for supporting our mission and Replanting Program! ⠀
Arizona Federal is dedicated to making a difference in the communities they serve by supporting local nonprofits across Arizona. Through Local Artist, Local Causes Debit Card Giveback Program with Arizona Federal Credit Union’s Local Artist, Local Causes Visa® Debit Card, each time you make a purchase with the card, the credit union will make a donation to a community fund that helps support nonprofits throughout Arizona.
Since 2018 the credit union has donated more than $200,000 to community organizations through their debit card giveback programs.
Thank you to, Arizona Federal Credit Union, for recognizing the value of the programs we provide to benefit Arizona.
Annual National Public Lands Day Lower Salt River Cleanup
All of the photos from our annual National Public Lands Day Lower Salt River Cleanup on 09/25/21 are on our website. Click HERE to view the entire project.
International Coastal Cleanup & World Cleanup Day Event with OdySea Aquarium
Photo courtesy of FlashGordonMurray
All of the photos from our September 18, 2021 International Coastal Cleanup & World Cleanup Day Event with our friends at OdySea Aquarium are on our website. Click HERE to view the entire project.
NR Receive's Donation from The Sleepy Whale & Odell Brewing Co.
We would like to thank everyone at The Sleepy Whale and the team at Odell Brewing Co. for their support of Natural Restorations!
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For the month of April 2021, The Sleepy Whale donated proceeds of Odell Brewing Co.'s Sippin' Pretty draft pours to Natural Restorations and presented our nonprofit organization a check for $1,200! Thank you so much!!!
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Shout out to Chris Hubbard from The Sleepy Whale and Thomas Decaro from Odell Brewing for everything they did to make this possible!
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Thank you to everyone who purchased a draft pour of Odell's Sippin' Pretty in April 2021 at The Sleepy Whale in downtown Chandler!
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We also teamed up with The Sleepy Whale & Odell Brewing Co. this past April for an Earth Day Lower Salt River Cleanup. We removed 233.5 pounds of trash. Click HERE to check out the cleanup.
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Thanks again to everyone at The Sleepy Whale & Odell Brewing Co. for your continued support! We have a blast making a positive impact on the environment every time we get together with your teams!
National Trail Day Cleanup with Keep Our Desert Clean
On Saturday, June 5th, we teamed up our friends at Keep Our Desert Clean for a National Trails Day Cleanup. We hit the trails and removed trash from the trails around Munds Park and over to the trails on Forest Road 237 on the Coconino National Forest, near Flagstaff.
55 volunteers, including 13 youth volunteers, helped us remove 1,520 pounds of trash! We also removed and recycled 3 tires. You can view the entire project HERE.
Thank you to everyone at the Coconino National Forest Service for your support of this event! We would like to thank everyone at the Discount Tire off of Milton Road in Flagstaff for helping us recycle 1 regular tire. We would also like to thank everyone at Southern Tire Mart in Flagstaff for helping us recycle 2 semi tires.
Ashfork / Hells Canyon Spillway Restoration Project on the Kaibab
Our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 5,220 pounds (2.61 tons) of trash, 19 tires removed and recycled, and 266 square feet of graffiti removed from OHV areas on the Kaibab National Forest near Ashfork. We focused on the trails around Hells Canyon Spillway.
Click HERE to view the entire project, including before & after photos of trash and graffiti.
SWCA Environmental Consultants Donate 200 Seed Packs
We would like to thank our friends at SWCA Environmental Consultants for donating 200 Sonoran Desert Wildflower Blend seed packs to our Replanting Program!
The seed blend contains a variety of both perennial and annual species that are well adapted to the region and have been approved for use by the Biologist for the Tonto National Forest.
Thank you to everyone at SWCA for your continued support of Natural Restorations, from volunteering with us at cleanup events (check out our 04/23/21 Cleanup with SWCA HERE), donating funds to our Restoration Programs, and donating seeds to our Replanting Program, we are grateful for all of you!
U.S. Forest Service Awards for Natural Restorations
We would like to thank everyone at the U.S. Forest Service Southwestern Regional Office and everyone at the Tonto National Forest Service for recognizing our restoration work across the state and for sending us these gorgeous and thoughtful awards!
We received a 2019 Southwestern Regional Volunteer & Service Award and a 2019 Citizen Stewardship & Partnership Certificate of Appreciation for our restoration work on the Tonto National Forest. We also received a 2018 Citizen Stewardship & Partners Award for our work on Arizona National Forests.
We researched both of the artists and are in awe of their craftsmanship. We also love that the Forest Service worked really hard to support local artists and businesses in New Mexico where the Southwestern Regional Office is located.
Thanks again for recognizing the hard work of our Dedicated Restoration Team and volunteers!
Kelly Canyon / End of the World OHV Area Restoration Project
Our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 6,020 pounds (3.01 tons) of trash removed from Kelly Canyon and End of the World OHV Areas on the Coconino National Forest.
Click HERE to view the project photos, including before & afters.
1,257 Square Feet of Graffiti Removed from Mt. Elden
In June, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 1,257 square feet of graffiti painted on the rocks and boulders at Mt Elden in Flagstaff, Arizona. You can view the entire project HERE.
This project was made possible through a grant from UniSource Energy Services. We are grateful for their continued support of our programs and their desire to make this state a better place for everyone to enjoy! You can check out our 2019 Mt. Elden Graffiti Removal Project that UniSource Energy Services helped sponsor HERE.