Rogers Lake County Natural Area Management Plan

Overview


The Rogers Lake County Natural Area Management Plan was approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 1, 2014.

This Management Plan was developed to guide Coconino County Parks & Recreation (CCPR) in its management of Rogers Lake County Natural Area for a ten-year period. The Plan summarizes the unique values for which the Natural Area was acquired, establishes a Vision, Goals, Objectives, and Strategies for long-term management of the property, and identifies future policy needs.
Person Holding a Frog
From early in the acquisition process, CCPR and the Rogers Lake Stakeholders Group (RLSG) have worked to define management goals for maintaining and enhancing the Natural Area while providing for public enjoyment of its Natural, Cultural, Recreational, and Educational Resources.

These partnership efforts have been crucial for acquisition and management to date, and will be central in future planning, project implementation, stewardship, and addressing concerns that may arise.

This Management Plan is not prescriptive, but rather provides a framework within which CCPR and the Stakeholders will continue development of specific management actions for the next ten years.

This Management Plan was developed by CCPR and the Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD) under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies supporting cooperative management of Rogers Lake County Natural Area.

Goals, Objectives, and Strategies


The Goals, Objectives, and Strategies set forth in this plan were developed cooperatively with the RLSG, beginning in 2009 with the first Stakeholders' meeting. Subsequently, goals were expanded and refined, reflecting improved understanding of the Natural Area and the opportunities it provides for public enjoyment, scientific research, and other uses.

Conservation Values of Rogers Lake


  • Wildlife diversity and vegetation communities characteristic of an ephemeral wetland;
  • Important habitat for bald eagles, waterfowl, and wading birds; potential habitat for Mexican spotted owl, Navajo mountain vole, Northern leopard frog, and other sensitive species; critical migration corridor for pronghorn, mule deer, turkey, elk, and black bear;
  • Valuable prehistoric sites and scatter areas dating back 5,000 years in addition to old railroad beds and log structures from Flagstaff's sheep herding and logging era; and
  • Striking vistas of the iconic San Francisco Peaks as well as Woody Mountain.