Hello everyone!

Thanks to your amazing support, our petition is now nearly 1,500 signatures strong and growing every day! Each of you is helping to amplify our message, and it’s making a real difference.

🎉 I was fortunate to attend South Mountain’s 100th Birthday celebration and had the chance to speak directly with Councilpersons Robinson (D6) and Washington (D8), along with members of the Mayor's staff. They’re open to further dialogue about our trails and outdoor access, and they’ve expressed interest in hearing from all of you personally on this subject. Your voice is powerful, so please continue reaching out and make plans to attend the upcoming city meetings.

Our goal is not only to reverse course on blanket closures but to present viable, effective alternatives. Here are some short-term, near-term, and long-term options we’re proposing, based on valuable input from the community. These solutions take time, resources, and commitment but can ensure long-term success and accessibility:

Short-Term Solutions

Legislative Measures: Enact a "Stupid Hiker Law," similar to Arizona’s “Stupid Motorist Law” for flash floods. This would hold unprepared hikers accountable for rescue costs if they ignore heat advisories, promoting personal responsibility and reducing the burden on public resources.

Enhanced Visitor Safety Resources and Education

Comprehensive Trail Safety App: Develop a new app or expand the existing myPHX311 app, launched by the City of Phoenix, to integrate trail safety features. This expanded app could include weather advisories, route information, hydration reminders, preparation checklists, and optional location-sharing services. By building on myPHX311, which already allows residents to request services and report issues, the city could provide hikers with real-time safety information and emergency features, all within a familiar platform that’s already in residents’ hands.
Weather and Risk Notifications: Use app push notifications or text alerts to warn users of extreme heat or adverse conditions in real time, allowing for informed choices without enforcing closures.
Heat Safety Tips and Preparedness Resources: Include educational materials within the app or on digital displays at trailheads, covering best practices for hydration, sun protection, and heat acclimatization.
Better Signage: Add QR codes at trailheads and on all trail markers that point hikers in the correct direction, with maps, mileage, emergency contact information, and essential safety tips.
Increased Educational Outreach for Tourists: Conduct aggressive educational campaigns targeted at out-of-state visitors who may be unprepared for desert conditions. Using hotels, travel websites, and social media, we can reach tourists before they arrive at the trailhead, ensuring they understand the risks and are better prepared.
Increase Volunteers: Organize larger volunteer programs at high-use trailheads to welcome people, provide water, and offer cooling advice, similar to existing programs like the Superstition Search and Rescue Community Emergency Response Team and McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Stewardship Organization.

Hydration and Cooling Stations

Strategic Placement of Water Drops and Supplies: Install water drops and essential supplies along popular trails to provide hikers with water refills, cooling options, and basic first aid supplies.

Shaded Rest Stops: Place shaded areas along popular trails to reduce heat stress and provide breaks for visitors on hotter days.

Near-Term Solutions

Expansion of Phoenix Fire Department's Drone Program: Expand the drone program for rapid location of individuals in distress, especially during extreme heat. Drones equipped with thermal imaging and GPS could quickly scan trails and ensure emergency resources are used efficiently.

Dedicated Technical Rescue Team (TRT) at Fire Station #74: Add a specialized TRT team stationed at Fire Station #74 near South Mountain, focused on mountain and heat-related rescues to improve emergency response times.

Long-Term Solutions

Public-Private Partnerships: Partner with local tech companies and developers to create a first-class city parks and rec safety application, using proven technology from apps like Life360, Garmin, and Apple’s location services. This app would allow hikers to opt-in for real-time tracking to ensure accurate location data and improve emergency response times. Integrating with widely used platforms like Strava Beacon, Life360, and Garmin inReach would enhance functionality, providing real-time tracking, usage data collection, and optimized resource allocation.

TRT Training Facility at Fire Station #74: Establish a specialized training facility for mountain and technical rescues, setting Phoenix as a national leader in desert rescue operations. This facility could provide training for rescue professionals from across the U.S. and the world.

Trailhead Digital Displays: Install digital screens at every trailhead to show real-time conditions, advisories, current temperature, and estimated visitor counts. These displays would keep hikers informed, enhance safety, and allow for adaptive decision-making based on real-time data.

Data-Driven Decision Making and Future Planning

Real-Time Usage Data: Use data from apps and digital tracking to monitor trail use, track peak times, and optimize resource allocation. By gathering real-time usage data, the City of Phoenix can make informed, data-driven decisions to better manage trail resources, improve safety measures, and adapt to visitor patterns over time.

We know that these solutions require time, resources, and dedication, but with community support and continued dialogue, we can ensure that Phoenix’s trails remain safe, accessible, and resilient.

Let’s keep the momentum going! Every voice counts, so reach out, stay involved, and continue sharing your thoughts with city leaders. Together, we can protect access to our cherished trails for generations to come.

Thank you all for standing with us to #KeepTrailsOpen! 🌄

Warm and HOT regards,
AJ