SEPTEMBER 2023 VIP

CLUB NEWS

COMMUNITY NEWS: DID YOU KNOW? September 2023 Interesting facts about Flagstaff, Forest Highlands and the Community

By William Godfrey Forest Highlands Club Historian

Source: www.flagstaff.az.gov/4042/International-Dark-Sky

• Forest Highlands Golf Club has hosted more USGA National Championships (four) than any other Club or golf course in Arizona: the US Junior Boys, in 1996; US Men’s Mid-Amateur, 2006; US Girls’ Junior 2014 and the US Women’s Mid-Amateur, 2019. • The City of Flagstaff, in 2001, was designated an International Dark Sky City. It was the first community in the world to receive this award. The City enacted the world’s first outdoor lighting ordinance 65 years ago to protect the night sky from light pollution. In order to maintain the designation, zoning codes and evolving standards must be maintained by the community. Other cities and counties that have received the award: Borrego Springs, CA; Torrey, UT, Halifax County, VA, Emmet County, MI and Albuquerque, NM. • Coconino County is the 2nd largest county by area (18,861 square miles) in the contiguous United States behind San Bernardino County (20,150 sq. mi.) California. Coconino County is also larger than nine of the smallest states in the U.S. (source, Wikipedia) • Ever wonder about those teepee-like log structures along Highway 89A, the Canyon and Meadow courses? They are called, ‘Slash Piles.’ The FHGC Fire Department and the US Forest Service create them by cutting down smaller trees in the forest as a thinning strategy. They are stacked in this manner in order to be burned efficiently during the winter months or rainy season. • The Forest Highlands Foundation (FHF) is a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt charitable organization. Founded in 1999, the FHF will celebrate 25 years in 2024. The Foundation has granted over $6 million to the Flagstaff community since its inception. Additionally, it is the only Foundation among the private golf communities in northern Arizona.

William Godfrey is an author, biographer and Forest Highlands Club Historian. He and his wife, Wendy Huck Godfrey, became Members in May 2021. He can be reached at 602-750-1468 or willgodd@gmail.com.

SLASH PILES