McMillan Mesa Signage Section 106 Consultation

N/A

The Heritage Preservation Officer concurred with the finding of "No Adverse Effect."

The City of Flagstaff Parks, Recreation, Open Space, & Events Program  applied for a grant with Arizona State Parks and Trails for designing, developing, and installing regulatory and educational signage within the McMillan Mesa Natural Area (MMNA). Project activities would occur within City of Flagstaff-owned lands. The project qualifies for federal funds and, as such, constitutes a federal undertaking subject to review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by ADOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 326 and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated December 20, 2023, and executed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and ADOT. 

Grant funds obtained through Arizona State Parks and Trails would be used for the following: 

• Designing, developing, and installing five kiosks at various entry point locations to provide information pertaining to trail statistics, rules and regulations, fire restrictions, safety information, public notices, and area maps 
• Designing, developing, and installing four interpretive signs at various locations along the trail system to provide educational content pertaining to the natural and cultural history of the area 
• Re-contouring the ground surface at each kiosk and sign location and re-seeding disturbed areas with native seeds and vegetation 

Ground disturbance would include digging post holes 2–3 feet deep and installing concrete to secure the posts. A total of 14 posts would be installed – two for each kiosk, and one for each interpretive sign. Access to each location would occur via foot traffic along the existing, in-use trail system. All work would be conducted using hand tools. No staging areas would be required for this project. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) is defined as the approximately 317.90-acre MMNA trail system corridor which consists of existing 4–5-ft-wide urban trails with a crushed gravel surface or concrete surface (to prevent erosion) and the sign/kiosk locations. 

The area was previously subjected to a Class III survey and four cultural resources were identified within the current project APE. In order to ensure the protection of all four sites, the City of Flagstaff Parks, Recreation, Open Space, & Events Program has confirmed that the proposed kiosks and signs would be placed a minimum of 50 feet away from site boundaries in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention to any of the four sites. Based upon the above information, ADOT has determined that the current undertaking would have "No Adverse Effect" upon historic properties.