Box Bar Seasonal Eagle Closure

PROHIBITIONS

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) the following is prohibited on the National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Cave Creek Ranger District, Tonto National Forest, described below and shown on the attached map incorporated into this Order as Exhibit A (the “Described Area”):

1. Going into or being upon the Described Area, which is closed for the protection of threatened, endangered, rare, unique, or vanishing species of plant, animals, birds, or fish. 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(a).

EXEMPTIONS

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order or a written determination by a Forest Service authorized officer that a permit is not required under 36 C.F.R. § 251.50(e)(1) or (2).
2. Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty.
3. Persons affiliated with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maricopa Audubon Society, or the Arizona Bald Eagle Nest Watch Program in the performance of their official duties.

DESCRIBED AREA

The Described Area is within Sections 29 and 30, Township 5 North, Range 7 East, Gila and Salt River Meridian, Maricopa County, Arizona. The Described Area consists of all NFS lands within the boundary starting at the closed gate on Motorized Trail (MT) U2354 at reference point 33° 44.665 N x -111° 39.663 W, then following MT-U2354 and MTU2348 northwest for approximately 0.55 miles to reference point 33°44.968' N x - 111°39.947' W, then following northwest for approximately 0.12 miles to an unnamed wash at reference point 33°45.021' N x -111°40.050' W, then following west along the south side of the unnamed wash for approximately 0.45 miles to the fence line just east of National Forest System Road (NFSR) 20 (also called Needlerock Road) at reference point 33°44.928' N x -111°40.414' W, then following south along the fence line for approximately 0.40 miles to the intersection of NFSR 2150, then following east along the fence line on the north side of NFSR 2150 approximately 0.35 miles to the junction of NFSR 2150, Box Bar Road, and NFSR U2354, then following east along the fence line

which parallels the north side of NFSR U2354 for approximately 0.35 miles to the Box Bar Recreation Site parking lot, then following generally north along the pipe rail fence that delineates the northern portion of the parking area back to the point of beginning at the closed gate, reference point 33° 44.665 N x -111° 39.663 W, as depicted in Exhibit A.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Order is to provide seasonal protection of nesting bald eagles during their critical reproductive period in high-intensity recreation areas.

IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Order shall be in effect from December 1, 2024, at 12 p.m. and will remain in effect seasonally each year from December 1 through June 30, until June 30, 2026, at 12 p.m., unless rescinded.
2. A map identifying the Described Area is attached and made part of this Order as Exhibit A. For a digital version of this Order and Exhibit A, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/tonto/alerts.
3. Unless otherwise expressly defined in this Order, the terms used in this Order are defined by the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299. If there are terms in this Order that are not expressly defined in the Order or 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299, their meaning shall be determined by their plain language definitions.
4. A violation of the above prohibitions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551; 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.
5. Contact the Cave Creek Ranger District in Scottsdale, Arizona, (480) 595-3300, and Tonto National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona, (602) 225-5200, for more information about this Order.
6. This Order supersedes any previous Orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same Described Area.