Fort Lowell was a supply base for the United States Army “Apache Campaigns” between 1873 and 1891. Following abandonment of the fort in 1891, settlers moved in and used some fort buildings as residences, or stripped the buildings of useful materials. By the 1930s, much of the fort had fallen into disrepair or had been sold off. Eventually, the City of Tucson acquired a large portion of the old fort which became what is today’s “Fort Lowell Park.” A 5.2 acre (“Adkins”) parcel of the former fort containing several original adobe buildings was still in private ownership, and the 2004 County bond election passed a proposal to acquire the land and preserve the historic resources.

The Drug Endangered Children Program has continued to address effectively the needs of children found within meth lab environments and to prosecute those responsible for their suffering. Funding provided by the Governor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families along with assistance from collaborative partners have allowed the Attorney General’s Office to complete key accomplishments.

This report provides information relative to reports of child abuse and neglect, investigations, shelter and receiving home services, foster homes, length of care, and adoptions. We continue to work diligently to improve the quality of services for children and their families. Compiling this report provides us another opportunity to review our work and consider new ways to improve.

The best setting for abused or neglected children who are removed from their homes is a family-based setting, such as with a relative or in licensed foster care. Because it is not family-based, congregate care, such as emergency shelters, group homes, and residential treatment centers, is the least preferred placement option. However, the number of Arizona children and the length of time they are in congregate care has increased and as a result, the costs for this placement type nearly doubled between fiscal years 2009 and 2013. Contributing to the increase in congregate care use is an inadequate supply of foster care homes; various state practices, including some related to permanency goals and activities; and inadequate access to behavioral health services. Although the Arizona Department of Child Safety has taken some steps to reduce the use of congregate care, it should consider other states’ experiences to identify multiple strategies for reducing its use.

This five-year update of Arizona’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) is in accordance with the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, which was enacted in 1964 to encourage the provision of greater recreation opportunities for American citizens. Arizona receives annual congressional appropriations administered through the Arizona State Parks Board to fund state and local government sponsored outdoor recreation projects.

This update of Arizona’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan is in accordance with the provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, which was enacted in 1964 to encourage the provision of greater recreation opportunities for American citizens. Arizona receives annual congressional appropriations from LWCF, administered through the Arizona State Parks Board to fund state and local government sponsored outdoor recreation projects.

Crushed stone is the product resulting from the artificial crushing of rocks, boulders, or large cobblestones, substantially all faces of which have resulted from the crushing operation. BLM generally considers crushed stone sources a saleable mineral, which must be purchased from BLM. Some producers focusing on the Phoenix metropolitan area have searched for ways to avoid purchasing these minerals, thus avoiding payments to the BLM. One of the more common ways is to claim that the mineral material is “locatable” instead of saleable.

Arizona must commit to making child abuse prevention an integral part of our child welfare system and community action. To make this a reality, we must link effective public and private programs to form a true prevention network. This plan shines a light on how - together - we can assure more of our children are
safe and healthy, and their parents get help early, before the damage is done.