Natural Restorations

In May, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 376 square feet of graffiti from the outside walls of the old Cottonwood Camp water tank at Four Peaks OHV Area on the Tonto National Forest. Check photos from the project, including before & afters. ⁠
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Thank you to everyone at Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) for awarding us with a grant to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas on the & Arizona State Trust Land. In total for this project, we removed 16,204 pounds (8.10 tons) of trash, 674 square feet of graffiti, & 7 tires. ⁠
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You can view our entire Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative 2026 Project by clicking the link below. ⁠Thank you to Tim Estenson from Estenson Racing for writing a letter of support on our behalf! ⁠
http://www.naturalrestorations.org/yamaha-oai-2026
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Thank you to the military veterans on our Dedicated Restoration Team for all of their hard work! Thank you, Justin Ballard, Ryan Morin, & Garett Cline.⁠
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We proudly use an EcoBlaster pressure washer & products from World's Best Graffiti Removers!⁠
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Thank you to everyone at the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest for their support of this project & our mission! ⁠
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We will continue sharing graffiti removal projects as we celebrate removing over 50,000 square feet of graffiti! ⁠Check out some of our previous posts to learn more. ⁠
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We would like to thank everyone at Beer Barn AZ for raising & donating $700 during their Father's Day Raffle! We are grateful for their continued support of our restoration projects across Arizona! ⁠Thank you to everyone who visited Beer Barn & participated in the raffle!⁠
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Donations like this help us continue working on restoration projects when we are in between grants or when we receive partial grant funding & need additional funds to complete a project.⁠
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Beer Barn AZ also supports our fundraising efforts! They recently donated a prize pack valued at $178, including $100 gift card to Beer Barn, to the raffle at our 9/27 Cowboy Cookout & Fundraiser at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch. ⁠
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Beer Barn officially became a Sponsor of Natural Restorations in 2024, but they have been raising funds in support of our mission since they opened in 2022. ⁠
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Thank you to everyone at Beer Barn AZ for your support of our mission and Arizona’s outdoor spaces!⁠ ⁠
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On Tuesday, August 4th, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed this abandoned RV that was falling apart on the Tonto National Forest at Pink Mailbox. Our dumpster weight from this project is 3,440 pounds (1.72 tons). ⁠Our team took it down to the frame so that our friends from Tonto Recreation Alliance can pull the frame. ⁠
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Check out a few photos from the project, including before & after photos. ⁠
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Thank you to everyone from the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest for making this project possible, we are grateful for their support!⁠
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⁠Thank you to the military veterans on our Dedicated Restoration Team for all of their hard work! Thank you, Justin Ballard, Ryan Morin, & Garett Cline.⁠
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This project was also possible due to support from our Sponsors:⁠ AZ 4Runner Outsiders, AC Infinity Inc., Arizona Plasma, Arizona Toy Pros, Arizona Wholesale Growers, Beer Barn AZ, Desert Monsters Tours, DuroBumps, ICON Vehicle Dynamics, Illuminated Funds Group, No Snow Stand Up Paddleboards, REI Cooperative Action Fund, Resolution Copper, Salt River Project, State 48 Overland, Stellar Adventures, Verderia, Victory 4X4, Visit Mesa, Wild West Off-Road Recovery, & Yamaha Outdoors.⁠⁠
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This spring, reached out to us through Instagram after coming across an abandoned camp full of trash in the Superstitions during a mountain bike trail ride through the area. He collected everything & hauled it to an old 4X4 road that is now closed off & reached out to us to see if we could help haul it out. Our team gathered a few wheel barrows & hiked 641 pounds of trash out to the main road where we could put it in our trailer to haul away. Thank you, , for gathering the trash & reaching out to us! ⁠
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Check out a few photos from the project. Thank you to everyone from the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest for making this project possible, we are grateful for their support!⁠
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Did you know you can report trash & graffiti locations to us? We have a brand new Location Reporting site designed by Tom Flanagan as his capstone project for the Master Naturalist program. ⁠
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You can visit our homepage, http://www.naturalrestorations.org, and click the Location Reporting button at the top right to go to the webpage Tom created for us. You can even check the status of your report & see after photos when we've completed the project. Thank you, Tom, for working with us to create such a useful tool for our restoration programs! ⁠
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This project was possible due to support from our Sponsors:⁠ AZ 4Runner Outsiders, AC Infinity, Arizona Plasma, Arizona Toy Pros, Arizona Wholesale Growers, Beer Barn AZ, Desert Monsters Tours, DuroBumps, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Illuminated Funds Group, No Snow Stand Up Paddleboards, REI Cooperative Action Fund, Resolution Copper, Salt River Project, State 48 Overland, Stellar Adventures, Verderia, Victory 4x4, Visit Mesa, Wild West Off-Road Recovery, & Yamaha Outdoors.⁠⁠
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This spring, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 196.23 pounds of trash, including 49.24 pounds of nails, from The Rolls OHV Area on the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest as part of a grant project from Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas on the Tonto National Forest & AZ State Trust Land. ⁠We will do a separate post on the nails we removed. ⁠
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Typically when you hit the trails at The Rolls, your destination is one of the Coves so that you can enjoy the beautiful views of Saguaro Lake. Instead, you are met with a sea of toilet paper, human waste, & trash. ⁠
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Where is the disconnect? There is so much education out there in a variety of formats educating people of all ages on how to respectfully enjoy nature, but how do we get people to actually do the right thing when no one is looking? How do we get people to do the right thing when they are intoxicated while in nature? ⁠
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This problem isn't just at the Coves, it's a problem across the state! It was so bad along the 300 Road a few years ago at Justin's birthday camp, he made a video called How to P**p in the Woods Like a Responsible Human, you can find it on our YouTube page, or the link below, along with other videos of our projects. ⁠Yes, he sounds annoyed in the video, but you would be too if you had been there to see the nasty state of the forest. ⁠
https://youtu.be/QBOtwP3eRBU?si=siIrEvQzD7c1lYU9
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Check out a few photos from the project. You can view our entire Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative 2026 Project by clicking the link below:
http://www.naturalrestorations.org/yamaha-oai-2026
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Thank you to everyone at Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) for awarding us with a grant to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas in Arizona. In total for this project, we removed 16,204 pounds (8.10 tons) of trash, 674 square feet of graffiti & 7 tires. ⁠We'll continue to share project photos. ⁠
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Thank you to everyone at the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest for their support of this project & our mission!⁠
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This spring, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 4,820 pounds (2.41 tons) of trash from Four Peaks, Mesquite Wash & Sugar Loaf OHV Areas on the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest as part of a grant project from Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas on the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest & AZ State Trust Land. ⁠
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Check out a few photos from the project, including before & afters; you can view our entire Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative 2026 Project by click the link below:
http://www.naturalrestorations.org/yamaha-oai-2026
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Thank you to everyone at Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) for awarding us with a grant to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas in Arizona. In total for this project, we removed 16,204 pounds (8.10 tons) of trash, 674 square feet of graffiti & 7 tires. ⁠We'll continue to share project photos.
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Thank you to everyone at the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest for their support of this project & our mission!⁠
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SAVE THE DATE! Mark your calendars for the evening of Sunday, September 27th for a Cowboy Cookout & Fundraiser in support of Natural Restorations at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch, Mesa AZ
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What’s a ranch without a Cowboy Cookout?! Your taste buds are bound to water with Chef’s choice appetizer. Then come fill your plate with Cowboy Steak Ribeye w/ Chimichurri, Roasted Chicken Legs, Cowboy Beans, Baked Potato w/ Fixins, Seasonal Roasted Veggie, Green Salad, and Homemade Rolls. Got a sweet tooth? We’ll have you covered with Chef’s choice of homemade dessert. To top it off, you'll be among incredible desert views, mountain cliffs, and live music! *Menu subject to change.*
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A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Natural Restorations, and we will be hosting a raffle at the cookout with $100+ value prizes from local businesses & groups to raise additional funds in support of our mission. We already have a Retrospec Weekender Plus 10’6” Inflatable Paddleboard (NIB, valued at $399) donated by Jason from River Rangers AZ for the raffle. Raffle tickets will be available for a donation at the cookout, raffle tickets will be drawn towards the end of the event, & prizes will be awarded (*must be present to win).
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Tickets sales will open through Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch, Mesa AZ in a few weeks; we’ll post an announcement when you can reserve your spot. Justin & I had the opportunity to attend a cookout at the ranch in April, and we were blown away by the delicious cuisine, incredible desert views, and genuine ranch hospitality. We hope you can join us in September!
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Cowboy Cookouts with Live Music
OUTDOOR EVENT
ADULT: $62 + tax
YOUTH (12 & under): $45 +tax
Any guests who book a stay at Saguaro Lake Ranch that includes 9/27 would automatically be included in the dinner.
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If you or your business would like to help sponsor the raffle by donating a prize valued at $100 or more, please reach out to us!
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Thank you to everyone at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch, Mesa AZ for their continued support of our mission! We are grateful for this opportunity!

Buying groceries & everyday essentials at Fry’s? Did you know you can support Natural Restorations at no cost to you just by shopping at Fry's Food Stores? It’s easy when you enroll in Fry’s Community Rewards Program!⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
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This program has had a significant impact on our 501c3 nonprofit organization, helping provide funds that have purchased supplies & equipment for volunteers & our team, water & snacks for volunteers, safety gear for graffiti removal projects, helped pay delivery fees for multiple shipments of saguaros for our replanting program, rented dumpsters for volunteer & team cleanup projects, & so much more since 2017!!! We are truly grateful to Fry's Food Stores & everyone who helps support our mission through this program! ⁠
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We received $395.85 from the program last quarter (3/1-5/31)! Thank you so much to the 195 Households that already support us every time they shop at Fry’s, we are grateful that you would select our nonprofit as your Community Rewards Organization. ⁠
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To get started, sign up with your Fry’s V.I.P Card, select Natural Restorations (NPO # WD141) as your Community Rewards Organization, and you’re all set. Once you’re enrolled, you’ll earn rewards for Natural Restorations at no cost to you every time you shop at Fry’s and use your V.I.P Card!*⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
Step 1: Go to http://www.frysfood.com/ or click the link in our profile to sign in or create an Online Fry’s Account. ⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
Step 2: Register for the Fry’s Community Rewards Program⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
* Under “Hi Valued Customer!” click “My Account”⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
* Under “Account Summary” (left side) scroll down “Community Rewards” and click ‘enroll’ or you can select ‘change organization’ if you are already enrolled⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
* Enter Natural Restorations or NPO # WD141⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
* Select box next to Natural Restorations and ‘save changes’⁣⠀⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
* If you have registered correctly, you should now see our information listed under ‘Community Rewards’ on your account summary page. ⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⁠
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Thank you for your support!⁣⁠
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In June, our Dedicated Restoration Team removed 252 square feet of graffiti from the Florence Boulders OHV Area on Arizona State Trust Land. Check out a few before & after photos from the project; you can view our entire Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative 2026 Project here: http://www.naturalrestorations.org/yamaha-oai-2026
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For this project graffiti removal project, we combined grant funds from Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) & REI Cooperative Action Fund. We are grateful to both organizations for supporting this project! ⁠
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Thank you to everyone at Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (Yamaha Outdoors) for awarding us with a grant to remove trash & graffiti from popular OHV Areas on the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest & Arizona State Trust Land. In total for this project, we removed 16,204 pounds (8.10 tons) of trash, 674 square feet of graffiti & 7 tires. ⁠
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Thank you to everyone from REI Cooperative Action Fund for awarding us with a graffiti removal grant! We will share more projects from this grant soon, stay tuned! ⁠
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We proudly use an EcoBlaster pressure washer & products from World's Best Graffiti Removers!⁠
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Thank you to Arizona State Land Department for their support of this project! ⁠
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We will continue sharing graffiti removal projects as we celebrate removing over 50,000 square feet of graffiti! ⁠
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