Bindley, Pitcher, Michaels Interview – Podcast November 16, 2020

Preserving Wilderness From Inappropriate And Destructive Development. Democratic Perspective co-hosts, Steve, Klaus, and Hava welcome DeAnna Bindley and Charley Pitcher to discuss a California developer’s proposed AutoCamp at Bear Mountain in Sedona. The guests are part of the coalition Save Bear Mountain.

According Bindley and Pitcher, AutoCamp would offer Glamping (upscale camping) for tourists with 85 Airstream trailers, 10 huts and 5 tents located on 19 acres of pristine and sensitive lands more suited to become a World Heritage site. Pitcher describes the lot this way, “It fits completely flush, right against Bear Mountain. But the back side of the lot is Secret Mountain Wilderness. The east side of the lot is Secret Mountain Wilderness. The south and western sides of the lot are Coconino Forest lands.”

By the developer’s own estimates, the site would have 15-20,000 visitors per year with 150,000 vehicle roundtrips as opposed to the current 0-10 visitors per day. In addition to creating a serious fire threat, Autocamp would place great stress on county services and could lead to the destruction of a significant archeological site. As Pritchard notes, “The whole Bear Mountain area is sacred to every Native American tribe within 100 miles. And there is significant rock art all along the base of Bear Mountain.”

Later in the show, the guests are joined by Yavapai County Supervisor-elect Donna Michaels, the first Democrat and first Sedona resident to become county supervisor.

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