Heber (YAN 5)

159.16 acre parcel in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

The 159.16 acre Heber Parcel (Map) is a Forest Service “inholding” (surrounded on all four sides by Forest service land) located 3 miles south of State Route 260 between Heber and Pinedale Arizona. It is surrounded by the 2.76 million acre Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Situated in Navajo County, it is in Arizona’s high country immediately above the Mogollon Rim, with spectacular views in all directions.

The Heber Parcel is located just north of and within walking distance of the Mogollon Rim, a massive 2,000-foot escarpment extending over 200 miles across central Arizona.

There are no structures on the Heber Parcel and no evidence that any ever existed. Access is by dirt road and requires high-clearance vehicles. Any potential development would be off-the-grid or require self-sustaining infrastructure/hauling. For many landowners, this is a benefit and not a deterrent.

The Heber Parcel is located in Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) Game Management Unit (GMU) 3C. Wildlife is abundant on the property, and the parcel is considered prime elk hunting habitat. The area includes black bear, elk, javelina, Merriam’s turkey, mountain lion, mule deer, white-tailed deer, band-tailed pigeon, dove, tree squirrel, and quail.

Although the Heber Parcel was burned by the expansive Rodeo-Chedeski Wildfire in 2002, the parcel’s recovery in the last 20 years has been exceptional in the native grasses, Oak, Manzanita, and Ponderosa Pine trees, which have returned and are thriving on the parcel.

In the absence of the protections provided by the proposed land exchange, an inholding like the Heber Parcel, surrounded by federal land, could easily become a private compound or be subdivided into numerous lots. It could also be used for commercial purposes such as a corporate retreat, glamping operation, a training compound, or dude-ranch. Off-the-grid properties in remote areas offer extreme privacy and numerous opportunities for development/use. Unfortunately, when developed by private users, Forest Service in-holdings create numerous management challenges for the Forest Service, including fire and private access issues.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation acquired the Heber Parcel because of its natural beauty and wildlife and because it is a “private island” within the National Forest. Rather than develop or sell this Parcel, the Nation wishes to exchange this parcel with the Forest Service and contribute to the public benefits of the National Forest under its “multiple-use” policy. .

Making the Heber Parcel a part of the National Forest will protect wildlife habitat, wilderness and aesthetic values, and provide enhanced recreational values and public access to the Forest. It will also reduce burdens on the National Forest to manage its lands. Exchanging this parcel into ownership by the people of the United States is consistent with the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest Management Plan.

Note: The County Assessor or various maps may show a different acreage. However, the acreage in this discussion is taken from the Forest Service data.