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Jaden Redhair, a Navajo designer and engineering student at Stanford University, has partnered with Nalgene Outdoor to design a water bottle that supports the Nalgene Water Fund in its efforts to combat the water crisis on the Navajo Nation. The water bottle can be purchased here, and $5 from each purchase will go directly to the Navajo Nation.

We talked with Redhair about his partnership with Nalgene and the importance of bringing awareness to the water crisis that many tribal communities across the nation are facing.

How did this partnership come about?
I did some graphic design work in 2018 for a nonprofit here on the Navajo Nation called Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment program (COPE). I made some posters for them that they hung up around the Navajo Nation that encouraged drinking water. Recently, Nalgene reached out to COPE because they are one of the organizations that helps the Navajo Nation with water disparity. They asked them if they knew of any designers who were Navajo who could work on this. Their first suggestion was me — just because I have done work with them before. From there, Nalgene reached out to me, and that’s how they came to find me.

How did you come up with the design for the bottle, and what does it mean?
When I first started creating the bottle, I actually had three different designs that all had different aspects. I ended up combining them for the final. One design had the outline of the Navajo Nation, which is on the bottle now. The other design was just an illustration of Monument Valley in the background. I decided to use Monument Valley just because it’s one of the more notable monuments on the Navajo Nation, and they asked me to make the design a little more recognizable for people and help them contextualize where geographically they can place the people who are facing these problems. The third design incorporated a Navajo basket. From there, I decided to combine all three. I put Monument Valley inside the shape of the Navajo Nation and also put the Navajo basket inside, just to connect it more to the Navajo people.

Proceeds from the bottle help people on the Navajo Nation with water access. Why is this cause so important?
I think this cause is really important because I see a lot of people on the Navajo Nation, especially in rural areas, that struggle with getting water. Oftentimes you have people who get trucks with huge water barrels that they haul around and drive half an hour to an hour to get water for their homes. They use the water for cooking, drinking and for their livestock. Some of my grandparents live in Sanders, Arizona, and I know they have to haul water to the livestock. I think it’s really important because it creates more access points, so people don’t have to travel as far.

How did you get interested in graphic design?
My dad is actually the graphic design teacher at the high school I attended in Window Rock. I took that class for three years. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. Even at Stanford, I’m one of the graphic designers for the football team. It’s something I enjoy doing, and it’s a way for me to get out of engineering and get away from the numbers all the time. It’s a good outlet for me to express my creative ideas.

How did your upbringing on the Navajo Nation inspire your art and the creation of this bottle?
I think growing up here has shown me what it really means to come from the reservation. In a way, I wasn’t [only] creating this bottle for Navajo people to use. I was creating this bottle for other people to help contribute to the Navajo Nation. I had to look at it through that lens, which was a little difficult at first, just because I’m used to creating designs that Navajo people see all the time. Now it was the opposite, because I was marketing to people outside the reservation. My upbringing has helped me contextualize what I should and shouldn’t design.

What do you hope people will get out of either purchasing the bottle or just seeing it and gaining awareness about the topic?
I hope what comes out of it is understanding that, across the United States, it’s not just the Navajo Nation that struggles with these issues. Other communities and reservations face issues similar to this. Being at Stanford, I’ve realized that a lot of people who grew up in big cities aren’t really aware of problems like that. When I would speak to them about the problems we face on the Navajo Nation — like people who don’t have running water or electricity — they were amazed. It’s a good way for people outside of the reservations to recognize that these types of problems do exist, not just across the world, but right here in the United States.

How do you hope to use your electrical engineering degree to give back to your community?
I think renewable energy is very important, especially for the Navajo Nation, because there are places that don’t have access to electricity. I think it would be a really good idea to have some things powered by renewable energy. It’s important for us to help push our goals to be focused more on renewable energy because it’s a clean way to provide energy to people who need it.

— Ameema Ahmed, Associate Editor

With COVID-19 concerns on the rise, many people are practicing social distancing and self-quarantine methods. We know it can be hard to stay indoors and away from your normal activities, but there still many things you can do to keep yourself and your family active during this time. Here are 10 options you can try in the coming days.

1. Take a hike.
Public lands are still open for people to enjoy. If you want to get some exercise and enjoy a free dose of nature, take a hike at one of our many parks and hiking areas across the state. As long as you are keeping a safe 6-foot difference between yourself and others, outdoor activities are still acceptable. Check the status of national parks before heading out.

2. Check out the wildflowers.
Wildflower season is upon us, and areas such as Picacho Peak and Bartlett Lake are already blooming. Photographing and enjoying the beauty of these areas will be a welcome break from staying indoors. Once again, follow CDC guidelines while out in public.

3. Enjoy a family bike ride.
While the kids are home from school, make time for them to get some physical exercise during the day. A bike ride around your neighborhood is also an acceptable activity that will get you out of the house without endangering your health or that of others.

4. Work on a puzzle.
There are plenty of things to do indoors including working on a puzzle. Whether it's one you have had for a while or a new one that you want to try, puzzles are a great way to keep your brain engaged. Plus, they can be done solo or as a family activity. We recommend our Retro Map Puzzle.

5. Take a virtual museum tour.
Many museums around the world are offering free virtual tours. This is a great way to check out a place you have never been, as well as a fun learning opportunity for kids. 

6. Try a home workout plan.
With many gyms closed for health reasons, people are having to change their workout regimen. The good news is many apps, like One Peloton, are offering free home workout plans and trial memberships. Gyms are also providing free access to training programs and livestreamed workouts.

7. Have a family game night.
A good old-fashioned family game night may be just the answer for getting everyone away from the screens. Board games are making a comeback, and now is the perfect time to engage in some friendly competition and discover (or rediscover) your favorite game.

8. Catch up on yard work.
You've been meaning to clean up those weeds and mow the lawn, but just haven't had the time. Well, now you do. You can get the whole family in on it and distribute the work while getting some much-needed Vitamin D. 

9. Listen to a new podcast.
You may not have your normal commute to work, but you probably have some extra time to listen to your favorite podcast. If you're not into podcasts yet, this is a great time to try them out. Stitcher and Apple offer a variety of podcasts that can appeal to many interests.

10. Write that thing you've been meaning to write.
You know what we're talking about. You always say you'll write a novel or a poem or simply start a journal. Now is the time to do it. Use this time to brainstorm and let your creativity flow.

— Ameema Ahmed, Associate Editor

Michael Hankins is a Lake Havasu City resident who's fascinated with rattlesnakes. With his new Outskirts Press book, Arizona Rattlesnake Tales, he's betting other people are, too. The book is a compilation of hundreds of newspaper articles detailing frontier Arizonans' encounters with the dreaded "rattler," stories Hankins gathered over many years of research. Via email, Hankins spoke with Arizona Highways about the book, his background and his soft spot for one of Arizona's best-known reptiles. (This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)

Tell us about your background and how you ended up in Arizona.
My first trip to Arizona was in 1957. We were headed to Victorville, California, on Route 66 to my father’s new job assignment at George Air Force Base. Somewhere near Holbrook, Dad wheeled into a gas station to fuel up. This was in June, and our car had no air conditioning. The vehicle was gloss black, which greatly amplified the inside temperature.

A curious owner of this garage peered into the back seat, noticing my brother and me motionless. Dad and Mom believed we were simply sleeping. This gentleman warned my parents that if they didn’t get us cooled down, "them boys will not survive!” Jim and I spent the rest of our journey hovered over a block of ice placed inside a pan on the floorboard of Dad’s Mercury.

Part of my reason for coming back to Arizona had to do with my love of Western movies. I’d read that much of that filming took place in Old Tucson. We visited the town, finding it to be most interesting. Even the kids, who were quite young at the time, enjoyed going there.

Residing in Alaska for 45 years gave us many opportunities to fly down. My wife, Joleen, and two children, Gunnar and Miranda, spent almost every winter vacationing in Phoenix and Lake Havasu City. Joleen and I loved the state so much that we decided to move here upon retirement. We’ve been in Lake Havasu City close to 10 years now.

How did you get interested in snakes, and rattlesnakes in particular?
My first encounter with rattlesnakes was in, of all places, Selma, Alabama. A family of rattlers claimed a tree in the middle of our school playground as their home. The Southside School custodian promptly took care of them. An encounter with a water moccasin also occurred in this state. I was wading in Soapstone Creek near Selma when adults began yelling at me from shore to get out of the water. Spotting what I thought was a stick headed my direction, I was snatched out of the creek just in time by some quick-thinking individual.

The sole fascination with rattlesnakes came at an early age after seeing them in movies, or reading about their dangerous demeanor in Western magazines. Rattlesnakes seemed to always make an unwelcome appearance in both entities. There was something about the unmistakable sound of a rattler that placed me on edge while sitting in a theater seat or on the couch.

You've collected hundreds of newspaper clippings about rattlesnake encounters.
I’ve been a big connoisseur of Old West articles for over 50 years: True West, Frontier Times, Golden West, Real West and, of course, Arizona Highways. Some kids spent their lunch money on comic books, while I used mine to purchase cowboy-related periodicals. Almost every Western story had some hair-raising-tale regarding a killer rattlesnake. As I became older, I wanted to separate fact from fiction. Beginning in the 1980s, a search began for actual accounts of people bitten by rattlers.

It was slow going at first. I had to painstakingly search through microfiche at Arizona libraries while we were on vacation. In rare cases, vintage newspapers were available to look at. Research was hard to do as my wife and kids had more important things on their agenda, like hitting the swimming pool or shopping. Of course, there was no internet back in the '80s. When the computer finally came along, eBay was born. I was able purchase a few old Arizona newspapers with snake stories, along with several vintage rattlesnake photos from that website.

Eventually, colleges and libraries began to scan and place old newspapers online. My collection of clippings began to expand after that. While visiting the Mohave County Museum of History and Art, a gentleman there showed me a couple of pay sites where I could search for rattlesnake specifics. That’s when I hit the jackpot. At last count, I’ve accumulated over 500 articles dating from 1866 to present.

How did the concept for this book come about?
The idea came to me in a most unusual way, as I’d never contemplated doing a book. The process began by sharing my material on Facebook. I was attempting to make a few female friends squirm. There’s something about snake and spider stories that causes people to shudder. All in all, though, friends and family found the tales more interesting than scary.

Joleen and Miranda prodded me into placing the information into book form. I was initially hesitant after hearing horror stories about publishing and publishers. I’d been an automotive mechanic most of my life, knowing absolutely nothing about book composition. I did write several historical articles for magazines and newspapers, yet it was strictly a hobby. A lengthy rattlesnake book project did not sound like fun! After checking with a copyright attorney, I was informed I could legally only use material that was dated prior to 1924. At that point, I considered my project dead in the water.

Having in my possession less than 200 articles composed before 1924, I assumed it wasn’t enough for a book. I went ahead and sent this material off to a publisher, figuring they’d think the same. Turns out, there was sufficient data to work with. My publishing agent enhanced most of the scanned images and reconfigured them as well. A good portion were blurred or hard to read. Printing presses in the 1800s and early 1900s caused ink to easily smear or smudge. We elected not to retype the stories, wanting readers to experience the crudeness of early publications. Although some of the stories are still out of focus, overall, it was the right direction to take.

What was the most surprising or unusual thing you found during your research?
Easily the most unusual abnormality I found during my research was that savvy freelance writers sometimes sold their material to newspapers long after an incident happened. I uncovered the same stories in different newspapers years after they'd first been reported. The most extreme case was a rattlesnake story repeated some 10 years down the road, with no mention that it was old news. Not only did I find this common practice with rattlesnake tales, but it was true with other attention-getting stories as well. I suppose when times were lean, hungry reporters had to do whatever it took to eke out a living.

How long did the research and writing process take?
My research of rattlesnakes ran over a span of 40 years. The last 10 years presented me with the most material. A couple of weeks were needed to write the foreword and conclusion, including compiling all usable data and sending it off. Much thanks goes to Outskirts Press on knowing how to professionally manage those obscure scans and photos and make them presentable. That portion of the project took two months. Looking back on things, it was actually a painless procedure.

Where can people get the book?
Folks can purchase Arizona Rattlesnake Tales online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, eBay and Outskirts Press. The Mohave County Museum of History and Art has copies for sale in their gift shop. I’m hoping other shops do the same. I was told by a longtime park ranger that besides being asked about the Grand Canyon, rattlesnake inquiries from tourists are at the top of their "most questioned" list.

What should people know about encountering a rattlesnake in the wild?
I’m a conservationist at heart. Unlike early pioneers did, rattlesnakes do not need to be needlessly slaughtered just because they’re in the way. In most cases, they’ll only strike or lunge out half the length of their body. They won’t leap or jump on you from long distances, like mountain lions. Hollywood can be thanked for placing that misnomer into people’s minds.

If you should come across a rattlesnake, do all that’s humanly possible to back away or wisely skirt around it from a safe distance. Generally speaking, in most Arizona towns and cities, there are professionals who will remove and safely relocate rattlesnakes without killing them. If by chance you are bitten, immediately seek medical attention!

The Phoenix Herpetological Society in Scottsdale is renowned for taking in reptiles of all types, both wild and domesticated. I totally support the work they do do in helping these fragile creatures survive. A trip to view their facility is well worth the time. Ten percent from the sale of Arizona Rattlesnake Tales goes to help that organization.

— Noah Austin, Managing Editor

Arizona Highways continued its run of success in International Regional Magazine Association competition, taking home 17 awards, including two golds, at the group's annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week.

This year's awards covered magazines published in 2018; the total of 17 awards is the same number the magazine won in IRMA competition last year.

The two golds went to longtime contributor Annette McGivney, in the Nature & Environment Feature category, for In Search of Ancient Agaves (February 2018); and to Managing Editor Noah Austin, in the Historic Feature category, for A Totally Different Ballgame (March 2018).

Among those winning silver awards were contributors Tyler Williams (General Feature, A Walk in the Park, September 2018), Matt Jaffe (Travel Feature, The Ultimate Arizona Road Trip, July 2018; Profile, Barry Goldwater, December 2018), Jacques Barbey (Photo Series, A Totally Different Ballgame) and Bev Pettit (Portrait Photo, Keeping It Real, August 2018), along with Editor Robert Stieve (Head and Deck, He Can Take Care of Himself Just Fine, September 2018) and Creative Director Barbara Glynn Denney (Art Direction, Single Story, Arizona Ghost Towns, October 2018).

Leading the bronze award winners were Senior Editor Kelly Vaughn (Magazine Writer of the Year) and contributor Joel Hazelton (Magazine Photographer of the Year).

"It is a true honor to be recognized for the outstanding work our team does each and every day," Arizona Highways Publisher Kelly Mero said. "To be recognized among peer publications speaks volumes to the high standards of breathtaking photography and editorial excellence we continue to strive for and deliver on."

IRMA was founded in 1960. Its purpose is to support and promote regional magazines in the United States and elsewhere. Arizona Highways has hosted the conference four times, most recently in 2012. Next year's conference will be in Ottawa, Canada.

The full list of 2018 Arizona Highways IRMA award winners:

Gold Awards
Historic Feature: Noah Austin, A Totally Different Ballgame (March)
Nature & Environment Feature: Annette McGivney, In Search of Ancient Agaves (February)

Silver Awards
Travel Feature: Matt Jaffe, The Ultimate Arizona Road Trip (July)
General Feature: Tyler Williams, A Walk in the Park (September)
Profile: Matt Jaffe, Barry Goldwater (December)
Head and Deck: Robert Stieve, He Can Take Care of Himself Just Fine (September)
Photo Series: Jacques Barbey, A Totally Different Ballgame (March)
Portrait Photo: Bev Pettit, Keeping It Real (August)
Art Direction, Single Story: Barbara Glynn Denney, Arizona Ghost Towns (October)

Bronze Awards
Column: Robert Stieve, Editor's Letter
Magazine Writer of the Year: Kelly Vaughn
Single Photo: John Blaustein, A River So Long (May)
Portrait Series: David Zickl, First Chair (November)
Photographer of the Year: Joel Hazelton
Cover: February 2018

Awards of Merit
Art & Culture Feature: Annette McGivney, Indigenous Arizona (November)
Special Focus: Remembering Photographer Jerry D. Jacka (April)