The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host an open house in Flagstaff on Saturday, April 15 to provide information and receive input from the public on the proposed Willard Springs site for the new Northern Arizona Regional Shooting Facility. The open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northern Arizona University du Bois Center, Fremont Room, 306 E. Pine Knoll Drive.

The department has been spearheading a public planning process to provide a safe, modern regional shooting facility near Flagstaff to meet the needs of recreational shooters and law enforcement agencies. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission in February gave approval to the department to pursue the Willard Springs site, north of Munds Park and west of I-17, as the preferred location. The department will continue to work with the Coconino National Forest and the public on site evaluation.

"Flagstaff is the largest city in Arizona without a public shooting facility," says Joe Melton, chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. "Recreational shooters and law enforcement personnel either have to travel to other cities that have shooting ranges, or use makeshift areas such as cinder pits and hillsides."

Two additional community information meetings will be held in northern Arizona to discuss the proposed site and provide information about shooting ranges in general, including the day-to-day functions, typical programs and types of activities offered. Those meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 25 at the Pinewood Country Club, 395 Pinewood Blvd. in Munds Park, and from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 27 at Don Hoel's Cabins, Canyon Room, 9440 N. Highway 89A (10 miles north of Sedona).

For more information on the Northern Arizona Regional Shooting Facility, visit nazrsf.com.