Water tank to be named for late Yuma sportsman
The Southwest Wildlife Foundation, with permission from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, will name a water tank in the desert after longtime Yuma sportsman Roger “Buck” Appleby on Saturday.
Appleby, who died recently, will be the first person to be honored by having a water tank named after him in Arizona. The rest are known simply by their numerical code.
Water tanks are set up throughout the desert to trap rainwater running along washes and down mountainsides. The tanks then give wildlife a source of fresh water throughout the dry season.
Appleby was a longtime outdoor sports fixture in Yuma and enjoyed sharing his love of hunting and fishing with others. He taught Arizona Hunter Education classes as a volunteer for the Arizona Game and Fish Commission course for more than two decades.
He was also a participating member of the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club (YVRGC).
“Buck has been teaching hunter education to children for 22 years and was working on teaching the second generation of families,” said Joe Ruttle, YVRGC publicity chairman.
“He has been a very active member and has always been all about the kids.”
The dedication ceremony, held from noon to 3 p.m., will be at water hole No. 544 in Unit 41. The hole will be renamed Buck Tank in honor of Appleby’s support and efforts toward wilderness conservation.
According to YVRGC, Appleby was a longtime member and supporter of everything that the club participated in, including the its dedication to providing habitat improvements for wildlife in the desert Southwest.
Appleby, 65, died suddenly Jan. 10 at his home after a struggle with injuries from a motorcycle accident on June 20, 2009.
His injuries included three broken neck vertebrae — which were removed and replaced with cadaver bones — two broken vertebrae in the vicinity of his shoulders and five broken vertebrae in his lower back.
A bone fragment from a broken vertebrae was pushed against his spinal cord, which bruised it, causing Appleby to be paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Even though he was paralyzed and his doctor’s told him he would probably never walk again, Appleby did his best to prove them wrong.
“I’m bound and determined to walk again,” Appleby told the Yuma Sun in November 2009.
To get to the dedication ceremony, take Interstate 8 eastbound to the Dateland exit and head north to Hyder Road bearing east. At the east end of White Wing Ranch, cross the railroad tracks heading north.
Tank No. 544 is approximately 25 miles north of the railroad tracks. YVRGC directional signs have been put up along the entire route.
The club recommends attendees use a high-profile 4X4 truck or SUV to get to the site as it is in the desert with no paved roads and shifting soft sands.
Event organizers recommend attendees bring their own lunch and beverages, as this will be a no-host event.
According to the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club, Buck loved teaching youngsters of all ages to hunt and enjoy the great outdoors. In honor of his service, the club asks attendees to do something in his memory while participating in today’s event.
For more information, call Doug Beach, club president, at 446-1122.
