The southwestern willow flycatcher is a small perching bird that was federally listed as an endangered species in 1995. These birds breed in densely vegetated riparian areas mostly in Arizona, New Mexico and southern California. They migrate for the winter to the rainforests of Mexico, Central America and Northern South America. Parts of the Verde […]
Each year hundreds of birders descend on Dead Horse Ranch State Park for the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival. They come from all over the country to spend time along the Verde River, Mingus Mountain and the peaks of Flagstaff to see the magnificent birds that come through our area during the Spring migration. […]
In a new study on the economic impact of water related outdoor recreation released by Audubon Arizona this week, 545,000 Arizona residents participating in water related outdoor recreation in Yavapai and Coconino counties create an annual economic impact of $3 billion. Locally, the report found that 216,000 Arizona residents participate in outdoor recreation along water […]
“Fountain Grass!” Ben yells the name of the plant species we are hunting, and swiftly darts to the side of the river in his blue ducky. The rest of the crew, not far behind, scrambles to find a spot along the tiny bank, grasping onto willows overhanging the river. After some reorganizing, the cluster of […]
If you spend any time on the Verde River you quickly here the stories about the 1993 and 2004 floods. In 2004 at its high, the flow gauge in Camp Verde hit 50,000 cfs, cubic feet per second. The average flow for the gauge is about 150 cfs. But 1993 is the one year that […]
Our restoration crews come from Vets4Hire and AZ Conservation Corp. They are the boots on the ground people doing the habitat restoration projects focusing on the removal of invasive plant species. We just celebrated the end of our 2018-2019 season with a party for the crew at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. During this season […]
by Ben Kowalewski, Habitat Restoration Coordinator TheVerde Watershed Restoration Coalition(commonly referred to as VWRC – pronounced “vee-work”) is a collaborative effort uniting private landowners, organizations, and agencies with a common interest in the health of the Verde River Watershed. Together, VWRC Partners are working to control one of the biggest current threats to the Verde […]
Our Habitat Restoration Manager, Matt Wilson and Field Supervisor, Elaine Nichols attended the Riparian Restoration and Tamarisk Beetle Workshop presented by RiversEdge West in Yuma in late November. The workshop covered the Tamarisk leaf beetle and various aspects of a successful river restoration program. The tamarisk leaf beetle is a biological control that was introduced […]
by Ben Kowalewski, Habitat Restoration Coordinator Part One The morning started off like most others; wanting to stay in bed for five more minutes but knowing it was time to get up, coffee, getting dressed and leaving for work. Except today was not a typical day going to the office, I had a lot of […]
by Maxwell Wilson, PhD Western water law is one of the most complicated topics in academia. However, the law, both as it is today and how it could be tomorrow, constrains what we can do and provides opportunities for action. As such, a working knowledge of water law is a critical component in the Friends […]
