Friends of the Verde River is proud to announce that we recently awarded 33 River Friendly Living Grants, providing a record-breaking $96,000 in funding to support water conservation and habitat improvement projects for River Friendly Homes and Businesses. These homes and businesses have committed to voluntary river conservation through the River Friendly Living program. Grants […]
Author: David Gressly. Originally published in the JournalAZ After six months as Executive Director, I have learned how unique the Friends of the Verde River is among riparian oriented organizations. Very few organizations have been able to demonstrate the same level of substantive “boots on the ground” work joined together with a significant community outreach […]
by Nancy L. C. Steele When George Crawford opened his hard-cover edition of The Emerald Mile by Keven Fedarko, I heard gasps of surprise in the room. Eleven of us had gathered for a book club-style talk about The Emerald Mile, a story of the fastest boat ride down the length of the Colorado River […]
ESRI, the leading GIS software provider in the world, provides users with desktop software, online platforms, customizable applications and more. Last week ESRI put on the 39th Annual User Conference (UC) at the San Diego Convention Center from July 8-12. The UC brought together GIS users from across the globe to learn more about how to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Last week, our vegetation monitoring crew, in partnership with the National Forest Service, was able to hike into Fossil Creek and take the first step in treating the Himalayan Blackberry infestation near the spring source. The blackberry is very invasive and reduces native plant populations. The crew was sent to cut the blackberry as a […]
JAMIE NIELSEN December 12, 2017 New conservation challenges, new take on restoration The Verde River continues to flow through the valley today, over land and underground, supporting agriculture, wildlife, forests and economies. It winds through Arizona’s transition zone between desert and plateau, making this one of the most biologically diverse areas in the American Southwest. […]
JAMIE NIELSEN December 12, 2017 The Verde River: Heart and soul of the Verde Valley A ribbon of cottonwood, willow and sycamore trees delineate the river and its tributaries, winding through the semi-arid landscape of the Verde Valley. Ash, walnut, soapberry, hackberry, alder and many other trees flourish here too. Bright yellow-gold cottonwood leaves and […]
