Due to COVID-19, some of our events may change. Staying home? Please consider supporting us in lieu of attending events.

Friends of the Verde River is proud to present the following events.

Join volunteers from the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival to clean up a section of Mingus Avenue. The section of road in question is a beautiful riparian area that provides habitat to many bird species.

All supplies including bags, grabbers, and safety vests are provided.

Date and Time: There are several opportunities to join in a highway cleanup.

• November 12, 2022 – meet at 8 am
• January 14, 2023 – meet at 8:30 am
• March 1, 2023 – meet at 7 am

Event Location: Cottonwood, AZ. Meet at the dirt lot on the north side of Mingus Ave close to 18th street.

More Information: Contact Debbie LaFrance (928-202-9426) for more information.

Join your Friends of the Verde River for Fiesta de la Garza on December 7 from 5:00-8:00 pm at the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse in Old Town!

This benefit brings together all different types of Verde River system lovers, including you! Every year at Fiesta de la Garza we honor those who have supported our mission throughout the last year.

Fiesta de la Garza is our largest in-person fundraiser of the year. Don’t miss the opportunity to support the important work Friends does while celebrating our beautiful + hard working river.

Date and Time: December 7, 2022

More Information: Contact Melanie Miles for more information.

Stay tuned for Season 3, airing Fall 2022! Hear stories, conversations, and more from river experts, biologists, community leaders, and Friends! This series encourages you to “Listen to the Verde” as seen through the eyes of our neighbors and friends. Tune in monthly on Verde Valley TV, or watch on YouTube. New episodes air monthly from late Fall through Apring.

Event Location: Online – watch now! 

More Information: Sign up for Listening to the Verde by clicking here.

The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival, described as “the friendliest birding festival,” is an annual celebration of birds, birders, and nature in the beautiful Verde Valley. This festival brings together experienced and amateur birders alike to enjoy unique workshops, exciting field trips led by experts, and inclusive events.

Date and Time: April 27 – 30, 2023

More Information: Learn about the festival on our website.

Join birding enthusiasts and nature lovers between the lagoons at Dead Horse Ranch State Park for a free day of family fun in nature. Activities and exhibits for the whole family to enjoy!

This event is presented alongside the Verde Valley Community BioBlitz. The BioBlitz encourages community members from all backgrounds to become Community Scientists by recording their observations in nature then submitting them through the iNaturalist app. Learn more about the BioBlitz.

Date and Time: April 29, 2023

More Information: Details TBA, but visit our birding festival site for more information when available.

Join Friends of the Verde River, Science Vortex, and our partners for the third annual Verde Valley BioBlitz, upcoming in April 2023! A BioBlitz is a community effort where volunteers find and identify as many living species as they can during a designated window of time.  Whether you are a regular user of the iNaturalist app, or you’ve never heard of it, you can participate in the BioBlitz as long as you have a smartphone or tablet. Your observations will help our efforts to document native and invasive plants along the river.

Date and Time: April-May 2023, exact dates TBA

Event Location: Throughout the Verde Watershed. Click here for suggested sites!

More Information: Visit our site for more details.

Join Friends of the Verde River at our 4th annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Enjoy an evening of entertainment and connect with others as we screen films that feature the people, places, wildlife, and initiatives making a splash in modern conservation today. We’ll curate a film lineup that relates deeply to our mission here on the Verde, but takes place against a global backdrop. Watch and learn about the threats and challenges, as well as the triumphs and joys, of habitat restoration, river conservation, environmental protection, and more.

Date and Time: Upcoming in 2023!

Join our friends at Page Springs Cellars for a celebration of local nonprofits, music, and libations at Tilted Earth. Friends of the Verde River is thrilled to be a recipient of proceeds from this event. Support the river, dance, drink, and be merry!

Date and Time: Saturday, June 18. Parking lots open at 3:30pm, doors open at 4pm, and live music goes from 4:30-11pm.

Event Location: Page Springs Cellars, 1500 N Page Springs Rd, Cornville, AZ 86325

More Information: Visit the site for more information and to purchase tickets.

Tickets: Purchase tickets here!

AZ Gives Day is a 24-hour giving blitz that “helps raise awareness about the critical role Arizona nonprofits play in our communities and inspires people to give generously creating a thriving and stronger Arizona for all.”

Date and Time: March 16 – April 6, 2022.

Event Location: Online! Give now.

Friends of the Verde River, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Oak Creek Watershed Council, Prescott National Forest, and the Town of Camp Verde have all partnered to coordinate and host a river stewardship volunteer day for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The Verde River and its tributaries are a major resource for the communities of the Verde Valley and it is important that we work to protect this resource. Come join a wonderful community of river stewards committed to a healthy Verde River at one of our sites or on your own!

Date and Time: January 17, 2022.

Location: Throughout the Verde River Watershed, including: Cottonwood (DHRSP), Clarkdale (Tuzigoot), Camp Verde (Clear Creek River Access), Camp Verde (Rezzonico Park), Sedona (Dry Creek), On Your Own (Trash Pick-up!)

More Information: Click here for more information.

Friends of the Verde River invited our volunteers to join us on May 20 at Smelter Town Brewery for a beer on us. Smelter Town Brewery has shown their commitment to a healthy Verde River by taking big steps in their sustainable practices. This great team donated $1 per draft of our partnership beer, and took steps to offset all of the water used in production of this beer. 

Date and Time: May 20 from 2-5 pm

Event Location: Smelter Town Brewery in Clarkdale, AZ

Along with Prescott Creeks and the Oak Creek Watershed Council, Friends held a Virtual Trash Pick-Up Challenge. The #PurdyVerde Virtual Trash Pick-Up Challenge encouraged communities throughout the Verde Watershed – from Paulden and Prescott, through the Verde Valley, all the way to the greater Phoenix area – to pick up as much trash as possible from important habitats within the Verde Watershed (what’s a watershed? We’re glad you asked!).

We asked all participants to please do the following:

1. Pick your favorite spots to pick up trash. Need ideas for where to go? Check out this map.
2. Safely pick up as much trash as possible!
3. Share photos and/or video by email, or post them to social media using the hashtag #PurdyVerde
4. Keep track of the approximate weight of your trash haul, and how many hours you volunteered. The average full trash bag weighs ~15 lbs.
5. Be sure to have a plan for transporting the trash you collect.
6. Bring supplies that will keep you safe and hydrated. 
7. Wear gloves, supervise children, wash your hands often, and have fun!

Learn more here.

Date and Time: July 5-12, 2020

Event Location: Virtual! Use the hashtag #PurdyVerde on social media, or send us an email with your pictures.

More Information: Contact us with questions or for more information.

Are you, or is your organization, a partner of Friends of the Verde River? Or, do you have an upcoming event that directly relates to the Verde River, or to the Verde River Watershed? We’d love to support your work by putting your event on this page.

Email Maya the following: event name, location, date(s) and time(s), email address of a contact person, website (if applicable), brief description, and a photo.

Interested in sponsoring an event? Click here to download our Sponsorship Packet for more information!