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

Our Event Sponsors are important partners who enjoy special recognition and other perks. Download our Sponsorship Packet for more details.

Contact Melanie Miles, the Events and Outreach Coordinator, for more information.

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

New episodes starting in November! Hear stories, conversations, and more from river experts, biologists, community leaders, and Friends! This new 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. Episodes air 11/4/2021, 12/2/2021, 2/3/2022, 3/3/2022, 4/7/2022, and 5/5/2022.

Event Location: Online – watch now! 

More Information: Contact Isaac Dudley for more information.

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 on a Highway Cleanup:

• January 8, 2022 – meet at 8:30 am
• March 12, 2022 – meet at 7:30 am
• May 14, 2022 – meet at 6:30 am

Event Location: Cottonwood, AZ. Meet at the dirt lot at the corner of Rocking Chair Ranch Road and Mingus Avenue.

More Information: Contact Debbie LaFrance for more information.

The 2022 Verde River Runoff is a week-long event and fundraiser that encourages everyone in the Verde Watershed to get out and enjoy the water in their own way. Our goal is to have as many members of the community as possible cleaning up trash, recreating, taking photos, fishing, hiking, paddling, and spending quality time with the river! Distant lovers of the Verde River can participate by getting outside on a body of water close to them and tagging @friendsoftheverderiver in their story on Instagram.

Date and Time: March 19-27, 2022

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 21 – 24, 2022

More Information: See info from last year’s festival on our website. Stay tuned for updates about the 2022 festival!

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: April 5, 2021.

Event Location: Online!

The annual Pecan and Wine Festival is a celebration of Camp Verde’s pecan growers and wineries. The Festival includes nut and wine tastings, vendors, and music.

Date and Time: TBD

Event Location: Downtown Camp Verde.

More Information: Click Here

The State of the Watershed Conference brought together experts from The Nature Conservancy, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and more to discuss the highly-anticipated, innovative Watershed Report Card. This conference is open to the public.

Date and Time: TBD

More Information: Visit our site to learn more about the Verde Watershed Report Card.

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!

Our annual event, Fiesta de la Garza, celebrates our 10th year as a non-profit! At this event we will honor some of the supporters, partners and organizations who have gone above and beyond to help our mission. Tickets for this event are sold out.

Date and Time: December 1, 2021 from 5 – 8 pm

Event Location: Cottonwood Community Clubhouse

More Information: Contact Melanie Miles for more information.

Join us for an open-to-the-public ribbon cutting and mixer to celebrate our 10th year as an organization, and show off our new office space! Everyone is invited to share in this moment, and learn about the work being done to support a healthy Verde River system. All are welcome to attend! This event has a fee of $8 for members of the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce, and $10 for non-members. Face coverings recommended.

Date and Time: September 16 from 6 – 8 pm

Event Location: Friends of the Verde River’s new office: 115 S. Main St, Suite B, Cottonwood AZ

More Information: Contact Isaac Dudley 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

Community members joined Friends of the Verde River, Science Vortex, and our partners for the first annual Verde Valley BioBlitz. A Bioblitz is a community effort where volunteers find and identify as many living species as they can during a designated window of time. Anyone can participate and be a community scientist! BioBlitz participants were invited to go out along the river or anywhere in the Verde River system, like Oak Creek or West Clear Creek, and use the iNaturalist app to take photos of plants, animals, birds, and insects to gather species data for the Verde River. Observations help our efforts to document native and invasive plants along the river. You do not have to be a biologist, the identification of species can be done later on as long as you submit quality photos.

Date and Time: April 22 – May 7

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

More Information: Visit our site for more details.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation held a virtual Earth Day celebration, with a drive-thru event in Camp Verde.

Date and Time: April 24 starting 9 am

Event Location: Veterans Memorial Park in Camp Verde.

More Information: Click Here

Community members joined Friends of the Verde River for fun, educational activities, chances to enter our raffle, and more.

Date and Time: April 22 from 11 am to 6 pm

Event Location: Page Springs Cellars

Volunteers joined us (distanced, outdoors, and/or remotely) for the MLK Day Purdy Verde River Clean-Up and Bioblitz from January 16-18, 2021. Every year, Friends of the Verde River works to organize opportunities for the Verde River community to give back on MLK Day. With record levels of outdoor recreation throughout 2020, it was more important than ever that we get out there to clean up our watershed. During this long weekend, there were two ways to participate: a trash pickup, and a bioblitz, which allowed participants to put on their naturalist hats and submit observations as a citizen scientist. Throughout the long weekend, folks went outside at various locations throughout the watershed to clean up litter and/or collect useful species information to inform our restoration efforts.

Date and Time: January 16-18, 2021.

Location: Throughout the Verde River Watershed. Click here to learn more about where to go.

More Information: Click here for more information.

This all-virtual online Garage Sale benefitted the Verde – all proceeds supported our programs! We had a great selection new and gently-used items including kayaks, field optics, musical instruments, outdoor gear, and more.

Event Location: Online

More Information: Contact Isaac Dudley for more information.

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.

Pillsbury Wine Company’s “Hatty Hour” encouraged patrons to wear their favorite hats and grab a glass for a chance to win a bottle of wine. Pillsbury donated 15% of sales to river conservation projects.

Location: Pillsbury Wine Company in Old Town Cottonwood, AZ.

Join us on the second Thursday of every month for Thirsty Thursdays at the State Bar. $1 of every beer you enjoy is donated to Friends!

Date and Time: Second Thursday of every month from 3-6p.m. Please note: this event has been postponed indefinitely in accordance with recommendations from the CDC and AZ Department of Health.

Location: The State Bar in Old Town Cottonwood, AZ.

Postponed until further notice.

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!