Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 crisis, many of our events have been cancelled or postponed. Please consider supporting us in lieu of attending these 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.

The Verde River Runoff is a river recreation event that celebrates the Verde River’s annual runoff flows. Competitive boaters are encouraged to race 5 or 10 miles of the beautiful Verde River to place for prizes, while non-competitive boaters can enjoy a 5-mile Fun Float. This year’s Verde River Runoff will be held as a virtual fun float, and will be available to anyone, anywhere. Get out and paddle on your favorite body of water then share your photos and stories with Friends for your chance to win a Purdy Verde prize bundle! More details to come…

Date and Time: March 20-30, 2021.

Event Location: Virtual!

More Information: Visit our site for more details.

AZ Gives Day is a predominantly digital event that occurs yearly. Join in on the 24-hour online digital giving movement, honoring Arizona’s nonprofits! AZ Gives Day “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.” Friends will participate in AZ Gives Day by launching a peer-to-peer fundraiser for all of our supporters.

Date and Time: April 6, 2021.

Event Location: Online! Check back for our AZ Gives Day link.

More Information: Click here for more details.

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. This year, Friends will host the VVBNF as a hybrid event, including 15+ virtual experiences as well as small, exclusive guided birding tours throughout the state of Arizona.

Date and Time: April 22-25, 2021. NEW registration dates: March 5, 2021 for Early Bird, March 8, 2021 for Open Registration

Event Location: Workshops will be held virtually and available for one week post-festival. Guided birding tours will be in-person in various locations.

More Information: Visit our site for more details.

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.

Event Location: Online – watch now! New content airs monthly!

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 VVBNF Highway Cleanup:

• March 13, 2021 – meet at 7:30 am
• May 8, 2021 – meet at 6:30 am
• July 10, 2021 – meet at 7:00 am
• September 11, 2021 – meet at 7:00 am
• November 13, 2021 – meet at 8:00 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 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. The annual Pecan Wine Festival has been rescheduled to April 17th and 18th! This event is held in Camp Verde and will be free to the public. Featuring food, live music, vendors, and more.

Date and Time: April 17-18, 2021.

Event Location: Downtown Camp Verde.

The Tilted Earth Festival was “created to foster the growth of culture, community and the economy in the great Verde Valley of Arizona.” Tilted Earth is a Summer Solstice celebration of music, wine, and food.

Date and Time: June 19, 2021.

Event Location: Page Springs Cellars in Cornville, AZ.

More Information: Visit the Tilted Earth site for more details.

Join Friends of the Verde River at our 3rd annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival, to be held virtually in 2021! 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 curated a 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. We can’t wait to see you there!

Date and Time: January 30, 2021. Virtual lobby opens at 5:30pm MST, films begin at 6:00pm MST.

Location: Online! Click here to buy tickets and receive access to the event links.

More Information: Click here for more information. All proceeds benefit Friends of the Verde River. General Admission Tickets are $20. Contact Melanie Miles for more information.

Please join 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 is more important than ever that we get out there to clean up our watershed! During this long weekend, there will be two ways to participate: a trash pickup, and a bioblitz, which will allow you to put on your naturalist hat and submit observations as a citizen scientist.

Throughout the long weekend, get outside at various locations throughout the watershed and clean up litter and/or collect useful species information to inform our restoration efforts. After the event, we are hopeful that some of our botanically-inclined volunteers will log on to iNaturalist to help ID some of the observations made throughout the MLK Weekend of Service. You do not have to be a botanist, the identification of plants can be done later on as long as you submit quality photos. Whether you are a regular user of iNaturalist or you’ve never heard of it, you can participate in the bioblitz as long as you have a smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone you are of course still able to participate in the Purdy Verde River Clean-Up!

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. Contact Elaine Nichols for more information.

Fiesta de la Garza is an annual celebration hosted by Friends of the Verde River. At Fiesta, we honor some of the supporters, partners and organizations who have gone above and beyond to help our mission over the past year. This year, we have adapted Fiesta into a Virtual Event. Although we will not be able to enjoy each other’s company in person, we will nonetheless be honoring awardees and giving community updates on current and upcoming projects for 2021.

Date and Time: Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Event Location: Virtually broadcasted on Facebook, YouTube, and at our Event Page.

More Information: Contact Melanie Miles 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.

The Verde River Runoff is a kayak, canoe and stand up paddleboard event that encourages competitive and leisurely boaters to run the beautiful Verde River. This year, we encourage participation on any water body in the world!

At Friends, we take pride in our efforts to support a healthy Verde – which includes encouraging activity of all kinds throughout the year! With the continued threat of COVID-19 within our state, however, we have decided that the 2020 Runoff will be a VIRTUAL event. This means that even more people will be able to participate in supporting a healthy, flowing Verde River system!

We hope you will take this opportunity to enjoy river-friendly, safe fun on the Verde River or a body of water near you. Click here to learn more.

Date and Time: September 12-20, 2020

Event Location: Any water body in the world, or on the Verde River from White Bridge R.A.P. to Beasley Flat R.A.P.

More Information: Visit our site or click here to register.

Are you tired of seeing garbage clutter up your favorite outdoor spots? We are too! Trash dims the beauty of our great outdoors, and it poses serious threats to wildlife. We can all pitch in to make a difference by picking up trash. We can help keep nature beautiful while protecting the animals!

Along with Prescott Creeks and the Oak Creek Watershed Council, we are excited to bring you a Virtual Trash Pick-Up Challenge. This event will be held July 5-12. The #PurdyVerde Virtual Trash Pick-Up Challenge encourages 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!).

Want to participate? Please join in the fun and help us keep our beautiful natural areas clean and Purdy (#PurdyVerde)! Everyone can enjoy this opportunity to show some love to our beloved wild places. 

We ask 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.

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 for 2021.

Event Location: TBD for 2021.

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

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 2020 Sponsorship Packet for more information!