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Red Bull Volunteers Preserve Habitat in Verde Watershed
Local partners collaborated for unprecedented volunteer event Cottonwood, AZ (December 6, 2017) While staying at Enchantment Resort in Sedona for a corporate business retreat, over 180 Red Bull employees volunteered their morning to improve the Verde Watershed. Volunteers were divided into groups working at Chavez Ranch, Crescent Moon Ranch, Mormon’s Crossing, Page Springs Hatchery, Red Rock State Park, Sedona Recycles, Sedona Wetlands Preserve, Slide Rock State Park, and State Routes 89A and 89B. Volunteer activities ranged from river and creek clean ups, to trail maintenance, and invasive plant removal. Three groups working along Oak Creek in Coconino National Forest removed over 500 lbs. of trash, recycling, and glass. “I had a great time exposing so many people to Oak Creek and the Verde Watershed. The volunteers were not only motivated to help clean up the area but also loved getting out and experiencing the natural riparian environment,” said volunteer leader and Friends’ Habitat Restoration Coordinator, Ben Kowalewski.
Red Bull Volunteer Event 12/06/17
Mormon Crossing trash clean-up:
We picked up probably 300 lbs. of garbage. It would be maybe 100 but the tire we pulled out was really heavy,” stated Ben Kowalewski, Freiends Habitat Restoration Coordinator. “I had a great time exposing so many people to Oak Creek and the Verde Watershed. The volunteers were not only motivated to help clean up the area but also loved getting out and experiencing the natural riparian environment.” Coconino National Forest-River Clean Up
Location: Chavez: Trash: 71.4 lbs, Recycling: 23.2 lbs, Glass: 6.4 lbs, Total: 101 lbs.
Location: Crescent Moon Ranch: Trash: 41 lbs., Recycling: 3.8 lbs., Glass: 2.4 lbs., Total: 47.2 lbs.
Location: 89B (Oak Creek): Trash: 45.6 lbs., Recycling: 2.8 lbs., Glass: 9.8 lbs., Total: 58.2 lbs. The event was coordinated by Friends of the Verde River and Oak Creek Watershed Council, along with partners from Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona State Parks, the City of Sedona, and the Yavapai-Apache Nation. Collaboration for a habitat preservation event on this scale is unprecedented in the Verde Valley.
