Friends Of The Verde River

Environment, conservation, and wildlife habitat restoration. The verde river supports important unique water-dependent ecosystems in arizona. Over 270 species of birds, 94 species of mammals, 76 species of native amphibians and reptiles, and countless invertebrates use the verde river system at some point in their life cycles. Friends of the verde river works with members of the verde watershed restoration coalition (vwrc), a collaborative effort uniting private landowners, organizations, and agencies with a common interest in the health of the verde river watershed. In fy24 we monitored and treated 2,058 acres and treated 468 acres of riparian habitat, installed 210 erosion control structures, held six volunteer events, and worked with 14 private landowners.

Nature parks and other similar promoting community stewardship. The verde river links people together, improving a sense of community around nature. Verde water watchers, a group of volunteers monitoring water quality in the verde river watershed, collected 412 water samples over the year by volunteers working 288 volunteer hours. During the 2024 verde bioblitz, 411 participants made 6,862 observations of 1,088 animals or plants over two weeks in april, advancing our knowledge and engagin youth in nature. Three-hundred twenty-eight people registered for the verde valley birding camp; nature festival, four days of birding trips and workshops centered in cottonwood, arizona. Over 100 people volunteered during fy 24.