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ECOLOGY Files

Verde River Ecosystem Values Project

This valuation study is designed to be the first phase of a series of studies to value the ecosystem services of the Verde River and its watershed. Interviews were conducted with 35 anonymous community leaders who live, work, or manage some aspect of the watershed (or a combination of the three). The interviews have resulted in a large list of values for the watershed and provide a starting point for more studies. This report includes preliminary analysis of the data collected from these interviews, a brief literature review on ecosystem services, and recommendations for future research. View Document.

Tragedy of the Commons

Seminal essay by Garret Hardin addressing the necessity of social control of shared public resources. View Document.

2014-07-30 River of the Month: The Verde River

Short profile of the Verde River. View Document.

2014-08-03 Ecological Implications of Verde River Flows - Summary

Summary report, 4 pages. The Verde River Ecological Flows study is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Water Institute, and Verde River Basin Partnership. The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual understanding of how the Verde River ecosystem would respond to variations in the river's hydrology—especially to decreases in river flows. The study team compiled and summarized what is known about the river's physical and ecological characteristics, drawing upon available data and what is known about hydrology-biology relationships on similar rivers. View Document.

Biological Inventory of the Verde Watershed

Technical analysis of the flora and fauna of the Verde Watershed, part of the Citizens Proposal for the Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River. View Document.

Deschutes Water Alliance Water Bank

Description of very successful water bank on the Deschutes River in Oregon. View Document.

Ecological and Hydrological Significance of Ephemeral and Intermittent Streams in the Arid and Semi-arid America Southwest

This report represents a state-of-the-art synthesis of current knowledge of the ecology and hydrology of ephemeral (dry washes) and intermittent streams in the American Southwest, and may have important bearing on establishing nexus to traditional navigable waters (TNW) and defining connectivity relative to the Clean Water Act. Ephemeral and intermittent streams make up approximately 59% of all streams in the United States (excluding Alaska), and over 81% in the arid and semi-arid Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California) according to the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset. They are often the headwaters or major tributaries of perennial streams in the Southwest. This comprehensive review of the present scientific understanding of the ecology and hydrology of ephemeral and intermittent streams will help place them in a watershed context, thereby highlighting their importance in maintaining water quality, overall watershed function or health, and provisioning of the essential human and biological requirements of clean water. Published by US EPA. View Document.

Ecological Flows Assessment Presentation

Presentation by the Nature Conservancy to the Verde Watershed Association describing the Ecological Flows Assessment project. July, 2006 View Document.

Ecological Implications of Verde River Flows – Full Report

Full report, 124 pages. The Verde River Ecological Flows study is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Water Institute, and Verde River Basin Partnership. The purpose of the study is to develop a conceptual understanding of how the Verde River ecosystem would respond to variations in the river's hydrology—especially to decreases in river flows. The study team compiled and summarized what is known about the river's physical and ecological characteristics, drawing upon available data and what is known about hydrology-biology relationships on similar rivers. View Document.

Environmental Flows and Water Demands

This bulletin explains the water demands of the environment in the Central Arizona Region, an area that includes the Verde River, Agua Fria and Upper Hassayampa groundwater basins, as well as the Prescott Phoenix, and Pinal Active Management Areas (AMAs). Written by U of A WRRC. View Document.

Going with the Flow 2013

This is the original 2013 report. The Arizona Water Sentinels have been making monthly discharge measurements at three sites on the upper Verde River since December 2006 in order to gain a better understanding about what is happening to the base flow of the river. Our monthly discharge measurements and USGS and SRP stream gage records show that base flow has decreased over the last six years. Base flow has, in general, been less than the historic average base flow as determined over a 49-year period of record at the USGS Paulden stream gage.

Going with the Flow Update Final_04-23-2018

This is an update to the initial 2013 report. The Arizona Water Sentinels have been making monthly discharge measurements at three sites on the upper Verde River since December 2006 in order to gain a better understanding about what is happening to the base flow of the river. Our monthly discharge measurements and USGS and SRP stream gage records show that base flow has decreased over the last six years. Base flow has, in general, been less than the historic average base flow as determined over a 49-year period of record at the USGS Paulden stream gage.

This is an update to the initial 2013 report.

Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States

Natural landscapes in the Southwestern United States are changing. In recent decades, rising temperatures and drought have led to drier conditions, contributed to large-scale ecological impacts, and affected many plant and animal species across the region. The current and future trajectory of climate change underscores the need for managers and conservation professionals to understand the impacts of these patterns on natural resources. In this regional assessment of the Southwest Climate Change Initiative, we evaluate changes in annual average temperatures from 1951–2006 across major habitats and large watersheds and compare these changes to the number of species of conservation concern that are found within these places. Report by The Nature Conservancy. View Document.

State of the Verde River: Water Quality

The Sierra Club Water Sentinels have implemented a volunteer water quality and flow monitoring program on the Verde River. Teams of Water Sentinels volunteers have collected water samples, made field measurements of water quality parameters, and measured the flow of the river at six to eight sampling sites on the Verde River over the last five years. The data summarized in this report was collected between December 2, 2006, and December 10, 2011. The suite of water quality parameters include E. coli bacteria, total arsenic, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment concentration. Water Sentinels also made field measurements of dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and air and water temperature. They collected hundreds of water samples at six to eight sampling sites along the upper and middle reaches of the Verde River during all seasons in the five‐year period, visiting sampling sites on the Verde River five or six times each calendar year. View Document.

Understanding Arizona’s Riparian Areas

Report from the U of A Extension describing Arizona's riparian areas and their importance to the landscape. View Document.

Upper Verde, Wild and Scenic River, A Citizens' Proposal, Executive Summary, August 2011

The Executive Summary for the Citizens' Proposal. View document.

Verde River Fish Richness

Nature Conservancy map showing the number of native fishes on Arizona rivers. View document.

Verde River Watershed Conservation Plan

The Verde River watershed covers 4.2 million acres in central Arizona and includes about 500 miles of perennial streams. The Nature Conservancy has conducted a year-long planning exercise to identify the most effective actions for maintaining or restoring this watershed's native aquatic and riparian biodiversity. During a structured planning process, 64 individuals from 21 organizations contributed data, analyses, and ideas about the priority conservation needs and opportunities. We identified nonnative fish, crayfish, and frog species as the most critical sources of stress basin-wide, followed by groundwater pumping and climate change. Other threats were also ranked highly for particular natural communities in some parts of the watershed, including surface water diversions and large impoundments. Key strategies identified include the need for integrated management of groundwater and surface water, developing more efficient surface water management that meets both human needs and those of the natural systems, and watershed-scale planning to integrate native fish conservation with the demand for recreational fisheries. These results will guide the Conservancy's work for many years to come, and may be useful for other organizations that share similar goals. View Document.

Verde Watershed Focus Area Plan

The primary purpose of the Verde River Watershed Focus Area Strategic Plan (Verde River Watershed Plan) is to coordinate and cooperate with other agencies, organizations, and stakeholders to identify, implement, and facilitate policies, programs, projects, and management practices that support productive and diverse populations of native species. Ensuring continual and sufficient base flows in the Verde River and its tributaries that will maintain healthy watershed and aquatic conditions is a vital part of this effort. This plan is not intended to replace other ongoing efforts and plans that involve the Verde River or its watershed, but to augment those efforts and to serve as a guide for the FWS Arizona Ecological Services Office (AESO) to work with our partners to focus on activities that promote the long-term goals of this watershed plan. Authored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. View Document.

Vertebrate Species List for Verde Watershed

List of the vertebrate species found in the Verde Watershed. View Document.

DAILY DROPLET

"Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners."

Mark Udall
"Water is the driver of Nature."

Leonardo da Vinci
"When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."

Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1746
"...and since flow of information is to spirit what water is to life, we'd best think about how to keep the pipes free and unclogged."

Raphie Frank
"In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference."

Rachel Carson
"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."

Jacques Yves Cousteau
"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water."

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine
"Water is everywhere and in all living things; we cannot be separated from water. No water, no life. Period..."

Robert Fulghum
"It's the water. Everything is driven by the water."

Mike Thompson
"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."

Mark Twain