Algae in the Verde
Yavapai Group Home
Contact Us
Yavapai Group, Grand Canyon Chapter, Sierra Club
Newsletter August '08
PRESCOTT AREA CONSERVATION ISSUES
By Gary Beverly
You may be surprised at the number of important conservation issues we are tackling. Here is a brief summary; in future newsletters, we'll expand upon these summaries, one per newsletter. The Upper Verde River, one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the US, is a major issue for us; to see why, read http://arizona.sierraclub.org/yavapai/verderiver.htm
Upper Verde River Wild & Scenic River
The Upper Verde River is a rare riparian resource, one of only two remaining in Arizona, and it now is unprotected. We are working with several other conservation organizations in Arizona to have the river designated under the US Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This would provide protections to the river flow, habitat, and animals. We have a petition to circulate and sign (contact gbverde@cableone.net).
Sewage sludge pollution of Upper Verde River
The cities of Prescott and Prescott Valley hire a trucking contractor to haul untreated sewage sludge, spreading it onto agricultural lands. One site between Paulden and the headwaters of the Verde is in a Yavapai County class A flood plain. When the field floods, a sewage tea drains directly into the Verde River. We are working very intensely on this problem. We have a petition to circulate and sign. If you can help us, please contact Tom Slaback at prescottkid@peoplepc.com
ATV damage to Upper Verde River riparian zone
Prescott National Forest (PNF) is responsible for the habitat along the Verde riparian zone. Lack of active PNF management has ignored illegal access by All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) and Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) to the riparian zone, causing substantial damage. We have alerted PNF to the problem, applied pressure to control illegal access and to repair the damage. This is a very active issue that we are working very hard to resolve, with assistance from The Center for Biological Diversity. We have a petition to circulate and sign (contact gbverde@cableone.net).
Verde River water quantity & quality: Water Sentinels program
The Water Sentinels is a Sierra Club program to measure the water flow and water quality at seven spots on the Verde between Paulden and Camp Verde to establish baseline data supporting possible future legal actions. We need volunteers to assist with measurements. See the web page for more info:
http://www.sierraclub.org/watersentinels/arizona/
Verde River base flow
We are deeply concerned that current plans to pump the Big Chino Aquifer (the pipeline plan proposed by Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Chino Valley) will reduce the Upper Verde River to a dry wash. We have developed a joint (Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and others) position statement on this most critical issue. The statement can be viewed at http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/save_the_verde/position_statement.html
We have a petition to circulate and sign: contact gbverde@cableone.net
Prescott National Forest Plan revision
The current PNF plan, adopted in 1986, is now under revision. The new forest plan will guide PNF management for decades to come. We believe it is essential to have substantial input from conservation minded citizens. We encourage members to participate in the PNF planning effort, so we will notify you of meetings and events using this newsletter.
Prescott National Forest Stewards program
PNF is under funded and needs citizen assistance for planning, management, trails development and maintenance, OHV control, trash cleanup, and lots more. A forest stewards program, kind of a "Friends of the Forest", is now under development and seeking participants from the Verde Valley and Prescott area. We support this effort and are heavily involved.
Cement kiln at Drake
Drake Cement is constructing a kiln and quarry to manufacture portland cement. Coal is delivered by rail; limestone is mined from the Limestone Canyon deposit, near the Hwy 89 bridge over Hell Canyon, about 30 mi north of Prescott. The plant is now under construction. An Air Quality Control Permit has been issued, and the plant will begin operations in 2010. We have established regular communications with the plant superintendent and we have a good working relationship. We are closely monitoring the project.
If you are interested in any of these issues and want to help, you are most welcome to join us. Contact gbverde@cableone.net
This page was last updated on May 26, 2009