A Decade of Restoration on the Verde River
Tracy J Stephens1, Elaine Nichols1, Dr. Nancy LC Steele1
1Friends of the Verde River, Cottonwood, AZ, USA; TracyS@verderiver.org
The Verde Watershed Restoration Coalition (VWRC) is a partnership of over 25 agencies, organizations, and municipalities and over 235 private landowners focused on educating local communities and restoring ecosystem function in the Verde River Watershed. VWRC was formed in 2010 to develop an invasive plant maangement plan that focused on riparian restoration. Friends of the Verde River (FVR) convenes VWRC and works to lead restoration efforts.
The Verde River is one of the last perennial river systems in Arizona. VWRC partners identified riparian invasive plants as one of the biggest threats to the river ecosystem. Over the last decade, FVR and our VWRC partners have successfully completed riparian restoration of over 10,500 acres through invasive plant removal. Based on these successes, VWRC has expanded with goals focused on habitat restoration (aquatic, riparian, and upland), wildlife corridors and connectivity, monitoring water quality, addressing sedimentation and accelerated erosion, and developing watershed stewards through community science. The challenges and successes of the VWRC partnership will help guide us as we plan fture restoration in the Verde River Watershed.