The Rimrock Report
The University of Arizona,
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
July 2011
Volume 4, Issue 3
Es duro ser verde.
“Controversy equalizes fools and wise men - and the fools know it.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Inside this issue:
Controversy. Some of us avoid it, others thrive on it, all of us deal with it. As of this
writing the largest wildfire in Arizona history is still burning in the eastern part of the
state (along with the 4th largest and several others). So far, over 500,000 acres of forest
and range land have burned in this one fire surpassing the previous record of about
470,000 acres in the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire of 2002. As soon as it was evident that the
Wallow Fire was going to be significant in terms of national headlines, the public
blame game started. Depending on who you listen to the size and intensity of the fire is
directly the result of cattle ranching, tree-hugging, global warming… take your pick.
This much is certain; not long after the smoke goes out the media will be gone, national
attention will be drawn to some other catastrophe/controversy and the people who live
and work there will be left to pick up the pieces and carry on. This “event”, however,
will last a long time. There will be lawsuits, there will be research projects, there will
be documentaries, there will be photo-ops and political posturing. There will also be
recovery, re-growth, and re-building… and, there will be controversy.
Es duro ser verde,
continued
2
AZ Section SRM 2011
Summer Meeting
5
Confluence of Verde River and Sycamore
Creek, summer 2008.
Is it just me or do rangelands seem to have
more than their fair share of controversy?
Maybe it’s because they cover about half of
the land area on the planet, including all or
part of many developing nations; nations in
conflict. Maybe it has something to do with
the fact that very few people actually live on
rangelands but a lot of people seem to know
a lot about how to manage them, or at least
how to tell other people how they should
manage them. Even though most of these
“side-walk superintendents” would
probably describe rangelands as “desolate”,
“wasteland”, “fly over country”, or “the
middle of nowhere”. Maybe it has something
John’s Plant of the “week” 6
The View From the Rim
7
Just Me Talking
7
“One of the most
controversial
bodies of water
in Arizona is the
Verde River.”
The Rimrock Report
Es duro ser verde…..continued
to do with the resources these
lands contain: scenery, grass,
wood, energy, ore…. water.
Bottom line is that rangelands and
the resource they hold, the goods
and services they provide, are
important and will probably
always be a source of controversy.
In the West, the item at the top of
the list of competition and
controversy has been and will
probably always be water. One of
the most coveted and controversial
bodies of water in Arizona is the
Verde River.
The Verde River flows
approximately 200 miles across
the central part of the state (Figure
1), originating near Paulden in
Yavapai County and eventually
joining the Salt River east of
Phoenix. Much of the river flows
Figure 1 Major Arizona Watersheds
through open rangeland which
provides livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Re-charge of this river is primarily through winter
precipitation. The Verde, or more accurately a 65 mile stretch below Camp Verde, is Arizona’s only wild and
scenic river and is popular with floaters, anglers, and birdwatchers. The upper Verde in particular is home to
several fish species classified as Wildlife of Special Concern. These include: roundtail chub (Gila robusta),
razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), and spikedace (Meda fulgida). Other Verde River inhabitants which
attract a lot of attention are the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus),
southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus), and the southwestern river otter (Lontra
canadensis sonora). Agricultural water is obtained from the Verde by way of several irrigation ditches and
this practice dates back to the native cultures living in the Verde Valley approximately 1000 years ago.
Tuzigoot National Monument is an ancient Sinagua culture pueblo built on a hill above a bend in the Verde
between Clarkdale and Cottonwood. An important trade and agricultural center, approximately 200 people
are thought to have lived there at one time. Today, the Verde supplies water to Phoenix and other smaller
municipalities in Yavapai County including Prescott, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, and Camp Verde. These latter
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The Rimrock Report
Es duro ser verde…..continued
communities may be smaller than Phoenix but they are
found in one of the fastest growing sections of the country.
The population of Yavapai County is expected double by
the year 2050. With so many different resources,
competing values, and just people in general, it would
seem the Verde River and its’ management is a situation
fraught with the possibility of controversy.
I’ve heard that history repeats itself, so I guess conflict on
the Verde is nothing new. This region has seen its’ share of
battles through the years. For instance, Grief Hill is along
an old roadway a few miles west of Camp Verde. Military
records from Fort Verde indicate four different “battles” or
“skirmishes” occurred in that one spot in the late 1860’s.
More recently, conflicts have arisen on the upper Verde
over the populations of native and non-native fishes and
Verde River, winter scene north of Cottonwood, 2011.
the effects of livestock grazing and groundwater pumping
on these populations. Other conflicts include the effects of recreation, specifically ATV use, on river
ecosystems. The Verde has sections which receive high sediment loads, and the list goes on….
The following is an excerpt from an Arizona Department of Environmental Quality report (Bowman 2001).
“In 1992 the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) ranked the Verde River watershed as having
the highest priority to expedite actions on pending in stream flow applications, due to the impacts imposed by
the population growth of the Verde Valley (Harbour 1992). In 1984, 39.5 miles of the Verde River below
Beasley Flat was designated as Wild and Scenic under the authority of the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
In 1991 American Rivers ,one of the Nation's leading river conservation organizations, has named the Verde
River one of the 15 highly threatened rivers in the U.S. This designation stems from the significance of the
Verde River to the viability of the ecosystem and watershed, along with concern that guidance is needed to
protect the threatened ecosystem. The largest threat to the Verde River ecosystem is ground water depletion
due to increased pumping to meet water demands of rapidly growing populations in the Prescott and Verde
Valley areas. Preliminary findings of a nutrient study suggest that the Verde River has limited buffering
capacity, which could be affected by decreasing water quantity in the river.(40) Other threats include
previous and ongoing mining operations, sand and gravel extraction, agricultural diversions, livestock
grazing, urban development and associated contamination, over-use for recreational purposes, and surface
water impoundments. The land uses in the greater Verde River watershed include mining, timber harvesting,
ranching/grazing, commercial land uses, and a rapidly growing residential sector.”
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Volume 4, Issue 3
Es duro ser verde…..continued
So, yes the Verde River, flowing through the heart of Arizona and some of its’ most valued rangelands has
some controversy associated with it. Who should use the river? When and what for? What effects, positive or
negative do these various uses have on the river? When there is a problem, who’s to blame? Do we have data
to support our claims or opinions? Well, if you are interested in the Verde, especially the upper Verde let me
tell you about a unique opportunity to get out on the ground and learn firsthand about the river, its history and
ecology. There will be a half day tour of the upper Verde conducted by Al Medina of the USFS Rocky
Mountain Research Station just prior to the Arizona Section Society for Range Management summer meetings
on August 3, 2011. Al has worked on the river for a number of years and always puts on an interesting,
informative, and sometimes challenging educational experience. Information on the tour can be found
following this article. So, sign up and bring your walking shoes, curiosity, and an open mind because
sometimes “Es duro ser verde” (it is hard to be green).
Flooded Verde River, south side of Cottonwood. Late winter/early spring 2010.
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Volume 4, Issue 3
Az Section SRM Summer Meeting
Upper Verde River Ecological Tour
Led by Alvin L. Medina
August 3, 2011, 10am to 2pm.
Just before the AZ SRM
Summer Meeting.
Tour meeting place to be determined.
Contact information for further details as
they become available: phone (928)-853-1391
email almedina777@hotmail.com
Potential Questions to be Addressed:
1. What are the effects of invasive plants such as Salt Cedar on
the upper Verde?
2. Can cows and birds get along here?
3. Can cows and fish get along here?
4. Can native and non-native fish get along here?
5. Could there be such a thing as too many trees? On a river?
6. What are the effects of recreation on the river?
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Arizona Section
Society for Range Management
2011 Summer Meeting
Wed. August 3 to Fri. August 5
V Bar V Ranch Summer Headquarters
Near Happy Jack, Arizona
Theme: Arizona Rangelands: Past, Present, and Future
Agenda
Registration Information
Map to Ranch
Map of Site
Available on the V Bar V ranch website at:
http://ag.arizona.edu/aes/vbarv/AzSRMSummerMeeting.html .
V Bar V Summer Headquarters at Mahan Park
Volume 4, Issue 3
John’s Plant of the “week”
As we go to press with this edition of the
Rimrock Report, John is up on Mingus
Mountain with the Natural Resource
Conservation Workshop for Arizona Youth.
So, since he is a little busy we thought this
would be a good opportunity to highlight
some of the plant related publications
offered by Arizona Cooperative Extension.
The main webpage for extension
publications is:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/
If you search under the subject “Natural
Resource and Environment” here are a few
range plant oriented publications you will
find.
John and students at
NRCWAY
1. Arizona Range Grasses: Their Description, Forage Value, and Grazing Management (2003)
Contains some informative text and line drawings of range grasses, including the headings: description,
occurrence, forage value and grazing management. A nice complement to our Blue Collar Plants website.
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1272/
2. Cooperative Extension Rangeland Monitoring Program (2004)
Outlines the range monitoring program developed by the university, who should participate and why.
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1338.pdf
3. Dwarf Mistletoes (2011)
Description of these plant parasites, their life cycle, ecology and prevention.
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1309.pdf
4. How Do Domestic Herbivores Select Nutritious Diets on Rangelands? (1998)
Good summary of grazing animal nutrition, and what factors affect diet selection for these animals.
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1023.pdf
5. Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arizona (2009)
Good compendium of information to help identify and understand invasive plants on Arizona rangelands.
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1482.pdf
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The view from the Rim
From the once a smart@#*, always a smart @#* department….
Some of you know that I recently passed one of those landmark birthdays.
Since then I have been asked several times if I feel old now, and I usually say:
“…no, but I do seem to have this urge to get up early on Saturday morning, put
on my coveralls, drive all the way to the coffee shop with my blinker on and
tell total strangers about my surgery…”
The University of Arizona
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
V Bar V Ranch
2830 N. Commonwealth Drive Suite 103
Camp Verde, AZ 86322
Just me talking...
Phone: 928-554-8991
Fax: 928-554-8996
Cell: 928-821-3222
E-mail: dougt@cals.arizona.edu
Web: http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/vbarv/
Note: Please email me if you would like to be added
to the “mailing” list for this newsletter.
It’s been an interesting summer so far. Since coming back from Africa I have been
playing catch-up. Trying to make plans for the AZ Section SRM Summer Meeting here at
the V Bar V on August 3-5. I am writing journal papers, grant proposals and trying to keep
up with field work. We AI’d cows at the ranch a couple weeks ago. It has been hot
recently, and windy. That has made things difficult for those fighting the Wallow,
Monument, Horseshoe 2 fires and others. Weather projections are calling for a late start to
the monsoon. I pray it gets here sooner but doesn’t target the White Mountains the way it
seemed to hit Flagstaff last year after the Schultz Fire. Flood on top of a big fire is a
difficult two-fisted punch to deal with. Nice slow rain would be good, but that is not
really how monsoon rains occur unfortunately. The Natural Resource Conservation Workshop for Arizona
Youth is this week on Mingus Mountain. Their focus this year is watersheds. I am sure they will also talk
about fire. John Kava will be holding down the fort up there all week, training on vegetation sampling. I
should be there Thursday and Friday. Jeff Schalau, Matt Livingston and I will be helping to conduct a range
camp for Hopi youth later in the month of July. Jim Sprinkle, Dave Schafer, Peder Cuneo, et al recently won
the applied animal science research award for their paper “Effects of a Long Acting Trace Mineral Rumen
Bolus Upon Range Cow Productivity” at the Western Section American Society of Animal Science meetings
in Miles City MT. The Prescott Rodeo is coming up over Fourth of July weekend. This was one of the rodeo’s
I always wanted to compete in when I was younger. At least I get to see it now. Upcoming range events
include the Southwestern Noxious/Invasive Weed Short Course July 26-28 in Farmington NM, the V Bar V
Ranch Explorers Day on August 27 and down on campus in Tucson the Research Insights in Semi-arid
Ecosystems symposium will be on October 29. . Lots of things coming up for the rest of the summer but for
now, go out and enjoy the holiday and don’t forget what you’re celebrating.
Till next time,
Doug
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