3/20/2008 4:43:00 PM Saving the Verde Nature Conservancy, Game & Fish partner on Verde Springs
The Verde River Springs are considered the source of the Verde River. In a reach of about one mile, which is now owned by both The Nature Conservancy and the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the rive flow grows from .4 CFS to 19 CFS.
Courtesy of Arizona Game and fish
The focal point in a conflict is often referred to as "ground zero,"
It is physical spot at which emotions are focused, typically the hallowed site of a tragic event.
But in the battle to sustain the Verde River ground zero is a much more serene place, a cluster of gently flowing springs that constitute the river's headwaters.
The Verde River Springs, or at least their continued well being, is at the heart of a battle over the proposed pumping of the Big Chino aquifer.
The aquifer not only feeds the springs, it also provides 80 to 85 percent of the river's flow in its first 24-mile reach.
Last December, The Nature Conservancy purchased the property that includes the springs from Billy and Betty Wells, owners of the V7 Ranch outside of Paulden.
Along with the 312-acre parcel, the Wells donated an additional 160 acres as part of a land protection agreement, enabling the Conservancy to create the Verde River Springs Preserve.
For the last 35 years, The Nature Conservancy has purchased and overseen the protection of properties deemed by the organization to be the 'last great places on earth.'
But in recent years the organization has changed its emphasis, dedicating more of its time and resources to purchasing properties and less to managing.
When The Nature Conservancy purchased the Verde Spring property it did so with the intent of selling it off to the State of Arizona.
Last week, Arizona Game and Fish announced it had completed the purchase of 292 acres of the preserve to be included in their already existing Upper Verde River Wildlife Area.
'We have been trying to purchase the property for over a decade,' said Josh Avey, habitat branch chief for Arizona Game and Fish, "It will tie together the parcels in the wildlife area."
The 292 acres was purchased with $4.6 million from the state's Heritage Fund, which is funded by lottery proceeds and currently at risk of being raided by the state legislature.
The Upper Verde Wildlife Area is a sanctuary for many species of native fish including the endangered spikedace and the Gila chub.
The Nature Conservancy will retain ownership of the 20-acre parcel containing the majority of the springs.
According to TNC spokesman Dan Campbell, the organization plans to work with Game and Fish and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore Stillman Lake, a nature retention pond at the headwaters.
The lake, located just upstream from the springs, is currently stocked with non-native fish, which they plan to remove and restock with native species.
"We would also like to be able to monitor both the quantity and quality of the water at the springs," said Campbell.
