Dear Friends of the Verde River,

The Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition is an organization formed by Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt and Yavapai County with a stated mission to help protect the Upper Verde River Watershed area and its flows. So far the group has done anything but that. With its first meeting, it violated open meeting laws. In its second meeting, the group agreed to spend $27,000 for a two-year review of two recently completed and already peer-reviewed U.S. Geological Survey studies on the Verde River. The coalition’s real goal is clear: to discredit any science that may get in the way of the Big Chino Water Ranch Pipeline Project, wasting time and money in the process – NOT to protect flows in the Upper Verde.

This group begs to be watch-dogged, and citizens like you are just the ones to do it! Please plan to attend the next coalition meeting on Wednesday, September 27, at 2 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Prescott City Hall, 201 S. Cortez Street, Prescott, Ariz. Check our online calendar for future meetings. Your presence will make a difference!

Volunteer to Save the Verde!
Hang out with the Center for Biological Diversity and Save the Verde campaign at Verde River Days at Dead Horse Ranch State Park on Saturday, September 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please join us Friday evening, October 6, from 5:30 to 7:30, at the Grove in Prescott (119 Grove Avenue) for another fun evening of letter-writing to Save the Verde! Food and beverages will be provided, as well as everything you need to write letters to local newspaper editors and decision-makers. Contact Ashley Fine at 928-533-4309 or creasotebsh@yahoo.com for more information.

Little Drop of Water
If it’s on the Web site, it’s official! The Center has kicked off the Little Drop of Water project! In less than two weeks and with limited outreach, we have collected more than 60 beautifully decorated “Little Drops.” Droplets will be available at the letter-writing party, or download your own today from the http://savetheverde.org/ Web site. Write your notes for the Verde, promise to conserve water or request protection of the river’s flows, and mail them to us at Little Drop of Water, Center for Biological Diversity, P.O. Box 39629, Phoenix, AZ 85069.  

Calendar
Please check out our updated calendar of events! Note the numerous volunteer opportunities to help the campaign with outreach! If you have an item for the calendar, please contact Andrew Somerville at 928-445-0755 or andrewsome@hotmail.com.

Special thanks to the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (http://www.cwagaz.org/), Prescott Creeks and others for providing calendar entries and information.

Another Reminder
The Sierra Club has a “hands-on” opportunity to help the Verde River! You can help with water quality testing in the upper segment of the Verde River by participating in the Water Sentinels program. Contact Tom Slaback at 928-778-4233.

The Center for Biological Diversity appreciates your interest and involvement in the Save the Verde campaign. Please visit http://savetheverde.org/ for other news and updates. You can also make a donation to this campaign from the Web site! Please consider contributing if you haven’t done so already.

For more information on how to get involved, contact Ashley or Andrew. You may also contact Michelle Harrington, the Center’s Rivers Program Director, at 602-628-9909 or mharrington@biologicaldiversity.org.