Save the Verde!
Center for Biological Diversity 
Update & Calendar 

Greetings,

Water issues are boiling! And because it’s been a month since our last update, this one is jam-packed. Not only has Arizona Department of Water Resources proposed rule changes on priority rights for Big Chino water, Chino Valley plans to annex 3,000+ acres, and Prescott Valley has scheduled its second effluent water auction. It’s more important than ever to DEMAND A PLAN and hold your elected officials accountable for their actions that affect the future of the Verde River. As recently expressed in a letter to the editor, “It will take hard work, cooperation and a shift in the way we legislate land and water in Arizona to save this jewel in the desert, the Verde River.” (Bob Rothrock in The Arizona Republic, September 8, 2007)

Our generous supporter and “dad, artist, teacher, conservationist, paddler,” Ron Harvey has donated an original, framed, 24” X 18” painting entitled “Sunrise on the Lower Verde” for raffle to benefit the Center for Biological Diversity’s Save the Verde campaign. The Frame and I Gallery provided the expert framing and is displaying the painting at 229 W. Gurley Street in Prescott. Every cent of your $5 ticket price goes directly to efforts to conserve upper Verde River critters and their habitat, so don’t miss the chance to hang this masterpiece on your wall and give a little (or a lot!) to protect the river you love.

Stop by the Frame and I before October 31 and enter your chance to win a painting for you and a better future for the Verde! You out-of-towners won’t miss out; contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204, and we’ll work out a raffle ticket purchase.

“I want this river to be here, not just this year, but every year, so that my children and yours can share the view seen in this painting. If we all give just a little bit of ourselves, we can do it, just as millions of little drops can create a river.” – Ron Harvey

To find out more about Ron Harvey, the Verde River Network, and to view this painting visit (and become a friend): www.myspace.com/theverderiver.

New Feature
The Verde “Fishing for Answers” Quiz!

Question: What is the primary reason that out of 36 original native fish species in Arizona, one is extinct, 22 are either listed as threatened or endangered or are candidates for listing, and two have been extirpated from Arizona? (Answer located at the bottom of the page.)

Bumper Stickers – Here, There and Everywhere!
Our fabulous SaveTheVerde.org bumper stickers are now available. Got River? Stop by the Aspen Conference Room at 119 Grove Ave., Prescott, to get some for you and your friends, or call or email Joanne and make your car or bicycle a moving ad for Verde River conservation.

Volunteer Toolkits Now Available!
Now available in a convenient folder, handy, essential information including talking points, Top 10 Ways to Save the Verde, simple hydrology, bumper sticker, printed letters to send to elected officials, water droplet to decorate and add to our strings, and a calendar of events where you can make a difference. Contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204.

Calendar
Check out the latest calendar of events! If you have an item for the calendar or want more information, please contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204 or Michelle at (602) 628-9909.

Chino Valley Assured Water Supply Application rejected by ADWR
On August 13, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) sent Chino Valley back to the drawing board to better explain their application for an Assured Water Supply (AWS) for 8,000 acre-feet/year of water they plan to pump from the Garlic Farm in the Big Chino sub-basin. In short, Chino Valley’s application and the hydrology report by Errol Montgomery were found lacking, with arbitrary boundaries that did not include projected impacts to the Verde River. ADWR requested proof of property ownership and proof of water availability, the latter of which included copies of well logs that support assumptions made in the submitted hydrogeology report, the annual projected drawdown rate, an analysis of the cumulative impacts of other projects, a reconsideration of the hydrologic boundaries used in their study, and more recent data on depth to groundwater. The clock is ticking as Chino Valley was given only 60 days to provide the requested information or face denial of their application.

Next Upper Verde River Watershed Protection Coalition meeting - September 26
Please come to the Prescott City Council Chambers (201 South Cortez, Prescott) at 2 p.m. on September 26 and give your opinion about the Coalition’s selection of a consulting firm for managing their so-called “watershed protection.” Last month, the Coalition agreed on the importance of Howard Mechanic’s concepts: safe-yield, upper Verde River flow requirements, protection of private property rights, and management plans, but reported, “We believe at this time it is premature to form any subcommittees or additional working groups until the program manager has interfaced with the coalition and staff working group.” Attend this meeting and encourage the timely implementation of management and protection for the upper Verde River and Big Chino Sub-basin, including responsible growth measures. See our calendar  for more information about this month’s presentation by Dan Campbell of The Nature Conservancy.

Commit: Your letters or blog and article comments WEEKLY in the local media
Take advantage of public media opportunities (some listed below under “Who’s Saying What”) to hold the decision-makers accountable. Insist on maintaining base flows of the Verde River and a regional water management plan that addresses growth. Contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204 for assistance or information.

PV Effluent Auction Moves Forward
After a year’s delay, Prescott Valley intends to sell off water rights for private profit on October 29-30. According to the auction website (http://www.waterexchange.com/auction/): “The Town of Prescott Valley, Arizona, ("Town") is auctioning the sole and exclusive contractual right and interest to sell or pledge 2,724 acre-feet of annual effluent water ("Effluent") approved by State regulators for use as a 100-year assured water supply for economic development or other purposes.”

But should city water, a public interest, be turned into a private commodity? Here’s a link to an interesting article pertaining to the Edwards Aquifer in Texas where Aqua Capital Management LP, the company with a Price Floor Agreement on the PV effluent, holds rights (and profits): www.tpj.org/watchyourassets/aquifer/index.html.

Comments due 9/24 for SRP’s Horseshoe-Bartlett Habitat Conservation Plan
Since 2002, endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatchers have been establishing territories in trees in the lakebed of Horseshoe Reservoir on the Verde River north of Phoenix. Salt River Project (SRP) dam operations continue to fill this reservoir and therefore submerge the vegetation that forms the habitat of the flycatcher. To mitigate the effects of this lost habitat, SRP is developing plans to purchase suitable flycatcher habitat in the Verde Valley. Also at risk from SRP dam operations and requiring mitigation are the native fish of the Verde. SRP and the City of Phoenix have pledged over $8 million over 50 years for mitigation to obtain an incidental take permit which allows them to operate their Verde River dams in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. See the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website for more information about the plan and how to provide comments: www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/HCPs.htm#BartlettHorseshoeHCP

The Arizona Department of Water Resources Proposes Rule Modifications
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has established an informal stakeholder group to facilitate public input on proposed rule modification of the assured and adequate water supply rules. In addition to technical correction of drafting errors, the proposed rules will cover three areas: modification of the depth exemption rule in the adequacy program, rule on the inclusion of grey water for assured and adequate water supply applications, and a rule clarifying the relative priority dates for areas involving importing groundwater into Active Management Areas (AMA’s). To view a summary of the proposed changes, visit www.azwater.gov/dwr/ and scroll down to “Hot Topics.” A public Cottonwood meeting is planned for September 27 (see calendar for details).

Municipalities are competing for water resources in the Big Chino Sub-basin, and ADWR decisions are pivotal in outcomes for water availability throughout the region. Yet no plan is in place to protect the upper Verde as the towns spar over the same water. Chino Valley continues to expand aggressively, and its demands for groundwater should be of extreme concern to all of us. Wednesday’s Courier article offers details on their proposed 3,783-acre annexation:

Chino Valley council to consider annexing property north of town
www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=47628

The Arizona Water Atlas Now Available for the Entire State
As a result of high growth rates, physically and legally limited water supplies, drought, economic constraints and relatively little comprehensive water resource planning and management, water supplies are stressed in some parts of Arizona.  The Arizona Department of Water Resources has collected and synthesized currently available water-related information for the State of Arizona into a water atlas, organized by planning area.

While you are at the ADWR home page, open the Arizona Water Atlas by scrolling down further or clicking on www.azwater.gov/dwr/Content/Find_by_Program/Rural_Programs/content/water_atlas/default.htm.

You might be surprised at what you’ll learn.

Who’s Saying What
The media heats up! Visit the links below to see who’s saying what about growth, water, open space, and quality of life.

Arizona Republic Online Letter to the Editor:

On September 8, the Republic published Bob Rothrock’s powerful statements in “Shift priorities to save Verde River”:

www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0908satlets084.html.

Let’s build on his inspiration and keep Arizona’s history of neglecting desert river protection from repeating itself. Please comment on this letter at the bottom of the article as others have!

Verde River MySpace:

Join the “Verde River Network” by becoming a friend of Verde River MySpace Post a comment of your own, add to the conservation message, or say hello to Ron at: www.myspace.com/theverderiver.

Be sure to purchase your raffle tickets ($5 each) for a chance to win “Sunrise on the Lower Verde” by visiting the Frame and I, 229 W. Gurley Street in Prescott, or sending a check or money order made out to Center for Biological Diversity, 119 Grove Ave., Ste. B, Prescott, AZ 86301-2902. Contact Joanne for more information at (928) 772-8204. All of the raffle sales proceeds will go to the Center for Biological Diversity’s Save the Verde Campaign.

Online Letters to the Editor:

RESPOND TO A LETTER -

You read em’ – why not add your own comment? It’s easy. Follow the link to see what’s up in the Prescott Daily Courier, then respond with your own opinion.
www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&TM=45724.7. Most newspapers provide comment space after letters to the editor.

OR SUBMIT YOUR OWN -

Prescott Daily Courier
www.dcourier.com/Formlayout.asp?formcall=userform&form=1

Verde Independent
http://verdeindependent.1upsoftware.com/Formlayout.asp?formcall=userform&form=1

Prescott Valley Tribune
jherrmann@prescottaz.com

The Arizona Republic
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html

Blogs and More Blogs:

CourierWatch
http://courierwatch.blogspot.com/

Press Pass
www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=109&SubSectionID=172&l=1

Citizen Journalist Blog
You can simply use this site or register to conduct a forum on this site. www.dcourier.com/FormLayout.asp?Formcall=CJ_Reg&SectionID=111

Waterblogged by Shaun McKinnon
“Follow the currents, from the snowpack to the rivers, to the lakes and aquifers, to the people who control it all.” www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/ShaunMcKinnon

Article Comment Submission Forms:

If you want to express yourself on the spot, this is for you. Online editions of most newspapers leave space after articles for YOUR comments. Let the readers know your opinion while it’s fresh!

Volunteer for Action-Packed Events!
Come on out with our staff and others like you who settle for nothing less than full protection of the Upper Verde River. Please join us at one or more of these events and help inform community members of the threat and how they can help. The more visible our campaign becomes, we can expect people to change from interested to INVOLVED. Contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204.

SEP 20 to SEP 23 – Thursday through Sunday
2007 YAVAPAI COUNTY FAIR - Call Joanne to help staff our Save the Verde table and receive a free admission pass for the day! Talk to fair-goers about the river and then go have some fun at the fair! Parking is free for all.

SEP 29 – Saturday
Arizona State Parks is celebrating 50 Years with VERDE RIVER DAY.

OCT 3 – Wednesday
The Ripple Project, a service learning initiative of Prescott College, invites you to CONNECT YOUR COMMUNITY, a forum for awareness and discussion about the most pressing issues in Yavapai County.

House Parties Get the Word Out About Verde River Conservation!
Want to do something special for the Verde?  Host a letter-writing house party!  All you have to do is let us know you want to host a party, invite a few friends, provide some food and beverages, and we'll show up with some entertainment, ideas and materials.  We want to continue sending letters to elected officials about protecting habitat protection for the upper Verde River. If you're short on friends who can help, we'll find some for you — our phone list is growing!  Please contact Joanne at (928) 772-8204 if you're interested in hosting a House Party.

Visit SaveTheVerde.org
And click to Take Action!  From the site you can send letters to the editor of local papers and send letters to decision-makers.  You don't have to wait for a house party! Send a letter now!!  You can also download a Little Drop of Water to decorate and send us.

Make a Contribution
The Center for Biological Diversity appreciates your interest and involvement in the Save the Verde campaign.  Please visit savetheverde.org for other news and updates.  You can make a donation to this campaign from the secure Web site.  Please contribute today!

The Verde “Fishing for Answers” Quiz Answer: Habitat loss