VVPOA NATURE PRESERVE

The Verde River is so important to the Verde Valley and all of Arizona. It’s
protected by the Federal Government as an important waterway. It was doing
just fine until humans came along and decided to put it to use in many ways. The
Verde River has meandered out of its channel and created much of the
bottomland that we walk along, graze cattle and recreate on.
Unfortunately, as we clear and build along the bottomlands, properties are often
greatly changed after flooding occurs. The river diverts when the main channel
becomes blocked with invasive plants and debris. The volunteers have worked
many hours to clear the debris and the VVPOA has worked with other
organizations to clear the invasive plants but the task is an ongoing effort.
The last flash flood at the end of the summer brought huge trees that were cut
somewhere upstream into pieces that are about four feet in diameter by six feet
long. These have lodged into the debris piles and will be stuck until the next flood
or longer because heavy equipment cannot be used on a protected waterway to
remove them.
Recently it has come to our attention that residents along the river have been
cutting brush and taking it onto the VVPOA Nature Preserve, which is private
property. Maybe they didn’t realize that this practice is against the law. This cut
brush, tree branches, twigs and slash is washing downstream in a flash flood
adding to the debris piles that block the main channel of the river. Transfer
stations charge very little and are sometimes free or with a burn permit from the
county, it can be disposed of by fire on your own property.
Please do not add to the problems with of our river by dumping slash in its path
or near the banks where flash flooding will take it farther down. Be a good
neighbor and take care of your own cut brush. Better still, volunteer to work with
organizations that work to protect the Verde River.