Wild Arizona

January 1 December 31, 2023 Program Service AccomplishmentsWILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Wild Stew: Wild Stew is dedicated to restoring and protecting wilderness areas and other wild lands across Arizona to preserve ecological integrity. Arizona has 90 designated wilderness areas and agency resources are insufficient to address needs such as habitat restoration, trail maintenance, erosion control, removal of invasive species, installation of signage and wilderness stewardship activities. Wild Arizonas Wild Stew program employs a professional field crew to address these needs, while connecting volunteers to outdoor experiences in the wild. In concert with stewardship activities, we provide ecological and socio-cultural education to inform and inspire conservation advocacy.In 2023, Wild Stew completed projects in wilderness and wildland areas located in the Tonto, Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Gila and Coronado National Forests, as well as along the Colorado River corridor in the Lees Ferry area, where Grand Canyon National Park adjoins Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Project partners included: Tonto and Coronado National Forest District Offices, National Forest Foundation, National Wilderness Stewardship Council, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Arizona Water Protection Fund, Friends of the Verde, Friends of Cave Creek, and Chiricahua Regional Council. In 2023, 224 Wild Stew volunteers provided 3,600 hours of service.Apache-Sitgreaves National ForestWild Arizonas Wild Stew field crew improved 33.6 miles of trail and removed 614 downed logs.Volunteers provided 1,010 hours of service to improve an additional 9 miles of trail and remove 109 logs. Coronado National Forest2023 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program: Wild Arizona hired and led a team of 10 teenage youth to complete 7.2 miles of trail maintenance and construction on the Raspberry Ridge Trail #228, Rucker Canyon Trail #222, Crest Trail #270, and the Greenhouse Trail #248. Additionally, the YCC crew cut 31 downed logs from the area.Sky Island Trail Maintenance and Improvement: Wild Arizonas Wild Stew field crew completed trail maintenance in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, working two consecutive hitches on the Romero Trail (1.4 miles of tread repaired, 38 steps built, 58 drains built) and Linda Vista Trail (3 miles brushed, 7 steps built, 2 drains built). We also held two volunteer events with Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists on Mt. Graham, totaling 450 hours. Additionally, Wild Arizonas crew completed trail maintenance in Romero Canyon (5.3 miles brushed,45 drains built or restored, 1.5 miles of rock work, 5.3 miles worked).Sierra Vista District Roads and Trail Improvements: Work was completed in the Huachucas, Ida and Oversight Loop. The Wild Stew crew repaired/constructed 330 media luna water mitigation structures across numerous listed and unlisted sections.Tonto National ForestRestoring Arizonas Desert Creeks: Assessment and treatment plans were developed for the 75 acre project site: Arnett Creek, Telegraph Canyon and Telegraph Fire burn area. Treatment was carried out on 34 acres. Four volunteer events were held, totaling 570 hours of volunteer service.Queen Creek Habitat Restoration: We started treatment on 11 acres of invasive plants in the Queen Creek Corridor, in a new project tied to the Arizona Desert Creeks restoration effort.Sierra Ancha and Salome Wilderness Areas: Wild Arizonas crew completed trail assessments on 11 trails within the Sierra Ancha and Salome Wilderness areas of the Tonto NF.Highline Trail: Wild Stew Field Crews completed phase 1 of the Highline project, through 5 80-hour field crew hitches. We increased user safety and reduced deferred maintenance and long term maintenance requirements by decommissioning and rehabilitating 5.9 miles of unsustainable trail, renaturalizing 50+ combined feet in length of intersections and old trail, constructing over 400 media luna water mitigation structures. 40 volunteers completed 400 volunteer hours of effort on the Highline Trail.Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation AreaParia Beach Restoration: Volunteers from Page High School propagated 75 rooted cuttings of willow and cottonwood poles in the Page High School Greenhouse. Wild Stew crew transported the cuttings to Paria Beach and planted them along with 177 additional rooted and unrooted stems. Additionally, watering, seeding and monitoring of trees and native shrubs, and maintenance of protective fencing and cutting of small resprout branches of tamarisk was completed during the year, along with an inventory of birds, inverts, herps, and small mammals.ENDURING PROTECTION, POLICY & PLANNING: This program proactively addresses diverse public lands, wildlife, and water issues facing Arizona, seeking to expand preservation of wilderness areas, natural waters, cultural landscapes and broad regional movement corridors through administrative, legislative, and executive plans and actions. Wild Arizona works with agencies, organizations, and constituents to advance landscape-scale conservation across Arizona in our Wild Connections framework, encompassing landscape and waterway protections within regional-scale corridors for sustaining wildlife, wilderness recreation, intact and functional ecosystems, and Indigenous communities. In 2023, we moved forward on focused campaigns for the Grand Canyon to the Gila; Verde-San Pedro Rivers; and Southern Sky Islands/Borderlands priority Wild Connections; on Colorado River adaptive management program activities; and on a proposed Lobo Trail across the Mogollon Rim of AZ/NM to build conservation support for the area.AZ 30X30/Conservation Coalition: WildAZ helped lead and contributed to coalition meetings and subgroups/campaign teams, including two coalition workshops in 2023 to develop campaign messaging, strategy, and timelines around the global/national 30x30 initiative and to generate support for associated land and water protections. Enduring protection of nearly 1 million acres on the rimlands of Grand Canyon as a national monument, to be co-managed with 13 affiliated Tribes, was successfully secured in August 2023 and a significant step toward 30x30 goals in Arizona. Verde-San Pedro-Gila Rivers Wild Connection: Provided public comment to the Prescott NFs Upper Verde River Wild & Scenic suitability EA, leading to a decision of finding all 4 segments (38.2 mi) suitable. Continued efforts to develop Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River legislation, with input and leadership from Yavapai-Apache Nation (YAN). Conducted and assisted outreach in DC in fall 2023 including travel for YAN Tribal Chairwoman Tanya Lewis who attended meetings with Arizona congressional leaders. Cohosted the Wild Rivers Film Festival (American Rivers) fundraiser and awareness event for the Verde, as a member organization of the Wild Verde River CoalitionPrescott. Continued gaining broad bipartisan support from business supporters, community orgs and local governments with letters of support and resolutions, and with positive media coverage. Grand Canyon to the Gila Wild Connection: Achieved establishment of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni, Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument on August 8, 2023, protecting just under 1 million acres, and the culmination of nearly two decades of conservation advocacy toward the vision of our cofounder Kim Crumbo, for a national monument on the rimlands of Grand Canyon. Through outreach materials and content, press statements, take action petitions, social media content, opeds, and short film, plus several indigenous awareness events, including Rumble on the Rim at Grand Canyon, and supportive comments we presented at public and community meetings, we helped deliver a final supporter list to the Administration with over 100 outdoor businesses and approximately 150,000 petition signers, all in support of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalitions call for monument designation. Sky Islands/Borderlands Wild Connection: In 2023, we worked on producing a campaign and strategy overview document and coordinating an active Sky Islands protection campaign working group, added conservation partners. Worked together to identify key regional stakeholders and conducted initial stakeholder meetings.Colorado River Wild Connection: In 2023, Wild Arizonas Grand Canyon Wildlands Council (GCWC) distributed the 8th printing of The Colorado River in Grand Canyon, River Map & Guidereaches more than 22,000 commercial river rafting passengers annually with educational information about the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. GCWC continued to lead a 'resource' group of Adaptive Management Program (AMP) stakeholders of the Adaptive Management Work Group, to strengthen conservation and tribal voices and their participation in informing Department of Interior decision-making on dam operations, with science based advisement to protect and enhance the Colorado River ecosystem in Glen and Grand