Wild Arizona

January 1 December 31, 2022 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 advocacyWild Stew projects completed between January 1 and December 31, 2022 occurred in eight different wilderness and wild land areas located in the Tonto, Coconino, and Coronado National Forests. Project partners include: Tonto and Coronado National Forest District Offices, National Forest Foundation, National Wilderness Stewardship Council, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Friends of the Verde, Friends of Cave Creek, Chiricahua Regional Council, the Portal/Rodeo Hiking Group, the Chiricahua Wilderness Trail Crew, and Sierra Club . In 2022, Wild Stew engaged over 100 volunteers, 47 volunteer days and over 48,000 volunteer-hours.Coronado National Forest2022 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program Wild Arizona led a team of ten teenagers to complete 5.1 miles of trail maintenance and construction on the Cave Creek Nature Trail #603, Silver Peak Trail #280, Burro Trail #240, Brushy Canyon Trail #355, and the South Fork Trail #243. Additionally, we removed mesquite trees in a 2-acre area near the Cave Creek Visitor Information Area.Skills Training for Volunteers Wild Arizona, in partnership with Outslope Trail Solutions provided trail and cross cut trainings for 67 individuals through the facilitation of 9 workshops in the Douglas Ranger District, Sierra Vista Ranger District and Santa Catalina Ranger District.Trail Maintenance and Restoration and Training -Conducted trail maintenance along the Mormon Canyon Trail in the Chiricahua Wilderness: cut over 130 downed trees, built nearly 30 drains, repaired creek crossings and tread along the trail.-Hosted a crosscut saw training and certification with 30 people in attendance.-Conducted 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).-Maintained and rebuilt the upper 1.7 miles of the South Fork Trail #243 and rejoined it with the Crest Trail #270C in the Chiricahua Wilderness. -On the South Fork Trail, Wild Stew collaborated with volunteers from the Chiricahua Wilderness Trail Crew as well as Wild Arizona volunteers to conduct trail restoration.Trail Assessments, Douglas and Safford DistrictTrail condition assessments were performed on 25 miles of National Forest System Trails (NFSTs) within the Miller Peak Wilderness, 12 miles of trail in the Chiricahua Wilderness and 14 miles of trail within the Galiuro Wilderness, using the User Developed Trail (UDT) protocol developed by U.S. Forest Service in partnership.Tonto National Forest - Highline Trail Maintenance and RestorationConducted Maintenance on Highline Trail. Activities: Completed 1.9 miles of corridor clearing including brushing, chainsaw work.With project partners, Arizona Trail Association VETS program, conducted volunteer work on the Highline Trail and See Canyon Trail.Conducted restoration of Arnett Creek. Wild Arizona returned to Arnett Creek and Telegraph Canyon near the Town of Superior, AZ to control the spread of invasive oleander and tamarisk and to repair damage caused by flooding after the 2021 Telegraph Fire. More than 51.5 acres were treated. Coconino National Forest - Fossil Creek Himalayan Blackberry treatmentWith project partners Friends of the Verde River and National Forest Foundation, treated invasive Himalayan Blackberry along Fossil Creek.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 wilderness stewardship and preservation, public lands protection, and conservation management across Arizona in our priority Wild Connections framework. Wild Arizonas Wild Connections framework has proved compelling to our partners and supporters over the past several years. This framework encompasses landscape and waterway protections within regional-scale corridors for sustaining wildlife, wilderness recreation, and Indigenous communities. In the context of the Biden administrations America the Beautiful initiative for community-based climate action through protecting 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, we moved forward in 2022 on specific active campaigns in the Grand Canyon to the Gila; Verde-San Pedro Rivers; and Southern Sky Islands/Borderlands priority Wild Connections.30X30 (a global initiative to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030) in Arizona: Wild Arizona conducted outreach and education about protecting the rimlands of Grand Canyon from new uranium mining and elevated local river outfitter and veterans voices of support for permanent protection. Wild Arizona also helped launch a new coalition communications plan and campaign strategy plan, to foster support during the ongoing legislative effort. Additionally, Wild Arizona cosponsored the 'Gathering of the Clans' Indigenous event in Phoenix, Rumble on the Mountain 8 in Flagstaff, and an Indigenous outreach/edutainment tour, Rumble on the Road, to help carry their stories of protecting Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, and of the historic injustices to Indigenous peoples, from California to Minnesota.Verde-San Pedro-Gila Rivers Wild Connection: WildAZ assisted creating and implementing campaign and communications plans, developing materials and website, and conducting community based outreach and organizing with local officials and businesses to support designating the Upper Verde River as a Wild & Scenic River.Grand Canyon to the Gila Wild Connection: WildAZ continued collaborating with a long-standing coalition of organizations, individuals, and tribal representatives to secure a permanent uranium mining withdrawal for over 1 million acres currently under a temporary administrative withdrawal on the north and south rimlands of Grand Canyon. WildAZ played a major role mobilizing outdoor and Veterans communities for support of the Native Nations-led effort that culminated in House passage and subsequent Senate introduction of the Grand Canyon Protection Act.Sky Islands/Borderlands Wild Connection: Wild Arizona and partner group Natural Allies compiled, revised, and updated the draft map and management prescriptions for the proposed Sky Island National Conservation Area, following on earlier discussions with local tribal leaders, and input from The Wilderness Society and American Rivers. We conducted outreach with Pima County Natural Resource Division, non-traditional allies such as hunters and ranchers, and also individual community leaders in rural Graham and Cochise Counties, with positive responses to an NCA designation. In addition, the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources Climate Science Team is a partner in this effort to designate the Sky Islands NCA, to protect this landscape from climate change and establish a climate research center at the university.Colorado River Wild Connection: Wild Arizonas Grand Canyon Wildlands Council (GCWC) by WildAZ continued to distribute its River Map & Guide book, including the Glen Canyon Dam chapter and stewardship recommendations. In 2022 WildAZ/GCWC continued to lead a 'resource' group of Adaptive Management Program (AMP) stakeholders to strengthen conservation and tribal voices and their participation in informing decision-making by the Department of Interior to protect and enhance the Colorado River ecosystem in Glen and Grand Canyons. With unprecedented warm water flows, the Canyon and its native fishes are in grave risk of invasion by smallmouth bass (smb) coming through the dam. We helped develop an smb strategic plan, as part of the SMB Adhoc, for rapid response, monitoring, and prevention strategies, to save the threatened Humpback Chub from possible extirpation. GCWC also successfully conducted our riparian restoration project on NPS-administered lands at Paria Beach near Lees Ferry on the Colorado River downstream of the mouth of the Paria River, starting with an NPS prescr