Measuring Watershed Health: Lessons from Two Efforts in Arizona

Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 from 12-1 PM

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Join the Arizona Cross Watershed Network on Wednesday Dec 11th 12-1pm for a free webinar about two watershed-wide indicator initiatives in Arizona – Cienega Watershed Partnership’s “State of the Watershed”, and Friends of the Verde River’s “Report Card”.

These efforts provide a periodic snapshot of watershed health to inform watershed and conservation programs, land managers, community leaders and others interested. Presenters will share the processes they each used to: identify and prioritize indicators, collect data and synthesize data, engage stakeholders, and inform decision makers. They will also share lessons, challenges and advice for other watershed groups interested in similar efforts. Participant Q&A and discussion will follow the presentations.

Cienega State of the Watershed

Adriana Zuniga-Teran, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona School of Geography, Development

Larry Fisher, Research Professor Emeritus, UofA School of Natural Resources and the Environment

Launched in 2015 by the Cienega Watershed Partnership, the Cienega State of the Watershed indicators effort aims to improve the health and sustainability of the Cienega Creek watershed through annual collection, synthesis, sharing and discussion of key indicators and their trends.

Verde Watershed Report Card

Tracy Stephens, Program Director, Friends of the Verde River

Launched in 2020, the Verde Watershed Report Card effort, led by Friends of the Verde River, assesses the health of the Verde River watershed. Updated every five years, the report card is shared at the annual State of the Verde Conference. The process began with a collaborative effort to select indicators that accurately reflect watershed health, with input from local stakeholders and experts. The report card tracks progress using these indicators and guides conservation efforts across the region.