Status of Arizona Coordinated Resource Management Efforts Field

Status of Arizona Coordinated Resource Management Efforts

Field Groups for Ranch Planning

Arizona Strip • Agencies & Groups: AZSLD, BLM, CE, NRCD, NRCS and USFS • Number of CRM ranches: 6 • Notes: The agencies do not meet on a regular schedule. Individuals work together on a case by case basis as needed depending upon the ranch that is being planned or monitored. Three CRM plans are currently being developed. Flagstaff • Agencies & Groups: NRCS and USFS • Number of CRM ranches: 2 • Notes: There has been no scheduled meeting of the agencies to discuss planning efforts. Two plans have been developed with another plan at the beginning stages.

Lower Mohave County • Last met: 4/15/08 • Agencies & Groups: AZG&FD, AZSLD, BLM, CE, NRCD and NRCS • Number of CRM ranches: 4 • Notes: Currently working on one large plan. Navajo County • Last met: 9/7/06 • Number of attendees: 9 • Agencies & Groups (# of representatives): AG&FD (3), ranchers (2), USFS (2), ASLD (1) and NRCS (1) • Number of CRM ranches: 3 • Notes: The group meets as needed on a ranch by ranch basis. NRCS, AG&FD, ASLD & USFS are currently working on large scale brush management over three ranches encompassing almost an entire watershed.

Prescott • Last met: 1/07 • Number of attendees: 21 • Agencies & Groups (# of representatives): USFS (12), NRCS (6), ranchers (2) and AZG&FD (1) • Number of CRM ranches: 3 • Notes: Currently, 5 ranches are being planned involving NRCS, USFS & BLM. Springerville • Notes: No planning group exists at this time. The Forest Service has encouraged it’s permitees to begin CRM planning processes on their ranches and 12 are currently signed up as interested. • • Tonto Last met: 5/22/07 Number of attendees: 25 Agencies & Groups (# of representatives): NRCS (12), USFS (9), Gila County Cattle Growers (3), AZG&FD (1), CE (1) and NRCD (1) • Number of CRM ranches: 34 • Notes: 8 new CRM planning efforts are in place for this year.

Tucson • Last met: 8/13/08 • Number of attendees: 16 • Agencies & Groups (# of representatives): NRCS (4), AZSLD (4), Pima Co. (4) BLM (2), AZG&FD (1) and CE (1) • Number of CRM ranches: 10 • Notes: This group meets yearly, in the fall. A quarter of the ranches on the work group list were developed using the CRM planning method. There are 37 potential CRM planning efforts listed by the group. Willcox • Last met: 8/12/08 • Number of attendees: 16 • Agencies & Groups (# of representatives): NRCS (5), AZG&FD (5), USFS (1), AZSLD (2), BLM (2) and CE (1) • Number of CRM ranches: 13 • Notes: This group meets yearly, generally in the fall. Coordination is mostly centered upon monitoring efforts on existing cooperative plans. A quarter of the listed ranches are planned using the CRM format. There are 44 potential CRM planning efforts listed by the group.

Inventory & Assessment of Current Watershed Scale Planning & Implementation Efforts

Watershed Scale Efforts

Bill Williams Big Sandy NRCD Bill Williams River Corridor Steering Committee Chino Winds NRCD Cocopai RC&D Council Hualapai Tribe Kingman Habitat Partnership Committee Lower Colorado River RC&D Council Lower Mohave County CRM Field Group Prescott Habitat Partnership Committee Triangle NRCD Wickenburg NRCD

Colorado/Grand Canyon Arizona Strip CRM Field Group Big Sandy NRCD Coconino Plateau Water Advisory County Committee Cocopai RC&D Council Flagstaff CRM Field Group Forage Resource Study Group Fredonia Habitat Partnership Committee Fredonia NRCD Havasupai Tribe Hualapai NRCD Hualapai Tribe Kaibab-Paiute Tribes Kingman Habitat Partnership Committee Little Colorado River SWCD Littlefield-Hurricane Valley NRCD Lower Colorado River RC&D Council Lower Mohave County CRM Field Group Navajo Mountain SWCD Navajo Nation RC&D Council Northwest Arizona Watershed Council Salinity Control Forum

Little Colorado/San Juan Alpine-Springerville Habitat Partnership Committee Apache NRCD Chinle SWCD Coconino NRCD Cocopai RC&D Council Diablo Trust Flagstaff CRM Field Group Flagstaff-Williams Habitat Partnership Committee Forage Resource Study Group Fort Defiance SWCD Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership Hopi Tribe Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D Council Little Colorado River SWCD Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council Moenkopi NRCD Navajo County CRM Field Group Navajo County NRCD Navajo Mountain SWCD Navajo Nation RC&D Council Shiprock SWCD Show Low Creek Watershed Enhancement Partnership Show Low Habitat Partnership Committee Silver Creek Advisory Commission Upper Little Colorado River Watershed Partnership Winslow Habitat Partnership Committee Zuni Pueblo

Lower Colorado/Lower Gila Bard NRCD Big Sandy NRCD Buckeye Valley NRCD Cocopah Tribe Colorado River Tribes Coronado RC&D Council Fort Mohave Tribe Gila Bend NRCD Hohokam RC&D Council Kingman Habitat Partnership Committee Laguna NRCD Lower Colorado River RC&D Council Lower Mohave County CRM Field Group Northwest Arizona Watershed Council Parker Valley NRCD Quechan Tribe Salinity Control Forum Southwest Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee Tohono O’odham Nation Tohono O’odham SWCD Wellton-Mohawk Valley NRCD Wickenburg NRCD Yuma Heritage Crossing Yuma NRCD

Middle Gila/Agua Fria-New River NRCD Buckeye Valley NRCD Chino Winds NRCD Cocopai RC&D Council East Maricopa NRCD Florence-Coolidge NRCD Gila Bend NRCD Gila River Indian Community Gila River NRCD Hohokam RC&D Council Lower Colorado River RC&D Council Pima/Pinal/Santa Cruz CRM Field Group Prescott Habitat Partnership Committee Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community San Carlos Apache NRCD San Carlos Tribes Southern Yavapai Water Advisory Group Tonto NRCD Triangle NRCD Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership Wickenburg NRCD Winkleman NRCD

Salt Apache NRCD Coronado RC&D Council East Maricopa NRCD Hohokam RC&D Council Northern Gila County Water Planning Alliance Payson Natural Resources Committee Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community San Carlos Apache NRCD San Carlos Apache Tribes Tonto CRM Field Group Tonto NRCD White Mountain Apache Tribes Yavapai-Apache Nation

San Pedro/San Bernardino Campomocho-Sacaton Watershed Group Cochise CRM Field Group Community Watershed Alliance Coronado RC&D Council Gila Valley NRCD Graham/Greenlee CRM Field Group Hay Mountain Working Group Hereford NRCD Hohokam RC&D Council Malpai Borderlands Group Redington NRCD San Carlos Apache Tribes Santa Cruz NRCD Tucson CRM Field Group Upper San Pedro Partnership Whitewater Draw NRCD Willcox-San Simon NRCD Winkleman NRCD

Santa Cruz Altar Valley Conservation Alliance Canelo Hills Coalition Cienega Corridor Conservation Council Cienega Watershed Partnership Coronado RC&D Council Eloy NRCD Friends of Sonoita Creek Friends of the Santa Cruz River Gila Bend NRCD Gila River Indian Community Gila River NRCD Hohokam RC&D Council Pascua Yaqui Tribe Pima Association of Governments Watershed Planning Subcommittee Pima NRCD Pima/Pinal/Santa Cruz CRM Field Group Santa Cruz NRCD San Xavier Community Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership Tohono O’odham Nation Tohono O’odham SWCD Tucson Habitat Partnership Committee West Pinal NRCD

Upper Gila Apache NRCD Cochise CRM Field Group Coronado RC&D Council Gila Valley NRCD Gila Watershed Partnership Graham/Greenlee CRM Field Group Hohokam RC&D Council Little Colorado River Plateau RC&D Council Malpai Borderlands Group Safford Habitat Partnership Committee San Carlos Apache NRCD San Carlos Apache Tribes Tonto CRM Field Group Upper Eagle Creek/Blue River Watershed Association Whitewater Draw NRCD Willcox-San Simon NRCD

Verde Chino Winds NRCD Citizens Water Advocacy Group Coconino NRCD Cocopai RC&D Council East Maricopa NRCD Flagstaff CRM Field Group Flagstaff-Williams Habitat Partnership Committee Forage Resource Study Group Fort Mc. Dowell Yavapai Nation Hohokam RC&D Council Hyde Mountain Vista Group Oak Creek Canyon Task Force Payson Natural Resources Committee Prescott Creeks Preservation Association Prescott CRM Field Group Prescott Habitat Partnership Committee Stewards of Public Lands Tonto CRM Field Group Tonto NRCD Verde River Citizens Alliance Verde Watershed Association Yavapai-Apache Nation Yavapai County Water Advisory Committee Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe

Highlighted Resource Management Efforts

Bill Williams (ADEQ lead) • The Bill Williams River Corridor Steering Committee is an existing entity that is actively carrying out conservation planning and implementation in the Bill Williams watershed. The Group feels that this effort needs to be encouraged and where possible, strengthened by AZ CRM. Colorado/Grand Canyon (NRCS lead) • There is no single example of coordinated conservation representing the entire Watershed that currently exists. Various groups have limited interests in specific portions of the Watershed. It was mentioned that the Salinity Control Forum is the group that meets regularly and does have an interest over the entire watershed, though this area is only a portion of their entire area of concern. It was agreed that the Arizona Strip, Flagstaff and Lower Mohave County CRM Field Groups need to be reinvigorated to encourage the CRM planning process in this area.

Little Colorado/San Juan (ADEQ lead) • The Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council meets regularly to plan and discuss conservation needs in this area. AZ CRM needs to stay in touch with its effort and assist where it can. Lower Colorado/Lower Gila (NRCS lead) • There is no single example of coordinated conservation representing the entire Watershed that currently exists. The Lower Mohave County CRM Field Group includes a portion of the far north, and is beginning to become reinvigorated in the CRM ranch planning process. Challenges in this watershed include the fact that the water rights at this point are fully appropriated and activity seems to be centered upon operation and maintenance. Other challenges arise from the ephemeral nature of many of the grazing lands in this area and the large tracts of military lands in the southern portion.

Middle Gila/Agua Fria (NRCS lead) • There is no single example of coordinated conservation representing the entire Watershed that currently exists. Various groups have limited interests in specific portions of the Watershed. The Pima/Pinal/Santa Cruz CRM Field Group is effective and active yet covers only the southeast third of this Watershed. The Prescott CRM Field Group covers the north third of this area and it is starting to become effective. Salt (ADEQ lead) • There is no single example of coordinated conservation representing the entire Watershed that currently exists. Various groups have limited interests in specific portions of the Watershed. Representing the western half of the area, the Tonto CRM Field Group represents the most active and widespread CRM effort currently taking place. The rest of the watershed could be represented by a coordinated effort between, the San Carlos and White Mountain Apache Tribes along with a CRM Field Group effort based out of Springerville, which currently does not exist.

San Pedro/San Bernardino (BLM lead) • There are three groups who are actively planning and meeting in this Watershed though individually, each one encompasses only a portion of the whole. Together, the three groups’ areas of interest make up most of the Watershed area. These three groups are the Community Watershed Alliance, Malpai Borderlands Group and the Upper San Pedro Partnership. The work of these Groups should be encouraged and strengthened by AZ CRM. Santa Cruz (NRCS lead) • Two active groups have areas of concern that encompass this Watershed. The two groups are the Friends of the Santa Cruz River and the Pima Association of Governments Watershed Planning Subcommittee. These groups should be encouraged in their conservation efforts where appropriate by AZ CRM.

Upper Gila (BLM lead) • The Gila Watershed Partnership is an active, effective effort towards resource conservation that works in their Watershed area. This group should be encouraged and strengthened by AZ CRM. Verde (AZG&F lead) • The Verde Watershed Association and the Yavapai County Water Advisory Committee are active groups meeting regularly on resource related issues in this Watershed area. These groups need to be encouraged by AZ CRM.

Recommendations • Create, Encourage, or Keep Out of the Way?