New Publication about Geologic History of Flagstaff and the Rio de Flag
Check out this new trail guide and geologic description of the Rio de Flag.
The Arizona Geological Survey has just released this online publication that explores the origin and geology of the Rio de Flag by Dr. Richard Holm, retired NAU professor of Geology and long time resident of Flagstaff.
It includes maps and guides to walking different reaches of the Rio, as well as a discussion on regional and local geology.
You can download this for free by going to the link below.
Welcome Kelly Burke!
Welcome Kelly Burke!
We are pleased to introduce you to Kelly Burke, Friends of the Rio de Flag’s new Watershed Group Coordinator!
As Watershed Group Coordinator, Kelly will work with diverse stakeholders and the public to help expand and formalize the Watershed Group and create a watershed plan for the Rio de Flag. The goal of the plan is to outline watershed needs and opportunities, especially as these relate to restoration. This two-year project is being funded by a Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management grant (Phase I).
Kelly brings a wealth of experience and training to the Friends of the Rio. As cofounder and Director of the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, a science-based conservation organization in Flagstaff, Kelly has overseen the completion of major restoration projects, including a collaborative riparian restoration plan with the National Park Service for the Glen Canyon Reach of the Colorado River. Her background is in structural geology, hydrology and aqueous geochemistry, fluvial geomorphology, geoarcheology, and springs and riparian restoration, which she combines with experience in coordinating field projects and conservation campaigns, building partnerships, community engagement, nonprofit leadership, and fundraising.
Kelly loves people, water, and wild nature with a common concern for their health, free movement, and full lives. We are thrilled to have Kelly join the organization and excited to have her strong leadership and positive attitude guide us through watershed planning in Flagstaff and the surrounding communities.
Please welcome Kelly!
June 6 walk to the Wildcat Reach with Jack Welch
Meet at the picture Canyon parking lot at 5:00 pm
Our walk on 6 June will start from the Picture Canyon Parking lot down to the Rio de Flag and then turn right on the FUTS route through the Wildcat Reach. This will be an out and back 2 mile walk. Jack Welch, well known and beloved leader of walks in the Flagstaff area and advocate for the Rio de Flag. He will take us into an area that he has long thought should be part of the Picture Canyon Open Space.
This is an excerpt from his July 17, 2017 Arizona Daily Sun column:
The section of the Rio de Flag east of Home Depot at the Flagstaff Mall and north of the railroad tracks has in recent years been called the Wildcat Reach. That segment of our ephemeral little river can be seen from East Route 66 down the slope from the ADOT yard.Countless years of abuse and maltreatment had that unit of the Rio looking more like an industrial dumping ground than a viable feature of a river system. Filled with trash and the coloration left from a long-abandoned paintball court, it seemed to be a permanent blemish on the body of Flagstaff.Not everybody, however, viewed the Wildcat Reach as irredeemable. Some could look past the highly damaged landscape and see an important city resource, a vital link into Picture Canyon and the possibility of a sustainable wetland.In 2008 the Flagstaff Stream Team did a survey and categorized the Wildcat Reach as one of the city locations most in need of restoration. Led by David McKee at a Make a Difference Day in 2011, a large group of citizen volunteers removed 8.2 tons of debris from the Wildcat Reach, including refrigerators, car parts and huge chunks of concrete.The unsightly paintball battlefield was completely eradicated. That space alone entailed the removal of 67 truck tires, many discarded couches and a dumpster full of invasive weeds.The Wildcat Reach of the Rio de Flag is located between East Route 66 and the Flagstaff El Paso Road. The section near East Route 66 is state trust land, then comes a segment of city owned property. The Coconino County parcel starts where the city land ends and follows a section of already constructed county trail to an open gate. From that point to the Flagstaff El Paso Road is city-owned land.Confused? Don’t be, because the county recently installed the easily identified section of trail between the two undeveloped pieces of city property and the State Trust Land still to be purchased. Once completed, the FUTS will connect East Route 66 through Wildcat Reach into the Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve.Won’t it be wonderful when the FUTS is connected all the way through the Wildcat Reach and we can traverse Picture Canyon on a completed urban trail? And why not combine the Wildcat Reach and Picture Canyon into one city/county sponsored preserve?
Join us on Thursday, June 6 to see the changes, hopes and plans for the future of the Wildcat Reach.
May 2nd – Restoration Projects with the City of Flagstaff
with Ed Schenk, Stormwater Project Manager
A walk to look at restoration potential at Cheshire Pond
Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 from 5:30pm-7:00pm
Meet at the Northwest corner of the Museum of Northern Arizona’s parking lot. Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather of the day.
The Cheshire Pond Dam was built in the 1950s as a fishing pond. The dam location was likely selected to take advantage of the natural gorge that drained the Cheshire meadow before the neighborhood was developed. The resulting pond has rarely been managed, most recently by the Friends of the Rio as a wetland restoration on the fringe of the pond. The pond currently fills during monsoon rains and snowmelt but can dry completely in the early summer.
Ed Schenk, with the City’s Stormwater team will provide an overview of past activities at the pond and potential restoration and monitoring options including dredging the core pond to provide perennial surface water, wetlands plantings to increase biodiversity, and citizen science potential to engage the community in local watershed protection initiatives.
Ed Schenk is a project manager with the City of Flagstaff’s Stormwater team. He has lived in Flagstaff for the last 4 years with additional hydrology and geology work at the Museum of Northern Arizona and the National Park Service. Ed was a research scientist with the USGS for the decade before moving to Arizona with river restoration experience in more than 10 states. He has a Master’s from Indiana University and over 30 publications on river, wetlands, and estuary ecosystem function.
May 25th: 2nd Annual Flow Monitoring Event – Volunteers Needed
Participate as a citizen scientist during the 2nd annual Rio de Flag flow monitoring event! No experience needed. All equipment provided.
RSVP online here!
Amenity benefits from recharging the C-aquifer: a year-round stream in the heart of Flagstaff!
with Paul Beier
Thursday, April 4th, 2019
6:00pm-7:30pm
Montoya Community Center
245 N. Thorpe Road
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The Rio de Flag flowing downstream of the I-40 wetlands during March 2019.
The City of Flagstaff is currently considering potential new release sites for our reclaimed water, with the goal of recharging the C-aquifer that supplies the City’s water supply. This creates an exciting opportunity to create a year-round stream 1-2 miles long in the heart of the City!
Join us on Thursday, April 4th to learn about the amenity benefits from the four release sites under consideration. Paul Beier will describe the City of Flagstaff’s “groundwater recharge feasibility study” and the potential benefits to the Rio and its tributaries – and the people who love the Rio.
The speaker, Paul Beier, is Regents’ Professor of conservation biology at NAU. He is best known for his work on design of wildlife corridors, animal movement, and systematic conservation planning, and his studies of mountain lions, deer, owls, and goshawks. He is former President of the Society for Conservation Biology, and currently Secretary of the Board of the Friends of the Rio.
March 7th: Springs Restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Thursday, March 7th, 2019
6:00-7:30pm
Montoya Community Center, 245 N. Thorpe Road
After record-breaking snowfall on February 21st, 2019, many Flagstaffians are feeling pretty confident about the 2019 water supply and the beautiful Rio de Flag flowing through town.
But how do our riparian communities sustain themselves during the drier parts of the year?
Precious water from thousands of springs across Arizona provide are critical, sustained flows for our riparian systems.
We hope you can join us on Thursday, March 7th as we hear from Cerissa Hoglander, Land Conservation Program Manager with the Grand Canyon Trust. We’ll learn about her important work restoring springs on the Colorado Plateau.
Learn more about Grand Canyon Trust’s focus on water.
February 7th: Keeping Our Forests Clean and Healthy through Volunteerism
Presentation by Tom Mackin, Friends of Northern Arizona Forests
Thursday, February 7th, 6:00PM – 7:30PM
Montoya Community Center, 245 N Thorpe Rd.
With high elevation comes snowy winters in the Flagstaff area. Locals enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and quite walks among ponderosa pine and the occasional gambel oak.
With snowy winters comes plastic sleds. Unfortunately, these disposable, flimsy sheets of plastic which bring so much joy to their users for one day often end up as broken bits of litter in our forests.
Flagstaff residents have taken action to address the mess.
The Friends of Northern Arizona Forests (FoNAF) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to assisting the resource management agencies in maintaining, protecting, and restoring the natural and cultural resources and the scenic beauty of our forest lands for the enjoyment and use of present and future generations. FoNAF assists the Forest Service and other agencies on tasks that these agencies do not have the staff or funds to accomplish.
On Thursday, February 7th we will hear from Tom Mackin, FoNAF Board President. Tom is a retired Technical Specialist with the Coconino County Sheriff’s/Flagstaff Police Department who has spent over 35 years volunteering with various agencies.
Tom will share FoNAF’s successes over the years and help members learn how to get more involved with their projects, from sled cleanups to fencing projects and more.
January 3rd: Annual Potluck and Board Elections
Please join us on Thursday, January 3rd for our annual potluck! Meet members of the Board (if you haven’t already) and learn about our 2018 achievements. In addition, the City of Flagstaff Water Conservation Program will provide an introduction to their current strategic planning process.
We will also host elections for Board of Directors. Vote online now or in person at the potluck.
Bring a friend and your favorite dish to share in this year’s feast!