Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
About Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance
.jpg/:/cr=t:12.51%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:74.99%25/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true)
Mission Statement
The mission of the Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance (AWCA) is to preserve and sustain the Aravaipa Valley’s natural landscapes by means of watershed and rangeland restoration. The AWCA will create a renewed environment that supports wildlife, grassroots community education, and a holistic agricultural environment.
More Water for Aravaipa Means More Water for Arizona
The perennial reaches of Aravaipa Creek restore perennial flow to the San Pedro River at the confluence of the two streams. These waters travel downstream, flowing north, to join the Gila River miles downstream from the Coolidge Dam. The Gila River is perennial downstream of the San Pedro River confluence for several miles. Actions taken within the AWCA watershed provide benefits for these downstream users
Your support for Aravaipa means more water for Arizona!
What is a Watershed?
A watershed is the land area for which all surface water drains to a defined point on a stream or river. Watersheds are a common planning unit for land, water, and natural resource management. Surface water flow is a critical input to many natural resources and ecosystems. Therefore, defining a planning boundary as the land area of interconnected water drainages enables easy consideration of the geological, biological, and hydrological processes that drive surface and ground water availability in a region. Further, watershed-based planning facilitates effective community engagement by encouraging participation by local community members with the many agencies with overlapping geographic and/or technical jurisdictions within a watershed.
The USGS assigns unique identifiers, Hyrdologic Unit Codes (HUC) to each watershed. The number of digits in a HUC code describes the size of the watershed, with more digits indicating a smaller watershed. Based on consultation with NRCS, our planning boundary includes 17 HUC-12 watersheds to represent most of our planning area with small extensions to maintain contiguous ranch boundaries. This map shows these HUC-12 watersheds, flow lines illustrating how water moves through the watersheds, and general categories of land ownership within the plan boundary.
Our Goals
Our goal is to use the restoration and conservation of native plants as well as implementation of natural erosion controls to stabilize the Aravaipa watershed. Working as a diverse group of stakeholders we can bring more projects to a greater area that will benefit wildlife, sustainable agriculture, native fish, hiking, recreational opportunities and most of all, more water and better water quality for Arizona.
Our Progress
Since our founding in 2016, we have been building momentum to develop watershed restoration projects for implementation. Our achievements to date include:
- Partnering on US Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Applied Science Tools Grant to obtain enhanced LiDAR data for critical regions of the Aravaipa Watershed.
- Winning funding from the United Way of Graham and Greenlee County to install weather stations throughout the watershed and general operating funds.
- Winning two Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART CWMP grants to develop, release, and periodically revise the Cooperative Watershed Management Plan for Aravaipa Canyon and develop project implementation plans.
- Hosting two hands-on educational erosion-control workshops, funded by the Simpson Foundation where stakeholders began learning to read the signs of erosion on the land and implement small scale rock structures to address typical erosion concerns.
We’ll continue working with stakeholders to identify watershed concerns, develop data sources and information, host educational workshops on priority topics like grass identification, and plan, develop, and implement projects to address these concerns.
One of Arizona's most diverse watersheds
The boundary of the watershed is 320,684 acres, but the working area extends that acreage to 381,272 acres. The upper watershed is vital to the health of the perennial waters downstream and the quality of waters that reach the rivers beyond. Our goal is to keep the quality and quantity of waters flowing, Aravaipa Creek is the source of water for many people living in Arizona. The riparian areas in Aravaipa Canyon, the rolling grasslands of the upper watershed, and the mesquite bosques in transition zones provide critical refuge for wildlife under worsening drought. Alliance members have been working towards environmental protection for over 25 years. We have made significant strides in promoting sustainability and awareness.
The need for planning
The AWCA is working to maintain the Cooperative Watershed Management Plan for Aravaipa Canyon as a living document where we will update conditions, plan for project implementation, and connect with partners to improve the condition of this working landscape.
We would like to involve everyone that can benefit from these plans and projects, including local stakeholders, agencies, tribal partners, recreators and the many businesses below us that need to actively demonstrate a commitment to better water conservation now and in the future.
Our Partners
Board of Directors and Staff
Matt Magoffin, President
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Matt Magoffin, President
Matt is a fourth generation rancher who moved to Aravaipa in 2014 from Douglas, AZ. He has been recognized for his work in conservation in the past. He and his family are on the Santa Teresa Farm and Ranch.
Russ Harben, Treasurer
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Matt Magoffin, President
Russ is a proud husband, father of three daughters and a property owner in the Eureka Springs Ranch area. Russ has served for over 25 years as a leader in state government, private industry and the military, and is passionate about natural resource restoration.
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Mark was the manager of the Nature Conservancy's Aravaipa Preserve. The preserve both manages cattle and grows an irrigated field of native grasses for projects in the watershed.
Amanda Truelove, Secretary
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Mark Haberstich, Science Coordinator
Amanda is a resident of the Aravaipa Canyon and wants to be a part of the future of preserving he area for future generations. She loves to explore this open country and learn and write about the history of the watershed and its people.
Dave Ringwald, Advisor
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Dave and his wife Beth own and operates the historic Klondyke Store and Horsehead Lodge in Klondyke, Arizona. Dave has been involved with many groups and organizations that come through the canyon and the AWCA is always thankful for his ability to share knowledge and history with all.
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Garland Speight, Coordinator
Garland is a native of Arizona who has a true calling for the future of water management in his native state. Garland has a degree in mechanical engineering and a Masters of Science in Water, Society, & Policy. Garland will be working om implementation planning and his goal of doing the most for Arizona waters in the future.
Megan Harben, Volunteer
Megan Harben, Volunteer
Megan Harben, Volunteer
Megan is a volunteer and advocate for a variety of causes, including children with special needs, disabled veterans, Girl Scouts, and the AWCA. Megan and Russ stay busy raising their daughters to experience and appreciate nature and the outdoors.
Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generous donation will fund our mission.
