Northern Arizona Audubon Conservation

NAAS continues work on several long running conservation campaigns to protect and enhance local biodiversity for future generations. We also encourage your support of national conservation issues by adding your voice to the current Action Alert.

Arizona Important Bird Areas are identified as places of special and unique value to birds. Whether they support populations of endangered or watch-listed species, significant numbers of wintering raptors and ducks, or demonstrable year round avian diversity; the designation serves notice to land managers that these habitats are exceptional and to be protected with extra vigor.

Lower Oak Creek IBA

Oak Creek begins high in the Arizona rim country and cascades through the bouldered shadows of renown Oak Creek Canyon. Here the Mexican cordillera ultimately collides with the North American plateau and the snows of the high country melt every spring to water the northern terminus of the Sonoran semi-desert uplands, eventually flowing down the Verde and on south to the low sahauro country.

"Mexican" birds like the Painted Redstart, Greater Pewee, Magnificent Hummingbird and Common Black-Hawk follow the skein of cottonwood and sycamore up from central America to breed, and for many other neotropical migrants the creek is a green gateway to the high northern breeding grounds.

The Lower Oak Creek IBA begins on Arizona Game and Fish property in Page Springs. NAAS has worked with local and government landowners to extend that reach to Red Rock State Park near Sedona in the foothills of the Mogollon Rim.

At Page Springs NAAS and AGFD cooperatively manage 76 acres of prime habitat for the benefit of all wildlife. 158 bird species have been identified here in this lush assemblage of riparian, riparian flood terrace, open water ponds and xeric hillside.

The Lower Oak Creek IBA at Page Springs is used by AGFD as a cultural fish production facility; the open ponds grow native fish for reintroduction to Arizona waterways.

These ponds provide easy viewing of migrant shorebirds, wintering ducks and sparrows.

Breeding residents include very approachable Common Black-Hawk, Western and Cassin's Kingbirds, Vermilion Flycatcher and Summer Tanager, Abert's Towhee and Lucy's Warbler.

Most western warblers and flycatchers are migrants - pausing hours or days to re-fuel in the insect rich mesquite bosques and cottonwood-willow bottomlands before leap-frogging north. Mild winters here encourage a few migrants to tarry all season - making for a varied Christmas list.

NAAS and hard-working volunteers from local communities have applied great energies here with the co-operation and assistance of AGFD. A 1.2 mile trail system has been constructed to provide easy access to this premier Arizona birding destination.

Native plant restoration has begun here - volunteers planted cottonwood poles in 2001, Gooding Willow seedlings in 2003. Work parties continue to remove the forest of exotics (Russian olive, tamarisk, Tree of Heaven, Arundo) that has sprung up in recent years.

Private-Public partnerships upstream now link this glimpse of old Arizona with Red Rock State Park to fulfill the NAAS vision of a Lower Oak Cr IBA stretching from the desert to the mountains.

Tavasci Marsh is Arizona's largest freshwater marsh away from the Colorado River. Once an oxbow of the Verde River, Tavasci Marsh was isolated about 10,000 years ago when natural climatic conditions altered the rivers course - 'stranding' the oxbow. Today that oxbow contains Peck's Lake, Tavasci Marsh and mesquite woodland.

Shea Spring supplies 68ºF water from deep under layers of sedimentary limestone year round.

Tavasci Marsh is host to a broad array of Arizona's wildlife. River Otters, beaver, Southern Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon, rails and ducks all utilize the marsh and lake during some part of the year.

Historically Tavasci Marsh included Peck's Lake. Photographs from 1889 show Mearns, one of the first white men to recognize the unique biome here, camped next to a shallow marshy "Peck's Lake", very near the present day picnic area.

Both 'lake' and marsh were maintained by a series of numerous small springs, mostly amanating from the north side. The most obvious of these is Shea Spring on the north side of Tavasci Marsh - easily recognised by the adjacent towering cottonwoods which usually leaf out a few weeks ahead of those elsewhere, perhaps due to the warmth of the spring water.

Peck's Lake is now a man-made impoundment supplied by a dam across the Verde River and a tunnel from the dam to the lake.

Hundreds of Canvasback, Common Mergansers,Redhead and Ring-necked Ducks usually winter here alongside American Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged and Cinnamon Teal and a smattering of other dabblers since the shallow bottomed lake provides good food access for many birds.

Pied-billed Grebes breed on the calm waters while blackbirds and grackles, yellowthroats and rails chatter from the cattails. Bell's Vireo and Yellow-breasted Chats chant mysteriously from the surrounding thickets. Migrants are numerous and diverse - at least 167 bird species have been recorded here.

Currently owned by Phelps Dodge mining corporation, Peck's Lake was until recently the site of a planned 900 home golf-course development, which would have radically altered the calm natural setting there today.

NAAS has led efforts to transfer this area to the conservation domain so it may enhance the lives of future generations.

These efforts are slowly coming to fruition - stay tuned!

Wetlands in Crisis

The 1989 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) identified the compelling need to restore and preserve Arizona's remaining wetlands. That plan described the state's wet habitats as resources in crisis:

"Over the past century, Arizona has lost much of its rich natural heritage. Moreover there is no indication that this trend is abating. Regardless of cause, the restructuring of Arizona's native stream and wetland system has resulted in drastic alterations to natural values. Most telling has been the impacts on native fish and wildlife."