I Wish I had a River

Just south of the Verde River - Oak Creek confluence, the Verde turns placid in a vast pool or hole. In summer, the river turns brown from torrents of rainwater spilling into it from all directions upstream. In Spanish, Rio Verde means "green river." At any location along the river's length, the verdant green vegetation is reflected therein. In the background, the limestone cliffs of central AZ's White Hills complete the scene. The Verde River begins at the headwaters of the intermittent Big Chino Wash, Arizona, at 1,325 meters in elevation. It then flows 300 km through central AZ's Verde Valley. A 65 km section of the Verde between Camp Verde and Horseshoe Lake has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Several threatened and endangered fauna inhabit the aquatic and riparian habitats along the river, including spikedace (a native minnow), razorback sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, bald eagle and southwestern willow flycatcher. River otter and beavers are occasionally seen in quiet stretches of the river. August 16, 2008