The River Runs Dry

The Verde River starts outside of Phoenix, moving 170 miles (273.5 km) north, cutting Arizona in half. Fed by springs from the Big Chino aquifer, the Verde is one the state's biggest perennial rivers.

Many species rely on the river and the ecosystems that it nourishes, including Arizona’s bald eagle, the western yellow-billed cuckoo (pictured), the southwestern willow flycatcher, and three protected fish: the Spikedace, razorback sucker and Colorado pikeminnow.

But development is encroaching on this landscape, requiring that Big Chino's water is pumped for other uses. The Big Chino Water Ranch Project, the Chino Valley Water Project and huge future development in Yavapai County are putting the health of the river at risk, which not only endangers the lives of the region's diverse plant and animal species, but also reduces the availability of clean water to Verde Valley farms, American Indian tribes and even communities in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

GET INVOLVED

• Sign a Center for Biological Diversity petition to save the Verde River

photo: US Fish and Wildlife