Field Trips in Northern Arizona
This year, we’re offering field trips before and after the symposium. You do not need to register for the symposium to attend these field trips; however, due to safety and liability reasons, you must be a member of AHS. Attendees are eligible for up to 8.75 professional development hours (PDHs) for both field trips, as noted below.
Wednesday, September 13: Oak Creek Watershed Restoration
Cost: $20 (does not include transportation; carpooling encouraged)
Leaders: Alex Wood (Natural Channel Designs) and Ron Tiller (ADEQ)
Time: 12:00 – 4:00 PM
Difficulty: Easy
Departs from: Indian Gardens / Oak Creek Canyon
Limit: 25 people
PDHs: 3.75
This field trip will focus on watershed restoration work that is underway in Oak Creek, which is currently impaired under ADEQ’s standards for E. coli and sediment. ADEQ has completed sampling and inventorying to determine the origin of these nonpoint sources and identified recreational use in and around Oak Creek — especially along Highway 89A — as a primary contributor to impaired water quality. Since this time, ADEQ has worked with USFS, Natural Channel Design, and others to implement various measures: low impact design (LID), micro-engineering structures, social trail management, roadside closures, and hillslope restoration / enhancement.
We’ll meet at 12 PM at Indian Gardens and caravan as needed. Hiking is minimal, but bring water and any other field gear you would normally have.
Proceeds will be to be donated to the Charles C. Avery intern scholarship fund.
Saturday, September 16: Hoxworth Springs, Lake Mary, and Montezuma Well
You can sign up for the morning session, the afternoon session, or both. You must register by Friday, September 1.
Cost: $90 half day / $120 full day (both trips include transportation and lunch)
Leaders: Dr. Abe Springer, NAU, and Dr. Larry Stevens, Springs Stewardship Institute
Time: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:15 – 5:15 PM
Difficulty: Easy / moderate — two short (half-mile) walks on good surfaces
Departs from: Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant, 4500 Lake Mary Rd (both sessions)
Limit: 40 people
PDHs: Morning 3; afternoon 2
Morning: Hoxworth Springs and Lake Mary
We’ll start with a short hike to Hoxworth Springs, where Dr. Springer will discuss springs, forest restoration efforts, ecohydrology, and inventory and assessment methods. On our way back to Flagstaff, we’ll stop by the Upper Lake Mary dam, visit a COSMOS soil-moisture gaging station, and further explore forest restoration efforts in the area. Finally, we’ll head back to the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant for lunch.
Afternoon: Montezuma Well
Montezuma Well in the Verde Valley represents the far end of the spectrum of residence time in relation to Hoxworth Springs, with its 13,300-year-old waters much altered by passage through multiple, deep strata and warming over depth. Dr. Larry Stevens will discuss the landscape, regional stratigraphy, geologic history, climate, and ecology of this fascinating natural feature, emphasizing the ecological consequences of long-term, perennial discharge in relation to the evolution of endemism.