October 2010 Erosion Workshop

Participants Working at the Erosion Workshop

Our erosion control workshop in October was another huge success.  We built almost 30 new structures with our volunteer labor. These structures – media lunas, Zuni bowls, one-rock dams, and plunge pools – slow water flow and allow sediment to deposit instead of flowing into Eagle Creek. They benefit water quality, several threatened or endangered species, forage production for wildlife as well as cattle, and increase water infiltration and retain topsoil.

We couldn’t get this done without our partners and volunteers and funding from the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) commissioners.  Almost 40 workers volunteered and Craig Sponholtz of Dryland Solutions, Inc. taught the workshop. Stephen Tighe from AWPF even came from Phoenix and worked as a volunteer – that is dedication to your work! Other volunteers came from as far away as Los Angeles, Prescott, AZ., Cimarron, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, NM, even Chicago and New York by way of Tucson and California. We never cease to be amazed at how hard the volunteers for these workshops work all weekend. Plus, they are interesting people from varied backgrounds and always great fun to be around. Our cooks this time were old friends from California who do Dutch oven cooking – including bringing the family sourdough recipes with starter over 20 years old.

Steven Tighe from AWPF at the Erosion Control Workshop

We hope to keep putting these erosion control workshops on. I’ll post new dates on the programs page of our websites. If you are interested in attending one of these free workshops, sign up as soon as we get dates established – we always fill up early.