Rocks and Recreation — II

Salt River Drainage Basin - Part II Rocks and Recreation

Gray clouds lumber across the sky. Their rumblings engulf timbered mountain peaks and echo in the depths of canyons. Like great war drums, they send a message across the vast Arizona land. It is a message of promise. Ears tuned to nature perk up as the breeze repeats the message through the trees, and leafy branches sway in anticipation. Then dozens of delicate drops drizzle on green and growing things. Splashing off leaf and rock, a growing multitude of raindrops tumble forth to nourish the earth and in so doing help quench Man's thirst for beauty and recreation. In Arizona, the rain's moist caress is most frequently felt by the 13,000-squaremile area which comprises the Salt River Project's watershed. Stretching from the White Mountains, near the New Mexico border, to the Seligman area in northcentral Arizona, the watershed provides vital runoff which sustains the Salt and Verde Rivers, a source of water for more than one million people living in the Salt River Valley.

As it courses toward the desert lowlands, the surging force of these two waterways is harnessed by six huge storage dams and put to work by the nation's oldest and most successful multipurpose reclamation development, the Salt River Project. Thus, much of the precipitation which falls on the watershed produceswater and energy to generate electricity for the sprawling desert oasis. But enough moisture remains to continually nourish the watershed itself, one of Arizona's greatest recreational resources.

Webster defines the word recreation as "a re-creating... refreshment of strength and spirits after toil... play." This is the lure of a land enchanted with primitive forests, crimson canyons, rolling grazing land, rocky wilderness areas and an everchanging desert. Across its breast lies a necklace of azure lakes strung on a chain of babbling brooks, meandering streams and surging rivers. It is small wonder that fishing is ranked as this area's leading attraction. The rushing waters of Oak, Beaver, and Clear Creeks provide plenty of beauty and action in the Verde Valley. Fishing fever also runs high in Zane Grey's spectacular Mogollon Rim country north of Payson. Here the murmurings of Tonto Creek, Christopher Creek, and Chevelon Creek beckon nimrods through forest, canyon, and glen.

Those toting rod and reel to the eastern portion of the watershed find themselves in that fisherman's paradise known as the White Mountains. Here, streams splash past aspen groves and grassy meadows, rippling their way through giant stands of pine, fir, and spruce. On the eastern slope of 11,590-foothigh Baldy Peak, infant rivulets are formed which later come together as the Black and the White Rivers. Runoff carried from the White Mountains by a hundred tiny tributaries feed these rivers which dance independently toward the southwest for forty miles before joining forces to form the mighty Salt River.

But it is the tributaries themselves which delight and sometimes perplex fishing enthusiasts. Here, one cannot travel more than a few miles in any direction without encountering an inviting trout stream. Some flow nameless through the forests, but others bear labels as colorful as the terrain. Creeks with first names like Coyote, Gooseberry, Centerfire, Paradise, Butterfly, Big Bonita, Squaw, Duke, Snake, Gold, Diamond, Sand, and Snowshoe. Recognized as the prime fishing area of central Arizona, the watershed encompasses hundreds of miles of trout streams and approximately 40 lakes. It also contains four state-operated fish hatcheries, located at Page Springs, Sterling Springs, Tonto Creek, and Canyon Creek. In addition, two federal hatcheries are located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

The Arizona-run hatcheries have a combined annual output ranging between 630,000 and 650,000 catchable-size trout (8 to 12 inches) plus nearly two million fingerlings. These include rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and brown trout.

Watershed lakes and streams also offer largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and smallmouth bass, as well as lesser species.

In an effort to provide an even greater fishing challenge, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has introduced new species to the state within the past 15 years. These include Tilapia, white bass, northern pike, flathead catfish, redear sunfish, Florida bass, walleye, and coho salmon.

But fishermen are not the only ones attracted to the watershed's glistening lakes. Boating enthusiasts trailer all manner of craft to more than 20 major lakes nestled on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains.

A wide variety of rowboats, inflatables, canoes, motorcraft, and sailboats frequently dot the other water playgrounds scattered across the watershed. Especially popular with water skiers and racing enthusiasts is the chain of larger lakes (Roosevelt, Apache, Canyon, Saguaro, Bartlett, and Horseshoe) in the desert northeast of Phoenix.

Whether a skipper prefers to capture the wily wind with a billowing sail, paddle down a stream in a canoe, speed across a lake with water skier in tow, or run rapids in a kayak he can do it here. The shoreline may be studded with cacti or timber, but whatever the season, boating activities can always be enjoyed somewhere within the watershed area.

A growing number of people are taking advantage of this. Despite its "desert state" image, Arizona registered approximately 71,000 boats in 1975. The Fishing is a favorite recreation in all areas of the Salt-Verde watershed.

Following Panel - pages 44-45 Between the younger rocks in the foreground and the ancient metamorphic rocks of the Sierra Ancha Mountains, background, Roosevelt Dam stores 11/4 million acre-feet of water for use in the Valley of the Sun.

(Below) Late afternoon light casts a warm glow on the marina area at Roosevelt Lake.

RECREATION from page 42

The increased rate of boating popularity becomes quite apparent when this number is compared with the 1965 registration figure of 27,281 watercraft. Many people link boating with one or more outdoor sports such as hiking, camping, or bird-watching. The lush land of the watershed spans six national forests (Prescott, Kaibab, Coconino, Tonto, and Apache-Sitgreaves) which offer excellent camping facilities and boundless opportunities to enjoy nature. All this is augmented by the recreation wonderland of that part of the White Mountains in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Horseback riding, mountain climbing, rockhounding, spelunking, and backpacking activities are popular here and in the wilderness areas of the watershed.

While some visitors investigate nature firsthand, others prefer to explore history. Ancient Indian ruins can be viewed at Tonto National Monument near Roosevelt Lake, Tuzigoot National Monument just east of Clarkdale, and Montezuma National Monument in the Verde Valley. Each has a colorful museum as does Fort Verde State Historical Park at Camp Verde.

Prescott, near the western edge of the watershed, offers two museums for the enjoyment of history buffs. The Smoki Museum contains Indian artifacts from Southwest tribes, while Sharlot Hall Museum is a tribute to early Arizona settlers. But in this vibrant land, history is not confined by museum walls. Buildings still stand that once housed notorious outlaws, famed lawmen, and legendary pioneers. Equipped with four-wheel-drive vehicles and cameras, visitors often prowl through the many ghost towns which dot the watershed map.

It's wise to take a camera wherever one wanders in this many-faceted watershed land, for the majestic forests are laced with elk, deer, bear, and mountain lion as well as lesser game. In addition, the area boasts a wide assortment of birds. If you are patient and can position yourself in a quiet spot, such as Hannagan Meadow in the White Mountains, at dusk you may even have the thrill of seeing a large elk. The wide variety of wildlife which inhabits this sprawling area also attracts hunters in great number. And so man is lured to the watershed from every direction. Seasonally, tent, trailer, motorhome, and camper filter into the watershed to join summer camps and secluded retreats already tucked beneath the tall timber in the northern and eastern sections of the watershed - and the vast land accommodates them all.

In addition to its recreational uses, the watershed helps support an impressive lumber industry and supplies valuable grazing land.

But man does not only reap the watershed, he spends considerable time and energy nurturing the land and its products. An army of workers from the National Park Service has conducted extensive watershed improvement programs. Since the late 1960s much has been done in watershed rehabilitation. Soil stabilization has been greatly improved by replacing juniper with grass. This has been a cooperative effort between the forest service, private landowners, companies, and branches of state and federal agencies.

Clearing of some areas of the watershed's growth has been accomplished by prescribed, controlled burning; it has been practiced by the White Mountain Apache Indian Tribe since the late 1940s. This year some 325,000 acres of pine are currently being treated in a repeat burning program. The tribe began an intensive fire management program in 1958, and has succeeded in reducing forest fire danger by systematically diminishing debris on the forest floor.

State and federal control-burning programs are also conducted on the water-shed. They produce fires which burn under temperature and humidity controls designed to remove desired quantities of fuel and yet not shave the forest floor down to its mineral base.

Other groups such as the Salt River Project, United States Soil Conservation Service, and the United States Geological Survey work closely to monitor and maintain the watershed area.

An average of about 20 inches of rainfall drenches the watershed each year; a scant 7.2 inches of precipitation falls on the metropolitan Salt River Valley, home to 1,200,000 Phoenix-area residents. Watershed rainfall results in an average 1.1 million acre-feet of water per year, and 75 percent of that runoff occurs between December 1 and May 30.

Space age technology is utilized to keep track of and predict runoff, storm fronts, and snowpack conditions. Since 1969 orbiting satellites have been assisting watershed snowpack management through the cooperation of the Salt River Project, NASA, United States Geological Survey, and the Canadian government.

Basically the system combines Arizona photos taken from space with snowpack measurement statistics transmitted from several unmanned gauging stations high on the watershed. This vital information is bounced off the satellites, received by NASA computers, and relayed to the Salt River Project.

Mindful of this flurry of technical activity, the watershed, like a beautiful woman, changes with the seasons. In winter she favors a spectacular white gown to lure outdoor enthusiasts.

Skiers flock to Big Cienega Ski Run in the White Mountains, the Snow Bowl north of Flagstaff, and to Bill Williams Ski Area near Williams. While some Arizonans enjoy sledding and ice fishing in the colder regions of the watershed, others are busy sailing on desert lakes or horse-back riding in foothill country.

Whatever the season, this intriguing chunk of Arizona is always ready to quench one's thirst for beauty and recreation.

Standing beside a babbling mountain brook, one wonders, as Nathaniel Haw-thorne once did, "What would a man do if he were compelled to live always in the sultry heat of society, and could never better himself in cool solitude?"

(Back cover) The down-cutting waters of Oak Creek expose a brilliant display of rocks for visitors to enjoy.

(Right and below) Saguaro Lake, 45 minutes east of Phoenix, forms the prime recreation area for water-loving enthusiasts from the metropolitan area.