Community Engagement Working Group
Purpose
Build upon existing and emerging efforts for youth engagement and education, public outreach, volunteerism, and public health in the Verde Valley. The working group provides important links between the broader Verde Front effort and Verde Valley communities and works as a liaison to increase broad accessibility of information about the area and partnering events.
Coordination
Conveners: Friends of the Verde River, Science Vortex, Yavapai County
Facilitation: Southwest Decision Resources
Meetings
Working group: 1-2/year
Action teams: as needed
Current Participants
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Arizona State Parks and Trails
City of Cottonwood
City of Sedona
Friends of the Verde River
Grand Canyon Youth
National Park Service
SciTech
Science Vortex
The Nature Conservancy
Town of Camp Verde
Town of Clarkdale
Town of Jerome
USFS Coconino National Forest
USFS Prescott National Forest
Valley Academy for Career and Technology Education
Verde NRCD Education Center
Verde River Institute
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
Verde Valley Forum for Public Affairs
Verde Valley STREAM Council
Wild Arizona
Yavapai-Apache Nation
Yavapai College
Yavapai County
Goals
Provide a regional forum for coordination and collaboration around stewardship activities in the Verde Valley.
Inventory and prioritize existing stewardship initiatives.
Increase alignment, share information, and clarify roles.
Coordinate around funding and encourage collaborative grants.
Improve the quality and accessibility of information about the region, outdoor recreation and stewardship, and the watershed.
Ensure that a variety of perspectives/voices are represented in materials and messages to tell the stories of the Verde Valley.
Refine Verde River and Verde Valley maps and resource guides (e.g., StoryMaps).
Coordinate with the Trails and River Recreation Working Groups on signage and educational content.