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Enjoying the Desert while Supporting the Club’s Mission
Desert rivers, seeps, springs, and streams are at risk from human-caused climate change, development, and overuse, so there is an essence of the magical about flowing water in the desert. Such was the experience in April of of Club members who hiked along Arnett Wash at the base of Picket Post Mountain west of Superior, starting where the Picket Post trailhead hooks to the Arizona Trail and eventually to the Legend of Superior Trail (L.O.S.T.).
Arnett Wash and Telegraph Canyon (tributaries of one another) are located within the Mesa Ranger District of Tonto National Forest, and are eligible to be rivers under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act of 1968; While these two streams are administratively classified as eligible, it would seem appropriate for the Forest Service to recommend them for inclusion within the National Wild & Scenic River system. There is a fish dam in the lower part of Arnett Wash shortly before its confluence with Queen Creek to keep non-native fishes from traveling upstream. Arnett Wash would be an excellent place for the introduction of endangered Arizona native fishes.
Led by long-time dedicated Club leader Jim Vaaler, hikers were greeted along the trail by wildflowers including desert marigold, globe mallow, desert lily, and desert zinnia, and a few Mexican poppies. We got to cross the running wash a couple of times and enjoy the vibrant green of cottonwoods and Arizona ash while having a snack waterside in the shade. Old-growth saguaros stood on the hillside among other native shrubs–a striking contrast to the water at our feet. Somewhere up in the clifftops a canyon wren sang her descending notes.
As beautiful as the setting was, the intrusion of non-native grasses demonstrated the threat posed by human intervention and the possibility of wildfire in an area that still is recovering from the Telegraph Fire of 2021. Advocacy groups are working with the Forest Service on native plant restoration but the ravages of the fire were evident on the slopes. The stream itself seems to have recovered nicely from the Mescal/Telegraph wildfire.
Hikers were there to enjoy the Sonoran Desert, but also to support the Grand Canyon Chapter’s Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC funds are used to support legislative and state-wide candidates who support the Club’s mission of protecting public lands, rivers and streams, and wildlife, and promoting clean renewable energy and energy efficiency. Thanks to the generous hikers who donated over $300 to the PAC for this critical work.
~ by Lynn DeMuth and Jim Vaaler
Lynn serves as compliance officer for the Grand Canyon Chapter Political Action Committee
Jim is Vice Chair of the Grand Canyon Chapter