Sedona, AZ: Tavasci Marsh is the largest freshwater marsh away from the Colorado River in Arizona and has been designated as part of the Tuzigoot Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Arizona Audubon Society due to its high quality habitat for various avian species. The Marsh, now a part of Tuzigoot National Monument, is a spring-fed freshwater wetland that occupies an abandoned oxbow of the Verde River to the north and east of Tuzigoot ridge.
Kathy Davis, the Superintendent for Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, and Dennis Casper, biologist for these Monuments, will present a program for Northern Arizona Audubon Society on November 19, at the Jewish Community Center of Sedona about the Monument’s plans to restore and manage this valuable wildlife resource.
Since the time of the Sinagua, the marsh system has had a varied management history including irrigated agriculture fields, pasture for a dairy operation, soil extraction, flushing through of waters from the adjacent Pecks Lake for nutrient management, and hydrological modifications to increase wetland areas for waterfowl and wildlife habitat. This use history has contributed to its current disturbed state which includes a cattail monoculture over most of its area, large areal extents of invasive plants, enhanced West Nile Virus vector mosquito breeding habitat, and serious impacts from invasive aquatic animals. With all of these impacts, however, Tavasci Marsh still supports high quality waterfowl and marsh bird habitat.
In December 2005, the National Park Service (NPS) acquired Tavasci Marsh as part of a 324-acre expansion to Tuzigoot National Monument. The NPS is proposing to develop a comprehensive management plan for the recently acquired lands, particularly focusing on the marsh. The management plan will address preservation and enhancement of current habitat values while providing adequate visitor use infrastructure to allow the public to enjoy the resource.
Current marsh functions and various management alternatives affecting these functions will also be investigated. Public scoping as well as consultation with various governmental and non-governmental stakeholders will inform the process. The management alternatives will be vetted through the environmental compliance process by the preparation of an Environmental Assessment, ultimately developing an effective management strategy to fulfill NPS mission and be supported by the public at large.
