OLLI Munch & Learn: Upper Verde River Presentation. Gary Beverly, CWAG Executive Committee member and Chair of the Sierra Club Yavapai Group, has worked for 20 years to protect the Verde River, a jewel in the southwest. Little known and underappreciated, the upper Verde contains some of Arizona's best surviving riparian habitats that support many species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Yet, groundwater pumping and climate change threaten the river's existence. National, state, and local conservation groups are actively working to protect the upper Verde.
