COCOPAI RC&D ACCOMPLISHMENTS

www.cocopai.org

• Sponsored Dr. Roger Rowell’s presentation (USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory in Wisconsin), to discuss forest and clean water issues, development of bio-based filters, filtration systems, in field systems and geotextiles. Presentation promoted forest health, removal of invasive species and need to reduce fuel load to alleviate fire danger.
• Capacity building sessions: training for members to take back into their rural communities. Sent four members to Dr. Marty Rozelle’s Effective Public Participation training.
• Sent two members to San Antonio Conference , two members to Western Conference in Casper, Wyoming and one member to Washington, D.C. leadership training and capacity building skills.
• Five members sponsored for capacity building and leadership training at the Arizona Coalition of Conservation District’s 2004 meeting. Interfaced with Arizona’s Natural Resource Conservation Districts.
• Cocopai partnership with Salt River Project, created a professional logo, stationery, envelopes and note cards.
• Currently working on statewide marketing tools for outreach program.
• Best Management Practices reference book for counties, cities and towns in Cocopai’s service area featuring the composition of soils, how to treat disturbed soils, and planning for runoff water for one, 20 or 200 acres. This book will be used to help meet the EPA’s requirements for communities located near water. Small municipalities under 50,000 population near rivers required to comply include Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Sedona, Camp Verde, Coconino and Yavapai Counties. Book can assist building trades with stormwater management.
• Created Web site, www.cocopai.org.
• Currently working on Cottonwood Library Grant to bring online grant funding services to the people of the Verde Valley, with outreach to 600 non-profits.
• Cocopai received a grant for a noxious weed inventory in Yavapai County funded through Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• The council did self-assessment and area plan review and met to create the annual plan, available on the Web site.
• Established Cocopai RC&D Verde Valley Trails Partnership Action Team. Collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service to GPS area trails and working on a trails master plan.
• Cocopai RC&D is a bridge to interact with USDA services. Rob Lanford, Rural Development, showed a Power Point presentation on the Community Facilities Loans and Grants. Stu Tuttle of the NRCS spoke about the Wetland Reserve Program in Clarkdale and Doug Von Gausig presented information on local wetlands Tavasci Marsh.
• Through a grant from SRP and Charlie Ester, Cocopai partnered with other groups in a Trails Etiquette DVD and VHS project.
• Facilitated exchange of information with Yavapai County’s GIS and Development Services Departments to share NRCS soils information. The county has an extensive GIS mapping database.

The following is a list of measures the Cocopai RC&D Council formed in its history of 30 years in service to rural communities. The measures are listed in order.

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