Lecture Series: 9/12/26--The Upper Verde River: a Place with a Story to Tell

Lecture Series – Saturday, September 12th @ 2pm – Sharlot Hall Museum and Joe Trudeau, President of Wildwood Ecological – “The Upper Verde River: A Place with a Story to Tell”

Presented by Joe Trudeau, President of Wildwood Ecological and Consultant to The Wilderness Society.

Join us for a journey along the Upper Verde River with your guide, Joe Trudeau, as he explores the human and natural history of central Arizona’s most vibrant cultural and ecological hotspot. This lecture will explore the rich biodiversity of the river, as well as some of the remnants of historic ranches, pre-historic indigenous occupancy, and the deep geologic history of this stunning landscape. The story of the Verde is still unfolding, and Joe will describe the nearly half-century effort to protect the river as a National Wild and Scenic River, culminating in the current legislative campaign he is waging with his partners in the Wild Verde River Coalition – a critical step towards lasting stewardship of an irreplaceable resource that is imminently threatened by drought, development pressures, and exotic invasive species. Audience members will leave feeling a stronger connection to our home landscape, a better understanding of why the Upper Verde River is so remarkable, and with actionable steps they can take to contribute to efforts to protect and restore this amazing living landscape.

Joe Trudeau is a geographer, forester, and conservationist with a passion for protecting the places that define us as Americans – the wild and working lands and waters that feed our bodies, stir our imagination, and uplift our souls. For more than 30 years he has been an educator, researcher, manager and advocate on some of our Nation’s most remarkable landscapes, including on 20 National Forests, numerous National Parks, Monuments, Conservation Areas, Wildlife Refuges, and Military lands – as well as on state and local conservation lands, private forestlands, and working ranches. Through combining field data collection, geospatial technologies, and expertise in science, policy, and law, he has delivered high impact products and services to his clients and partners, all with the goal of protecting and restoring iconic and irreplaceable landscapes – our shared natural and cultural heritage. He is President at Wildwood Ecological, and serves as a Conservation Policy Consultant to The Wilderness Society.

Photos courtesy of Joe Trudeau