This year’s Riparian Council spring meeting was a unique opportunity to partner with a first-time event in the Gila River valley. The APS Tres Rios Nature Festival was conceived as a strategy to conserve the rich riparian wildlife and habitat values of the Gila River system west of Phoenix in the face of the rapidly expanding human population in the area. This growth may well lead to degradation of this area through the impacts of flood control, mosquito control, direct development and adverse impacts from off road vehicles, trash dumping and the like. By drawing attention to this area, and developing a sense of appreciation associated with its habitats and recreational opportunities, we hope to lend a hand to conserving these areas for the future. Our Friday session on March 12th at Estrella Mountain Community College had a theme associated with this event, The Lower Gila River: Then and Now, and our usual spring meeting Saturday field trips were folded into those offered by the festival.
The APS Tres Rios Nature Festival, March 13-14, 2004 in cooperation with Maricopa County Parks. We celebrated the wildlife and rich heritage of the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria rivers. We learned about this place we call “Tres Rios” (the place where three rivers: the Agua Fria, Salt and Gila meet), a lush riparian oasis in the Sonoran Desert.
This two-day event was a family excursion and celebrated the river, wildlife, history and heritage of our community!
The festival was from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm on March 13-14, 2004. It was held at Estrella Mountain Regional Park (14805 W. Vineyard Ave. Goodyear, five miles south of I-10 on Estrella Parkway)