Description and History
of the Beaver Creek Experimental Watershed

The Beaver Creek Experimental Watershed is located between latitudes 34° 30' and 35° north, and 111° 30' to 112° west longitude in north-central Arizona. The center of the watershed is about 80 km (50 mi) south of Flagstaff, Arizona, in Coconino and Yavapai Counties. Established in 1956 by the USDA Forest Service as a major center for watershed management research within the pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine vegetation types, the site encompasses 111,375 ha (275,000 ac) on the Coconino National Forest.

Location of watershed in the state

It is located upstream from the junction of Beaver Creek and the Verde River in north-central Arizona. This watershed is part of the Salt-Verde River Basins, which are major river drainages in central Arizona and provide much of the domestic and agricultural water for Phoenix and other communities in the heavily populated Salt River valley. The Beaver Creek watershed lies along the Mogollon Rim and is within the largest continuous stands of ponderosa pine in the United States, which extends as a belt of trees for nearly 200 miles across Arizona.

Location in the Salt-Verde River Basin

In ascending order of elevation, the three vegetation types found on the Beaver Creek watershed are: semi-desert shrubs, pinyon-juniper (including alligator juniper and Utah juniper subtypes), and ponderosa pine.

Semi-Desert Shrub	Pinyon-Juniper	Ponderosa Pine

The Beaver Creek Experimental Watershed was established in 1956 to study the influence of various vegetative manipulations of pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine on water yield and to evaluate changes in livestock forage, timber production, wildlife habitats, recreational values, and soil movement.

A paired watershed approach was used to evaluate treatment responses. Two watersheds with similar characteristics, both physical and biological, were selected and measurements of streamflow, sediment production, water quality, vegetation, and animal use were made on each watershed before any treatment was applied. After a period of time, one watershed was selected for application of a management treatment and measurements continued on both the treated and control watersheds. Changes caused by management practices applied to the treated watersheds were evaluated by comparing post treatment values with pretreatment data, and with data from the control watersheds. All water-oriented studies on Beaver Creek were terminated by 1982, and final results of the initial treatment studies were reported on during the latter part of the 1980s.

Aerial view of Beaver Creek area

Interstate Highway I-17 crosses the area, linking Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona. General access within the watershed is good, although it is by unpaved Forest Service roads. Because the surrounding land is within the National Forest, there is complete administrative control over the entire experimental watershed with the exception of a few, small private inholdings.

Transportation to the BCEW is primarily by automobile, but vans and buses can be used to access the area. Driving time to Flagstaff is 1 hour and about 1.5 hours to Phoenix. Major air transport to the vicinity is through Phoenix, AZ, and a commuter airline serves Flagstaff.

Munds Park, the nearest village, has a population of about 3,000 to 6,000 (depending on season), and is about 32 km (20 mi) from the center of the BCEW. Camp Verde (population of about 8,500) is 48 km (30 mi) from the center of the watershed. Both Munds Park and Camp Verde offer complete services for travelers.

The BCEW is characteristic of much of the Coconino National Forest along the Mogollon Rim. The watershed includes plateaus, sloping mesas and breaks, and steep canyons.

• Bedrock underlying the area consists of igneous rocks of volcanic origin, below these are sedimentary rocks of Kaibab, Coconino, and Supai formations.
• Elevations range from 900 to 2,400 m (3,000 to 8,000 ft) above sea level.
• Vegetation ranges from semi-desert shrub at the lower elevations, to pinyon-juniper woodland from 1,500 to 1,800 m (5,000 to 6,000 ft), and then ponderosa pine above 2,000 m (6,500 ft).
• Precipitation and streamflow vary greatly from year to year. Seasonally, flow is concentrated in a few months of each year when the snow melts.
• The BCEW is a biosphere reserve, a component of a worldwide network in Unesco's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program.