Middle Verde River Wilderness complex proposal
(Book - Regular Print)

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06.

Adviser: Jason Williams.

Thesis (M.A.)--Prescott College, 2009.

The Middle Verde River Wilderness Complex is an area covering approximately 1,484,800 acres in Arizona's Central Mountains, the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range. Within the wilderness complex is Arizona's only Wild and Scenic River, the Verde River, as well as 296,485 acres of existing wilderness on the Prescott, Coconino and Tonto National Forests. This thesis proposes and justifies designating an additional 238,233 acres of congressionally designated wilderness within the study area. The addition of the proposed wilderness to the National Wilderness Preservation System would help counteract the pressures placed on natural systems due to Arizona's rapidly growing population. Additionally, the Middle Verde River Wilderness Complex Proposal would enhance the outstandingly remarkable values of the Verde Wild and Scenic River and create a system of connected wild lands spanning the transition zone mountains to the upper Sonoran desert. Historical review of wilderness and obligations of the Forest Service to review and manage wilderness are explained. Research types and methods for inventorying and composing wilderness proposals for individual areas are documented for review as well as re-creating the research. Reports for each proposed wilderness area are found in the discussion and results section, which includes details such as size, wilderness characteristics, and a route analysis.