Under the ghost white branches and smooth bark of the Arizona sycamore, flows a small tributary of the Verde River called Beaver Creek, born from snow melt high in the pine-clad mountains to the north.
Beaver Creek forms a unique environment called a riparian zone.
Riparian areas have been called streams of life, providing food, water, breeding grounds, wintering habitat, and migration corridors for a variety of birds, and a suitable refuge for mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. As much as 60 percent of the resident wildlife in Arizona depends on these riparian areas for food, water, shelter and space, and their survival. Studies by biologists have shown breeding bird populations in undisturbed riparian habitat, particularly the cottonwood association, to be among the highest reported in North America. Along the Verde River and tributary riparian communities, there were found to be in excess of 1,000 pairs of breeding birds per 100 acres. In addition, the Verde and its tributary riparian communities provide precious habitat for numerous endangered, threatened, and candidate species including bald eagles, southwestern willow fly catchers, common black hawk, longfin dace, and the red bat.