I Was Shocked To Learn THIS About Arizona’s San Pedro River

A few days ago, my roommate and I decided to take a hike down the Millville Historic Townsite and Rock art Discovery Trail. As we made our way down, we noticed the trail intersected with the river wash, and decided to follow that instead.

After about five minutes, we came across something I wasn't expecting: a heavily flowing section of the river, something I was told I wouldn't see in the summer months. We stopped, dipped in the river, and meditated for a bit, but the magic of that river has stuck with me unlike any body of water I'd ever seen.

Cottonwood Trees are the Answer

This question kept ringing in my ears, so I decided to reach out to Dennis Moroney, owner of the Sky Island Brand and 47 Ranch, who has an absurd amount of knowledge about the ecosystem here in Arizona.

He explained to me that a very simple process allows for the river to run, even when we go months without rain. The most common plant on the banks of the river are Cottonwood trees. These are known as a Riparian Obligate Species, meaning they must grow near water and will not survive in the open desert.

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 How Do These Trees Produce Water?

The San Pedro is located on a massive underground basin, which leads to a very damp soil. during the growing season, these cottonwood trees will pull water up from the ground, and store it in their leaves to cool down during the warmer months.

When the winter months roll around, the trees shed their leaves, and the water stored in them make their way back to the earth, leading to the river flowing in months when it should be dried up.

The river is currently in a period of "megadrought", making life much harder for the flora and fauna on it's riverbanks. Conservation efforts have been working nonstop to find a way to fix this problem, and keep the San Pedro running and untouched.

[Tucson.com][The Nature Conservancy]