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Image Credit: Administrative Assistant Cori Hilton

KACHINA WETLANDS: A “HIDDEN” GEM November 2023 Hiking, Birding and more…in your Backyard

By William Godfrey Forest Highlands Club Historian

A nationally-recognized bird and waterfowl preserve lies just beyond the perimeter of the Canyon and Meadow properties. And more importantly…the preserve is also the most “off-the beaten-path” amenity to Forest Highlands’ residents. The Kachina Wetlands is a stunningly, beautiful 120-acre parcel created 35 years ago by the Kachina Village Improvement District (KVID). It consists of nine shallow evaporative “ponds” with depths determined by precipitation and the needs of residents. The acreage also contains a 2.4-mile single-track hiking trail that winds through the property. According to an archived story from the Arizona Daily Sun, the “Kachina Wetlands was first constructed in 1988 and modeled after the state’s first wetland treatment system in Pinetop-Lakeside. Initially, the local Wetlands effectively treated 200,000 gallons a day of wastewater in peak summer months and even more today. However, it was the partnership with Forest Highlands that created a valuable amenity to residents of both communities. Bill Strauss, Director of Public Works at Forest Highlands from 1989 to 2018, explained the behind-the-scenes discussions, “When I was first hired, I started talking with Dan Lueder, the KVID manager, regarding the use of Kachina Wetlands water and Forest Highland's storage of our effluent. Serious discussions began after the Meadow course was developed,” Strauss explained in an October 2023 conversation. “The discussions took place over 10 years and we worked very hard the last two years to put together the partnership.” “Early on it was primarily about fresh water, supplying KVID with water when they had problems. This only happened occasionally,” shared Strauss,

The Kachina Wetlands is a stunningly, beautiful 120-acre parcel created 35 years ago by the Kachina Village Improvement District (KVID). It consists of nine shallow evaporative “ponds” with depths determined by precipitation and the needs of residents.