Clair Harris
Flagstaff, Ariz. Retired High School Teacher

For more than 40 years, Harris has facilitated making reclaimed water available to wildlife in the arid Arizona wilds. Through the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, he operates and maintains two pipeline systems supplying 26 water sources for elk, antelope, and mule deer.

Even when I was teaching, I was doing cleanup and maintenance of old trick tanks in my spare time. These tanks, which collect and dispense precipitation from a covered storage system, needed maintenance and updating after years of neglect. Even without training, it was pretty obvious to me what needed to be done: clean out garbage or debris, check for leaks. I will continue doing this as long as I’m physically able, because it’s so satisfying.

As a kid I just fell in love with elk, and I’ve been an active member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for the past 26 years. I know we are making an impact on these animals around the Tusayan area wildlife waters, because erosion near the drinkers shows patterns of use across the board. As we move water, we spread the animals out—it’s like a puzzle. But it’s a never-ending job, too. Say an elk takes down a fence, or a tree falls on part of the tank apron. Just like around your house, there’s always something. And there are three more catchments we’d still like to build in order to complete the 12-mile pipeline.

I think the next generation of conservationists are headed in the right direction, because the philosophy about healthy forestry is changing. If we keep working to improve the overall health of the forests, we won’t have to scramble to clean up after deficient water supplies or detrimental fires.”

—As told to Kristyn Brady