In the late 1980’s Prescott Creeks Preservation Association (Prescott Creeks) was formed to protect the creeks flowing through the City of Prescott. Founding Prescott Creeks members, Betty Bridgewater, Betty Siegfried and Jay Eby, worked on a Keep Prescott Beautiful Granite Creek Clean up day for several consecutive years and realized it would be an asset to the downtown Prescott area if Granite Creek was kept clean with a maintained nature trail. After some research, they learned that the idea was not a new one. Jeri Wagner shared the same idea during her second term as Mayor of Prescott (1985-1987).

Later during Ken Schaefer’s term as Mayor, (1987-1989) the Future Farmers of America were given a grant to make a trail along Granite Creek between Goodwin and Gurley Streets. This trail now connects the Dinner Bell Café and Nick & Maddie’s Feed Your Face Restaurant along the creek. Shortly after the trail was completed, the Keep Prescott Beautiful Committee formed a group to oversee and maintain the entire trail along Granite Creek between Leroux St. and Granite Creek Park. This group later became known as Prescott Creeks Preservation Association.

The City never officially adopted the trail system, and some trail users voiced concerns about feeling unsafe along the Creek Trail. When both the City of Prescott and the Prescott Police Department declined to fully involve themselves, Prescott Creeks decided it was too dangerous to encourage public use of the trail. Secured grant funding was never spent to implement trail plans until the mid 1990’s when a plan for the preservation of Watson Woods, an area further downstream on Granite Creek, was developed.

After several years of developing community support for the Watson Woods project, Prescott Creeks secured a lease for the City owned property and established Watson Woods Riparian Preserve. Planning and biological inventories occupied most of Prescott Creeks’ time during the late 1990’s. From 2000-2002, Prescott Creeks worked closely with the City of Prescott to manage the construction of the Prescott Lakes Parkway Bridge that crosses the Preserve. Future plans at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve include ecological restoration, interpretive trails, and the establishment of an on-site nature preserve and visitors center.

Beyond Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, Prescott Creeks established the Prescott CreekWatch Network in 1999. To date, the Network boasts four CreekWatch Groups that cover four of the eight creeks in the Watershed. In 2002, Prescott Creeks partnered with the Open Space Alliance of Central Yavapai County and the City of Prescott Trails and Open Space Division to initiate the Upper Granite Creek Watershed Monitoring Project.