The Verde Communities will be showcasing their Firewise status this weekend with a charity auction and a “Concert on the Course” Sunday, Nov. 10, on the Quail Run Golf Course, hole No. 3, just off Medelice Lane.

Bring chairs, blankets, drinks and refreshments to enjoy this twilight program of show tunes from 4 to 5 p.m.

The concert is a fundraiser for the Verdes Wildfire Protection, Inc. and organized by the RVCA Events Committee.

The annual Verde Communities Firewise Day 2013 will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, and will provide residents with information about the Firewise status of Rio Verde and Tonto Verde.

Firewise Day activities will include an auction to benefit the tax exempt Verdes Wildfire Protection, Inc.

The funds raised from the auction and through donations will be used exclusively to maintain a buffer zone around the communities to protect against wildfire risks.

The auction will offer works of art donated by local artists and other items.

Residents are invited to come early to preview the paintings being auctioned.

Also bring landscaping bills and sweat equity records to support grant requests.

The annual Firewise Day will be Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Rio Verde Community Center.

The Firewise Community status of Rio Verde and Tonto Verde require the annual event to provide information to the public. The event will feature reports about wildfire protection efforts and reports on the wildfire season in Arizona.

All Rio Verde and Tonto Verde residents are urged to attend this event.

To date the effort has cleaned up about 12.26 acres of open desert that surrounds the Verdes. This is not total removal of fuels, just clearing and removing those with the highest risk of fueling a fire.

The areas already cleared by the Verdes effort include the western boundary with McDowell Mountain Park.

Also underway are efforts to clean up the undergrowth in the area of Rio Verde Ranch.

With the assistance of Rio Verde Services the Firewise effort is also working with Tonto National Forest to bring in crews to work the eastern boundary between the Verde River and the communities.

A study is being done to determine what needs to be done, according to Rio Verde Fire District Capt. Mike Roggenstein, the Verdes Firewise coordinator. He notes that a portion of that boundary is against golf course fairways, which are an exceptionally effective defensive buffer.

“That and the Ranch will complete the (buffer) around the community,” Roggenstein said. “Firewise community leaders are taking an active role in identifying areas within the community that need attention, such as washes and where clutter or debris might collect.”

Beginning next year the Firewise effort will move into its maintenance role, Roggenstein said. They will be able to go back to where they started and take care of whatever improvements might be needed to mitigate fire danger.