A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Gateway Trailhead
By Solange for Scottsdale
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the largest urban preserve in the nation! As a Councilwoman, I will ensure that a Desert EDGE/DDC in the Preserve requires voter approval.
After all, the Preserve came into being at the ballot box and voters should have the final word on any major changes involving the Preserve.
I think Scottsdale voters will decide to keep the Preserve…. preserved.
If that is the decision, we should celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Preserve’s Gateway Trailhead with a small plaque that reads:
THE PEOPLE OF SCOTTSDALE PROTECTED THIS LAND TWICE
Which may cause some to wonder, “How did this land get protected the first time?” And, “Who is ‘Carla’ anyway?” Let me share a bit of history…..
Carla, famously with no last name, was one of the first people to dream of a McDowell Sonoran Preserve and then ACT on it! She devoted over a decade of her life, inspiring leaders and fellow citizens to join her in an effort to preserve a large swath of arguably the most expensive and beautiful desert in all of Arizona. Scottsdale voters supported the vision and approved multiple tax hikes to acquire and protect the land forever. The creation of the Preserve is almost as miraculous as the desert it encompasses and our community has a miracle maker named Carla to thank!
I count Carla as a good friend, and today she sends her thanks to the many people standing up for our McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the “People’s Preserve”!
Did you know? The Desert Botanical Garden, Taliesin, and Southwest Wildlife operate without tax dollars. The proposed Desert Edge/DDC will rely almost entirely on tax payers for construction and operation which will burden the City budget forever. Located off the Preserve and with private funding, like other leading Arizona organizations, the Desert EDGE/DDC will gain far more community support!
Protect Our Preserve at Home
The Sonoran Desert evolved without fire because there was nothing much to burn! Residential landscaping plants – such a buffel grass – are aggressively invading our Preserve crowding out native plants and creating a severe fire threat which kills our majestic saguaros and other desert inhabitants.