Guest Editorial: Our Preserve Deserves Respect

By Carla, Preserve Pioneer

There are lots of big things going on right now but sometimes it’s important to pay attention to the smaller details as well.

What am I talking about?

Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the natural treasure that defines our city, has been demoted to an item of lesser importance.

In the past, when referring to our Preserve, the city powers that be, showed it the respect it deserves by capitalizing the “P”. Now however – despite repeated requests not to – it has been downgraded in all city press releases, to a lower case item. It’s now just a preserve, not the Preserve. It doesn’t seem to matter that the Preserve is short for the full name, McDowell Sonoran Preserve  – which is still capitalized.

The explanation is that under the “AP style” that’s how things are done. I’m not an English major, but shouldn’t substance matter more than style? Besides, the all knowing internet says that “official nicknames for places should be capitalized because they act as proper nouns”.

For years, the Preserve was capitalized by city staff, whether using the full name or nickname. We need to return to that practice.

The small details in how we write, do matter. Because they set the tone for how the thing being referred to is viewed and treated. How do we expect the next generation to show respect for all the Preserve brings to our quality of life – if we won’t do it ourselves?

Our Preserve is turning thirty-two on October 3^rd. Maybe as a birthday present we should give her back a capital P!

Carla , Preserve Pioneer