Jane Rau's Scottsdale Postage Stamp Collection

Posted By Les Conklin on Nov 1, 2015

Courtesy of Friends of the Scenic Drive by Les Conklin

View to the East

No, it’s not rare U.S. Post Office stamps that Jane Rau, co-founder of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, has collected. It’s photographs taken during her visits to two parcels of land west of Pima Road, dubbed the “postage stamps” by Scottsdale planners and preservationists.

The two sections of land, approximately 640 acres each, are included in the Recommended Study Boundary, i.e. planned area, of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The parcels are connected to the main body of the Preserve, located east of Pima Road, by a power line corridor that runs in a northeasterly direction from just north of the intersection of Scottsdale and Happy Valley Roads to the northeast corner of Pima Road and Dynamite Boulevard.

The “postage stamps” were included in the planned preserve to permanently preserve, protect, and maintain the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and wildlife habitats. In addition, the two parcels are protected by the Desert Foothills Character Area and Desert Foothills Overlay.

Home to Cholla Forests, Saguaro

The parcels could potentially provide a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities, public access to the preserve east of Pima Road, and a connection to the Scenic Drive and open space in Phoenix on the west side of Scottsdale Road. Portions of the parcels are adjacent to three scenic corridors — Scottsdale Road, Pima Road, and Dynamite Boulevard, providing open space views for visitors and residents. The parcel on Scottsdale Road is the last open space available for preservation along the 27-plus-mile length of Scottsdale’s signature road from Tempe to Carefree.

In 1997, when I was appointed to Scottsdale’s Preserve Commission, I was like many residents. I thought it would be easy for the city to preserve beautiful and environmentally-rich open space. “Just buy it,” I thought. Then, I learned about the Arizona Land Department and the Arizona Constitution.

The Arizona Land Department manages approximately 9.2 million acres of State Trust Land that are “MANAGED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GENERATING REVENUES FOR 13 STATE TRUST LAND BENEFICIARIES, THE

Power Line Corridor Provides Recreational Access

LARGEST OF WHICH IS ARIZONA’S K-12 EDUCTION.” The “postage stamps” are among other acres of remaining open space along Scottsdale’s scenic corridors, including sections of Scottsdale Road (Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive), northern Pima Road, and Dynamite Boulevard.

Even though tourism, long-term economic growth, and the quality of life of residents benefit from preserving open space adjacent to Scottsdale’s scenic corridors — and that the land department has worked with Scottsdale to include other trust land in the preserve — the department’s primary responsibility is to maximize revenues for trust beneficiaries, as described above. To prove a point, here is a quote from a recent land department press release.

“On Tuesday, December 3, 2013, the Arizona State Land Department successfully auctioned 105.72 acres of State Trust land located on the southwest corner of Tatum Boulevard and Pinnacle Peak Road in Phoenix.

“The minimum bid requirement was $26,700,000, and the winning bid was $28,100,000. The successful bidder was the Taylor Morison/Arizona Inc. “While the appraisal sets the minimum bid, the auction establishes the market. Opening the auction at $253,000 per acre, prices not achieved since 2007, and ending the bidding with a return of $266,000 per acre, is a great example of that principle at work,” said Arizona State Land Commissioner Vanessa Hickman. “Today was an excellent day for the Trust.”

Large Washes Used by Wildlife Cut Through Open Space

Will Scottsdale have the will and funds to acquire “postage stamps” in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve as planned? The state trust land parcels adjacent to Scottsdale Road, Pima Road, and Dynamite Boulevard are very valuable, located immediately north of an ever-expanding urban area, and must be purchased at auction prices. To make matters worse, the long-standing precedent of northward roadside expansion has paved the way for developers willing to pay top-dollar when the land department auctions the land, just as Taylor Morison/Arizona Inc. paid $266,000 an acre for land at Pinnacle Peak Road and Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix.

Jane Rau and Les both live in neighborhoods near the “postage stamps.” Jane is the co-founder of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, and Les is the founder of Friends of the Scenic Drive. The late Tony Nelssen and his wife Marg, who both served on Scottsdale’s City Council also lived in, and worked to preserve the character of the area.

Jane and Les served on Scottsdale’s Preserve Commission, on the board of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, and have been inducted into Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame. Today, the postage stamps are under the jurisdiction of the land department and not available for recreational use. Jane and Les hope that in the future these beautiful parcels will be preserved so that others can use their cameras to create their personal “postage stamp” collections.

Scenic Drive Exhibit Area, Just Off Scottsdale Road

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