Les Conklin (left) and Bernie Finkel at Brown’s Ranch Traihead, 2013
By Les Conklin
When we graduated from the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) College of Business in 1960, Bernie Finkel and I didn’t suspect that we were destined to play roles in preserving a scenic landmark and creating what will be one of America’s largest city-owned preserves. In fact, neither of us had heard of “The West’s Most Western Town.” Besides, we had other things on our minds: the next day’s exam, Saturday’s party at our fraternities (Bernie belonged to Alpha Epsilon Pi, I was a Sigma Chi), and where we would find a couple of dollars for gas.
At URI, Bernie and I majored in Marketing and Advertising and Industrial Management, respectively. We knew each other because we took some of the same courses. After graduation, we followed different life paths and lost touch. We both fulfilled our military obligations, married and stayed married, raised two healthy children, and spent years travelling domestically and internationally for business and pleasure. Inexorably, we were both drawn to the Southwest and its relaxed lifestyle.
Recently, I met Bernie at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve’s Brown’s Mountain Trailhead, which had just opened. From there we adjourned to Greasewood Flat for beers, cheeseburgers, and good conversation. I learned that the Finkels moved to Scottsdale in 1978. When they arrived, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve did not exist. Today, Scottsdale’s preserve encompasses approximately 27,800 contiguous acres — more than 43 square miles. That’s over 81 percent of the long-range goal to preserve about 34,000 acres, nearly a third of Scottsdale’s land area. When it is completed, it will be one of the largest city-owned preserves in the country.
Bernie’s 1960 URI Yearbook Photo
After arriving with his family in 1978 from New York City and founding B. Finkel & Associates, a firm representing retail wholesalers and manufacturers, Bernie began hiking Squaw Peak, Camelback Mountain, the Grand Canyon, wherever he could find a challenging trail. In 2000, he was hiking in the McDowell Mountains and met a volunteer from the McDowell Sonoran Land Trust (MSLT), the predecessor of today’s McDowell Sonoran Conservancy (MSC). Bernie began participating in MSLT hikes, became an expert in Sonoran flora and fauna, and a hike leader. He volunteered for trail construction and other projects, was responsible for the expanding steward program for several years, and served on MSC’s Board of Directors. Today, MSC has more than 500 volunteer stewards, partly due to Bernie’s dedication, knowledge, and exceptional salesmanship.
Today, Bernie volunteers for a variety of preserve projects, including the development of MSC’s new Field Institute, which was designed to help students effectively care for the preserve and share MSC’s expertise locally and across the United States.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, the Finkels and Conklins were not the only families discovering the growing community of Scottsdale. From 1982 to 1984, it doubled in area, to 184 square miles. It grew by annexing land under the jurisdiction of Maricopa County. The annexed land, much of today’s north Scottsdale, was an expanse of beautiful Sonoran Desert with more saguaros than people. It’s a long way from the South Kingston, Rhode Island, the quiet New England town that is the home of the University of Rhode Island, to Scottsdale. For the Finkels and Conklins, the journey to Scottsdale was enjoyable, but it’s even more rewarding being part of “destination preservation.”
Les Conklin has lived in Scottsdale since 1981 and is the editor of The Peak magazine. He has served as a member of MSC’s Board of Directors and as president of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association. Les founded Friends of the Scenic Drive and is a member of Scottsdale’s Hall of Fame.
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