Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 4. Roadside Gorilla
By Les Conklin 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 hundreds of acres of land along Scottsdale and Pima Roads. “Just buy it,” I thought. Then, I learned about the “roadside gorilla”. The Arizona State Land Department manages acres of remaining open space along Scottsdale’s scenic corridors,...
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 3. The Four Henchmen of Urban Sprawl
By Les Conklin There won’t be a breathless 9-1-1 call, a fear-stricken cry for help, a blood curdling scream, or a loud thud. When the time comes, people might not even notice that their quality of life and the natural environment has been brutally victimized. The best laid plans of many communities have failed to stop urban sprawl because its henchmen are insidious, relentless, heartless, and patient, VERY PATIENT....
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 2. Road to Groundhog Land
Courtesy Friends of the Scenic Drive I thought of an old movie as I was driving on Scottsdale Road from Shea Boulevard to Pinnacle Peak Road, passing more commercial buildings where stately saguaro had stood in the 1980s. In the movie, a TV weatherman drives to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where he finds himself living the same day over and over again. The year “Groundhog Day” was released, I found myself “on the road” seeing the...
Scottsdale Scenic Drive Post 1. Roadside Sprawl Heading Our Way?
By Les Conklin This is a series of posts about roadside sprawl, preservation, and Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive, Scenic Corridors, and McDowell Sonoran Preserve. I have been involved with these subjects since the late 1980s and the goal is to share some of what I’ve learned and am learning. Different Perspective My perspective differs from that of most residents involved with creating the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, whose...
Desert Foothills Woman’s Club Awards Grant to Scenic Drive
May 16, 2014 Friends of the Scenic Drive volunteers and the board of directors of the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association thank the Desert Foothills Woman’s Club for its support of the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive. The club’s donation will be used to maintain and enhance the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive. The Desert Foothills Woman’s Club was founded in 1960 to promote and encourage the charitable, educational and...
GPPA’s Conklin, Scottsdale History Hall of Fame Inductee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2014 MEDIA ALERT Scottsdale Chamber Announces – 2014 Scottsdale History Hall of Fame Inductees Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 5:30-9:00 PM WHAT: Each year the Past Presidents’ Council of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce honors four individuals and one non-profit organization at our annual Scottsdale’s History Hall of Fame dinner. Over the past twenty years, the Council has selected 120...
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive – Part 3
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive – Continued By Les Conklin Published: Scottsdale Magazine/Summer 1996 The article is being published in three parts. Part 3. Starts Here Tonto and Yavapai Apaches moved into the foothills of the McDowell Mountains during the 1400s. The Apaches spent their summer and fall months moving slowly through these foothills gathering roots, stems, leaves, and fruits. The fierce Apaches...
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive – Part 2
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive – Continued By Les Conklin Published: Scottsdale Magazine/Summer 1996 The article is being published in three parts. Part 2. Starts Here Leaving the wooden sign, Bob and Geoff and I walk north a short distance to a small cleared area on the east side of Scottsdale Road. Two weeks before this adventure, Jo Walker, who as president of the Cave Creek Improvement Association shepherded...
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive – Part 1
Discovering the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive By Les Conklin Published: Scottsdale Magazine/Summer 1996 The article is being published in three parts. Part 1. Starts Here Equipped with the old treasure map and a book on southwestern plants, I am eager to begin an unusual search in a place of unrivaled naturally beauty known as the Desert Foothills. A special place where the desert gradually rises to the mountains, creating...
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1975 Eagle Scout Project Restored Scenic Drive on Cave Creek Road
By Les Conklin The article, “Rising from the Ashes,” published in the November-December issue of A Peek at the Peak (The Peak) magazine, tells the story of Tracy Armstrong’s quest to become an Eagle Scout. His report, which he submitted upon completing the project, describes the work done and includes some 1975 photographs. In 1975, Armstrong and his family were living in Maricopa County (today’s, northeast...
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