June 29, 2017
By Les Conklin
Are you poisoning rats and killing our wildlife?
Guess what? When you use poison to get rid of roof rats, pack rats, mice and other rodent pests, each poisoning “success” is likely delivering death sentences to hawks, owls, bobcats and other local wildlife.
At a recent GPPA board meeting, a board member mentioned that devices that use rat poison were being sold door-to-door in our area.” Board member Bob Fox, one of the founders of Wild at Heart, a raptor rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit, told of finding a nest with all the owlets and one of the parents deceased, having “bled out.” Evidently the adult owl and owlets had eaten a rat poison, which causes blood thinning and ravaging thirst. “It’s a big problem. The poison travels up the food chain,” Bob said.
Guess what? There are ways to get rid of rodent pests without harming the wildlife that depend on them as a food source. The wildlife that we enjoy seeing in or near our neighborhoods face many challenges dealing with us humans, adding rat poison to the mix is completely irresponsible.
William LeRoy has contributed an excellent article on this subject. Click on the link below to read it.
On the Wildside: Sharing the Desert with Raptors
State Delivers Blow, History Unlikely to Repeat
Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive is the northern-most part of Scottsdale Road. In the late 1980s, a developer proposed building a motion picture production studio (with two 50′ towers), two hotels, town houses, and a small theme village on 320 acres located on the southwest corner of E. Dynamite Boulevard and N. Scottsdale Road. The developer argued that the area was destined to become a major entertainment center. Rawhide, Arizona’s most popular western venue was a few miles south on Scottsdale Road and Dick Van Dyke’s studio, just a few miles north. Developers argued that no matter what residents wanted, the intersection of Dynamite Boulevard and Scottsdale Road would become a major intersection, featuring two six-lane roads. It was inevitable, they said, especially once Dynamite was connected to the Beeline Highway, an idea that was being seriously discussed at the time.
Residents filed something called a legal protest with the City of Scottsdale. In fact, residents filed three legal protests, a Scottsdale record. The developer withdrew the request. Can you imagine what the northern-most part of Scottsdale Road would look like today had that project been built. It was a viable legal protest that saved residents and the area. Now there is bad news.
On May 10, 2017 Governor Ducey signed HB 2116. The new legislation made it much more difficult for residents to effectively use a “legal protest” to oppose a development near their property. The Scottsdale Independent published an excellent article by David Smith, a member of the Scottsdale City Council, about the legal protest and the state government’s recent decision. You will find a link to the article below, it explains what a legal protest is and how it has been weakened, and your protections diminished. There is still many opportunities for development in Scottsdale and the revised legal protest makes it easier for developers to get what they want.
Legal Protest Article by David Smith
“Stay Cool”! Submit Your Summer Fun Entries During July
Win stay at Four Seasons Resort, Including Dinner for Two
Why wait for August 27th! Submit your valid Summer Fun photo or writing contest entry during July and receive a “cool” gift from The Peak. Of course, if your entry wins the Grand Prize you’ll be awarded a VERY COOL stay at the Four Seasons. Why wait, enter this month. For information about the contests, click below.
Summer Fun Photo Contest Information Summer Fun Write Stuff ContestGPPA’s Cindy Lee Contributes Medicare Column
Cindy Lee, GPPA’s Vice President and also a volunteer Medicare counsellor, is contributing a new monthly column to The Peak beginning this month. The column is called “Medicare Corner.” If Medicare is part of your life, don’t miss Cindy’s column.
Medicare Corner
Check Out Newsletters
The electronic newsletters that are published in The Peak provide a wealth of information. As an example, the June 28th issue of Choose Scottsdale Economic Development Newsletter has information about Scottsdale’s temporary sign ordinance. Also, the city has developed a series of Scottsdale Advantage brochures that promote the Scottsdale Airpark, Cure Corridor and McDowell Road areas to new businesses or firms looking for a change of scenery.
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