Sign Near Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Headquarters, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, May 2014
May 16, 2014
Prologue.
We are proud to say that in the 90s, Jane Rau served on the board of directors and as president of The Greater Pinnacle Peak Homeowners Association, which later became the GrFeater Pinnacle Peak Association, the nonprofit that publishes A Peek at the Peak magazine and this blog (see Note). In the articles below, Jane was updating readers of The Peak magazine about the status of the fledgling land trust. The land trust later reorganized and became today’s McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that works with Scottsdale to manage and maintain Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Recently, the city opened the Jane Rau Interpretive Trail near the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. I walked the 1/2 mile trail for the first time in early May, thoroughly enjoyed it and took the photographs that have been included with Jane’s article describing early efforts in the formation of Scottsdale’s preserve. Editor
THE McDowell Sonoran Land Trust
By Jane Rau
Part I. As published in the June, 1993 issue of A Peek at the Peak magazine.
With its $1,000.00 donation, the Greater Pinnacle Peak Homeowners Association was the midwife at the birth of the McDowell-Sonoran Land Trust in November of 1990. It was incorporated as The McDowell-Sonoran Land Conservancy because Arizona law will not allow the word “trust” in an incorporation. As of January 1991, we are an Arizona Non-Profit Corporation. The trust received its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service in May 1991. We also became a sponsor member of the Land Trust Alliance in 1991. We approved the adoption of the Land Trust Alliance’s statement of Land Trust Standards and Practices, “a code of ethics” for land trusts nationwide.
Exhibit Near Start of Jane Rau Trail, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, May 2014
In the beginning a number of individuals helped formulate the parameters of the land trust, including areas of concern, physical area of interest, by-laws, etc., but all felt their schedules too busy to be directors or advisors. We owe a big thanks to these people for input. The valley-wide representation was most helpful when naming the land trust and their views helped arrive at what I feel is the best name.
In the 2 1/2 years, since its birth, the accomplishments of the trust are due to the talents and efforts of the all-volunteer board of directors. Although the faces have changed, due to individual business pressures, their talents have produced some amazing results. Our first chairman, Pete Chasar, was the designer of the logo on the stationery and presentation folders. The beautiful brochure was designed and written by the Chasar Ad Group; photography by Arizona Game and Fish, Tom Johnson, and Virginia Korte; illustration by Mark Chasar; color separations by Offset Separations Group, arranged by Sue Adams. Pete Chasar and other advertising friends were responsible for Sun Cor pledging the net proceeds from the sale of posters of Ed Mell’s painting “Sunset On The McDowell’s”, to the McDowell-Sonoran Land Trust.
THE McDowell Sonoran Land Trust
By Jane Rau
Part II. As published in the July, 1993 issue of A Peek at the Peak magazine.
Brown’s Mountain from Jane Rau Trail, McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Everyone in the valley enjoys the constant changing face of the McDowell Mountains while the seasons, storms, and shadows create this spice of change. These mountains are not publicly owned. With a few exceptions, they are in a number of private holdings. The McDowell Sonoran Land Trust was formed to act as a facilitator to gain public access as well as the setting aside of the McDowells and portions of the Sonoran Desert for the enjoyment of all future generations. Two examples of the developer’s changing attitude is that 46% of the Newhall Farm and Land project is being set aside with specific public access as well a SunCor’s Scottsdale Mountain giving over 600 acres to the city. The SunCor public access trailhead was dedicated on National Trails Day, June 5, 1993. Thirty-five of us hiked the wash through some rugged terrain to the dedication plaque part way up the mountain. Part of the changing attitude is due to the trust bringing information to the developers, pointing out successful projects that found protecting and setting aside unique land areas enhanced their projects, including monetary rewards.
Karen Bertiger and Jane Rau became the co-founders of the trust when they accepted the responsibility of signing the incorporation papers, making them liable for any expenses incurred. That pushed Jane into asking for moneys from groups and individuals to help the trust become incorporated with the 501(c)(3) status. With a number of successes, Jane became the trust’s fund-raising chairman and continues in that capacity.
Karen Bertiger, the first treasurer, is a real estate broker. It was her expertise that brought to our attention various RTC lands that we should express an interest in, due to the Costal Barrier Act. We would not be a bidder on Saddleback Mountain, without Karen’s letters to the local and Washington, D.C. RTC, resulting in Saddleback being included under the Costal Barrier Act. She also chaired the Land Acquisition Criteria Committee, and with the aid of Tom Mathews and Mark Knops, produced a seven page guide that is as necessary as our by-laws.
The McDowell Sonoran Land Trust
By Jane Rau
Part III. As published in the August, 1993 issue of A Peek at the Peak magazine.
Palo Verde, Saguaro Bloom, Jane Rau Trail, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, May 2014
Starting this final portion of the update on the McDowell Sonoran Land Trust story, I can’t help but bring to your attention those agencies that have been very helpful in the formative years. Marilyn Pawels of the Nature Conservancy and Rory Aikens of Arizona Game & Fish were original directors, but due to the new positions with their agencies, conflict of interest arose, and they moved onto our Advisory Board. They still aid with ideas and information.
Fred Davidson, our counselor, gained our non-profit incorporation and 501(c)(3} status at greatly reduced fees. Since that time all other land trust legal decisions and consultations have been pro-bono, including many hours on the R.T.C. bid. That involvement, Saddleback Mountain, is still going.
The present Board of Directors are all volunteers who have proven their interest in the McDowell Sonoran Land Trust. The following is a brief biography of each member: Chet Andrews, Chairman, is a retired SRP engineer; Andrea Forman, Secretary, is an architect; Mark Knops, Treasurer, is a lawyer with the Arizona Corporation Commission; Kristen Jaskie is a freshman at Saguaro High School, active in fund raising; Christine Kovach is Vice President and Sales Manager of Founders Bank of Arizona; Lynne LaGarde is a zoning lawyer with Earl, Curley, LaGarde; Cynthia Lukas is a writer and teacher, helping with publicity; Anne Neisser, who chairs our speakers bureau and finance committee, is with Merrill Lynch; Peter Neisser is a lawyer who previously was involved with the Phoenix Mountain Preserve; John Nichols, who chairs publicity and strategic planning committees, is a lawyer with Motorola; Jane Rau, co-founder, is an activist, environmentalist, and fund raising chairman; Steven Voss is a land planner with Larson, Voss, Associates Inc.; Greg Woodall is an archaeologist with Dames & Moore; and Carla (Woodall-Hackert) chairs the education committee and is involved with the schools.
The recent accomplishment of this board has been the production of a Land Trust video that was written and directed by Carla, with Chet Andrews and Greg Woodall aiding in the actual on-location filming. Kristen Jaskie wrote her own dialogue, and despite gnats, went through it five times to come up with a natural. John Nichols, with the aid of T.J. Roe and other college students, made a topographical map of the McDowell Mountains that will be on display in the Kiva in the near future. Jane Rau’s fund-raiser is the natural cotton t-shirts designed by Scottsdale Artist Stephen Missal. Stephen chose for the first in a series of educational t-shirts the two largest animals of the McDowell’s, the Mule Deer and the Mountain Lion. For speakers for your organization or for T-shirts, call Jane Rau at 585-4446 or the Trust’s voice mail at 998-7971.
I am personally proud of all of our directors, plus the many other individuals who have made significant contributions to the MSLT. We welcome any donations to the Land Trust. We are working hard to have areas set aside with public access for hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. Send donations to McDowell Sonoran Land Trust, P.O. Box 14365ale, AZ 85267- 4365.
Editorial Note. October 2019. Jane’s 1993 articles were first published in The Peak, which was only printed at that time. Later, an electronic versions of The Peak print magazine was published on GPPA’s website. In 2014, the entire article above was published in The Peak Blog, which for a brief period preceded the development of today’s online magazine.
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