Book Front Cover Photo by Tom Roche/Shutterstock.com
A Book Review by Les Conklin
As published in A Peek at the Peak, December 2014
The expanded title of this book by historian Joan Fudala is “The People’s Preserve – How Scottsdale Created the McDowell Sonoran Preserve … and saved a 1.8-billion-year-old treasure in less than 25 years”.
This standout book is true to its title and describes how Scottsdale has created the McDowell Sonoran Preserve through 2014. Someday, there will be a sequel written – and I hope Joan Fudala writes it and I’m around to enjoy it – that describes how Scottsdale finished creating the preserve. But, it’s not quite time for that sequel or for Scottsdale to take a victory lap for concluding its’ preserve effort, but as the Fudala writes ” … some resting of laurels and back-patting is surely deserved.” Absolutely!
Without a doubt the 108-page, soft-covered book delivers a gratifying pat on the back, a delightful trip down memory lane, and a powerful shot of adrenalin to the many people and organizations recognized in the book. More importantly, it provides an essential foundation of information for all those “new” people who will provide the resources – time, talent, effort, and money – needed to finalize and support Scottsdale’s preserve going forward.
Critically, the book includes a factual, unbiased summary of the known challenges the people face in completing the preserve. The summary provides a starting point for the discussion that the people of Scottsdale surely must have.
Organization
Why did Scottsdale undertake this effort? What’s worth preserving? When did Scottsdale begin to think seriously about saving the McDowell Mountains and surrounding desert? What actions and initiatives preceded the organized preservation effort? Readers will find the answers to these questions in the book’s first two chapters.
While the early chapters answer the “Why” question. The next three chapters answer the “How,” “What,” and “When” questions, and identify “Who” was involved in the many faceted effort. No doubt other municipalities and organizations that are considering preservation initiatives, need to understand the incredible effort that has been required to raise awareness, sell, plan, staff, provide access, add land, increase usage, and pay for the 30,000 acres that are today protected by the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
The last chapter, “Chapter Six. Celebrating, Prognosticating,” describes the benefits of what has been accomplished and identifies known challenges. Foremost among these challenges is finishing the preserve in an affordable way that maximizes benefits for current and future generations. I would have liked to have seen a map of the entire planned preserve, including the “postage stamps,” those parcels of land through which the main part of the preserve can be linked to Scottsdale signature road, Scottsdale Road, and Scottsdale’s Scenic Drive. Readers will have to wait for the sequel to learn how the final result compares to the initial goal.
The book concludes with six appendices. Here the reader will find the text of plaques that recognize the many different people who have helped create the preserve, maps of preserve land acquisitions, and more.
Words of Wisdom
The chapters of the book are enriched by photographs and personal quotations. They are my favorite part of the book. The first quote, in the first chapter, is first on my list of favorites.
“If you foolishly ignore beauty, you’ll soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you wisely invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” Frank Lloyd Wright
In creating the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the people of Scottsdale are wisely investing in beauty. If you’re interested in preservation, Scottsdale, and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, this book is a wise investment. You’ll find it at Amazon, Borders, and other major book sellers.
PS. If you live in Scottsdale and have company coming take your guests to the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead or the Gateway Trailhead and look at the exhibits and the scenery. If you have time, walk the short Jane Rau Trail at Brown’s Ranch or the informative Bajada Trail at the Gateway Trailhead. If you do that, my bet is that you will want to order copies of this book and return to “The Peoples Preserve,” again and again.
Book Essentials
Title: The People’s Preserve
Author: Joan C. Fudala
Publisher: City of Scottsdale
Publication Date: October 2014
ISBN: 978-1-5025-8625-4
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