May 1, 2021
Volunteering to Help the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive
By Les Conklin
A famous general once said, “Old soldiers never die. They simply fade away.” Unfortunately, what McArthur said about soldiers often applies to a community’s distinguishing landmarks and environments. During the 1980s, confusion about future jurisdictions caused by pending annexations caused the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive to “fade away.” Will history repeat because of Covid and other city issues? These thoughts were on my mind as I responded to the query below.
Reader Question
Hi,
I read about Friends of the Scenic and would like to know more about being a volunteer?
I see what I believe are your folks picking up trash on Scottsdale Road in the Westland/Scottsdale Road area.
Let me know what ways to assist in this or other ways. What else to do?
Sincerely,
Peak Reader
Friends Response
Thank you for your interest in Friends of the Scenic Drive and our volunteer opportunities. Your query comes at a good time. There are a variety of ways you can help.
Friends was founded based on the belief that our area’s unique history and natural environment are valuable, distinctive assets and should be preserved and when possible enhanced. Unfortunately, in many special places rapid and poorly managed development coupled with a lack of caring and education have diminished or decimated these assets over the years, usually one minor incident at a time. Ultimately city government determines what happens to an area and it is important to work with staff and elected leaders over the long haul and that involves trust and integrity. That is where education and advocacy are so important. There is a lot going on and its easy for residents and leaders to forget.
Here are ways that you can help.
Adopt-A-Road Scenic Drive Litter Pickups
Normally we do three a “season,” i.e., from late September through April. Volunteers are assigned sections of road covering both sides for the
“Friends of the Scenic Drive Roadside Cleanup Volunteers” by Dennis Liddell, January 2012
length of the drive, from Happy Valley Road north to Carefree Highway, 6 1/2 miles, 13 miles of roadside. We provide all necessary supplies, plastic bags, litter grabbers, safety vests, water, and a friendly welcome. Cleanups are conducted on Saturday and last two hours. To make it convenient for volunteers to participate we have two sign-in locations, one for the “north” and one for the “south.”
Volunteers are needed to be responsible for a section of road and to manage registration and distribute/collect supplies. Typically, we have about 25-30 volunteers. We use our publication The Peak magazine to publicize the cleanups and recognize volunteers for their service. We also have an email list that we maintain, and we use e-newsletters to notify volunteers of upcoming cleanups.
Scenic Drive Care and Enhancement Initiatives
Refurbishing Plant Exhibits
Friends of the Scenic Drive is responsible for maintaining the plant “exhibits” along the northern part of Scottsdale Road. Each exhibit includes a species of plant or tree, painted rocks that circle the plant and a redwood sign. These are the traditional type of exhibits that have been used since the drive was established in 1963 by residents of Cave Creek, Carefree and Maricopa County. There are about 55 exhibits on the northern part of Scottsdale Road. By the 1990s, mainly due to annexation distractions in the late 70s and early 80s, the drive had all but disappeared. Friends of the Scenic Drive restored all the plant exhibits with the support of the City of Scottsdale, which had annexed the area.
Since then, we have had to replace and move plant exhibits several times. We need to do that now. Plant exhibits have disappeared because of new development, accidents, and vandalism. Once again, the drive needs refurbishing and we will need volunteers to assess the need, plan the project, and do the work, including making and installing new signs, painting, and installing rocks, funding and publicizing the project, etc. The upcoming fall/winter/spring would be a good time to do this project. The need is now, and the city also will be installing planted medians from Dixiletta south to Jomax. It is much easier to get the city’s support if they have a related project taking place at the same time. Initially, we need volunteers to help plan and lead the project.
Scenic Drive Entry Signs, Exhibit Monuments and Drive Monument Sign
Scenic Drive Entry Monument. Courtesy Friends of the Scenic Drive.
Paint fades too. There are large monument entry signs at each end of the drive. There is also a large Scenic Drive Monument Sign and monument-mounted exhibits located at the drive’s exhibit area that is located on the east side of Scottsdale Road, 1/4 mile south of Jomax Road. All these monuments should be painted. The paint has faded since they were installed in the mid-90s. Professionals need to do the painting, but volunteers can raise money, manage the project. and publicize the effort.
Possible improvements to vegetation near the two entry signs and in the exhibit, area should be reviewed for enhancement to improve their appearance. At the exhibit area, trees were planted to prevent cars and trucks from accessing a dirt road that was being used to dump trash in the desert. Those trees have died or are dying. A water line was installed to the site, but its status needs to be checked.
Also, there are a few small plaques located near northern entry sign and in the exhibit area that should be checked for repair. It has also been suggested that a few small exhibit plaques be added adjacent to the informal trail east of the monument area. This is something that can be discussed by a volunteer planning committee.
Note that the Scenic Drive exhibit area is on State Trust Land. Someday it will be auctioned and developed. A few years ago, the zoning of acreage that includes the monument and exhibits was changed from residential to resort/tourism. Friends has long advocated for a future hiking link between the Scenic Drive and prospective Preserve access point at Pima and Dynamite. We have also advocated for a “Memory Park” to celebrate north Scottsdale history, see website.
Infrastructure Enhancements.
Brown paint and creativity can do wonders. Because of past efforts, most of the above-ground posts, rails, poles, boxes have been painted to blend into the environment. There is still more to be done, and city support is necessary, to paint the posts used for traffic signs brown and to paint the backs of traffic signs brown, so they are less visible to traffic going in the opposite direction. In the past, Friends has paid for some of these projects to get the ball rolling. We have also advocated for having unique street signs, e.g., logo, color, along the drive. Again, recommendations of this type, could be part of a plan to refurbish the drive.
Upcoming Scottsdale Road Median Project
New volunteers are needed to help analyze and plan for the refurbishment of the drive discussed above. And their work needs to be coordinated with the city. Likewise, these or other volunteers need to become knowledgeable about the city’s upcoming median enhancement.
Political Campaign Sign Ban
Mayors Herb Drinkwater and Sam Campana helped Friends of the Scenic Drive ban political signs from the Scenic Drive. Since then the city has implemented a similar ban on other roads. None-the-less, there are still a few candidates who ignore the ban, and to get rid of the signs they must be asked to participate in the ban.
Advocacy and Education
Of equal important with all the above is the need to provide Scenic Drive advocacy and promotion. Residents and governments forget, and history and natural environment are the victims. The Scenic Drive has almost completely disappeared once since 1963 and it will happen again unless there is ongoing promotion and education. .
Producing The Peak magazine and related newsletters are ways Friends of the Scenic Drive has used to advocate for the preservation and enhancement of the drive, since Friends and the city restored and enhanced the drive in the mid-90s. We have also used it to promote environmental preservation residents about the history of the area.
The above have also been invaluable in preventing insensitive development in areas along the Scenic Drive. The Peak magazine is the Scenic Drive’s website. In addition to providing a platform for local writers, photographers, and nonprofit and civic partners. While interest in the Scenic Drive comes and goes as possible development threatens, The Peak is a constant presence. Perhaps we should consider renaming it to The Peaks, since today the Scenic Drive showcases Pinnacle Peak, Black Mountain and Lone Mountain and it was people who lived near them that originally created and now maintain the Scenic Drive. In addition to our website, we could also use writers to help with our Facebook platform and adding the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive to Wikipedia, a popular tool for travelers and historians.
If you are interested in marketing, writing and electronic publishing there are a variety of Peak opportunities that you can consider.
Fund Raising and Donations
We are just beginning an initiative to obtain donations and we could use assistance in that area. Friends of the Scenic r Drive has organized fund raising events in the past that helped us and partners. It appears that the Covid threat is diminishing, so this is certainly an area where new volunteers could help.
For information about donating please review the article “Friends of the Scenic Drive Needs Your Help.”
For More Information
Our website, scenicdrive.org, aka thepeakaz.org has been called a treasure trove of information about the Scenic Drive and this area. I am also attaching a paper about the history of the drive and the various projects we have done.
Adopt-A-Road cleanups have been cancelled until next fall and I will add you to our mailing list. In the meantime, I need to speak to others, but I think we should form a volunteer committee to begin planning an improvements initiative. We could easily have a virtual meeting.
THANK YOU.
If any of the above volunteer opportunities are of interest to you, please call me at 480-585-0630 (Home) or 480-361-6498 or email me at info@scenicdrive.org.
Best wishes and health,
Les Conklin
Friends of the Scenic Drive/Peak Magazine
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