Month: May 2008

Voters overwhelmingly support Phoenix parks, open space

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Phoenix Sonoran Preserve[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic] — Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a 30-year extension of Phoenix’s Parks and Preserve Initiative, ensuring hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction and operation of recreational areas in the city. Unofficial results showed that more than four in five voters supported extending the decade-old tax, which amounts to one cent for every $10 purchase. Supporters hailed the passage of the tax as a landmark step in the effort to provide high-quality parks and preserves within Phoenix.

“I thank and congratulate the voters of Phoenix who, once again, have expressed their remarkable vision,” Mayor Phil Gordon said in a statement. “Not even a troublesome national economy can discourage our citizens from embracing a good opportunity to invest in the city our children will inherit.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

What are Arizona’s most endangered historic places?

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Vintage photo of Adamsville Ruins, listed on 2006 Most Endangered Historic Places List. [Source: Arizona Preservation Foundation] — The Arizona Preservation Foundation is accepting nominations for its 2008 list of Arizona’s Most Endangered Historic Places.   Compiled by preservation professionals and historians, the list identifies critically endangered properties of major historical or archaeological significance to the state.

Properties selected for the Most Endangered Historic Places list will receive the Foundation’s assistance in developing support to remove the threat.

To nominate online and for complete details, click here.  The deadline is June 5, 2008.  Supporting documentation must also be received by the deadline to: Arizona Preservation Foundation, P.O. Box 13492, Phoenix, AZ 85002. Support materials include clippings, correspondence, and photographs.

The Foundation’s 2007 list is comprised of Arizona State University Historic Properties, Tempe; Buckhorn Baths, Mesa; Camp Naco, Naco; Empire Ranch, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area; Glendale Tract Community Center, Glendale; Havasu Hotel, Seligman; Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale; Kingman Multiple Resources, Kingman; Maple Ash Neighborhood, Tempe; Marist College, Tucson; Old U.S. 80 Bridge (Gillespie Dam Bridge), Arlington; Sage Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, Ganado; San Ysidro Ranch Ruins, Yuma; Second Pinal County Courthouse, Florence; Valley National Bank, 44th Street & Camelback Road, Phoenix; and White Gates House, Phoenix.

The Foundation’s 2006 list is comprised of the Adamsville Ruins, Coolidge; Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, Tucson; First Baptist Church, Phoenix; Fisher Memorial Home, Casa Grande; Geronimo Station, Geronimo; Meehan/Gaar House, Casa Grande; Mesa Grande Ruins, Mesa; Mountain View Black Officers Club, Sierra Vista; Peter T. Robertson Residence, Yuma; Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Casa Grande; and Sun Mercantile Building, Phoenix.

Cultural sites at U.S. forests threatened

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[Source: Arizona Daily Sun, Associated Press] — The U.S. Forest Service lacks a clear legal mandate and the financial ability to protect thousands of historic sites and buildings on national forest lands from development, vandalism and other threats, a prominent preservation group says.  The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation released a report Thursday saying only 1,936 of 325,000 Forest Service sites identified as historically or culturally significant are on the National Register of Historic Places.  “We think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  We think there could be as many as 2 million sites,” trust president Richard Moe said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

At-risk treasures include American Indian pueblos and sacred sites, petroglyphs, Revolutionary and Civil War battlegrounds, trails used by the Lewis and Clark expedition and Forest Service lookout towers.  About 80 percent of the 193 million acres the agency manages in 44 states and Puerto Rico haven’t been surveyed for such sites, according to the Washington, D.C.-based trust.  “The National Forest System: Cultural Resources at Risk“ says the Forest Service, unlike other federal land management agencies, has no statute that specifically mandates historic or archaeological preservation as part of its mission.

Another issue is funding.  Less than 1 percent of the Forest Service’s $4.4 billion budget goes to heritage resource programs, according to the report.  Nearly half its budget is spent on fires, including fire suppression and decreasing wildfire risk.  Threats to historic and cultural sites include off-road vehicle use, oil and gas development in the West, livestock grazing, logging and a resurgence in uranium, gold and other hard-rock mining, Moe said.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Governor’s rural conference attendees to tour Spur Cross Ranch

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[Source: Ellen Bilbrey, Arizona State Parks] — During the 2008 Governor’s Rural & Regional Development Conference in September, conference attendees will take a mobile tour of Carefree’s Spur Cross Ranch, purchased with $8 million in Natural Areas Heritage Fund dollars.  For information about the conference, click here.  For information about Spur Cross Ranch, click here.