Arizona Heritage Alliance

2010 Arizona Culturekeepers

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[Source: Westin Kierland Resort & Spa]

In conjunction with the Sharlot Hall Museum, Arizona Historical Society, and Historian Marshall Trimble, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is honoring 10 Arizona residents for making a positive impact on the stateís history, culture, environment and/or economy.

Selected from more than 100 nominees, the 2010 Arizona Culturekeepers honorees will be recognized at a luncheon ceremony on Sunday, September 19th, at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.

The public is invited to participate in the uniquely Arizonan event. Tickets are $45. To purchase tickets, the public is encouraged to call The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa at 480-624- 1356. Proceeds will benefit the Arizona Culturekeepers program, Sharlot Hall Museum and Arizona Historical Society.

The 2010 Arizona Culturekeepers are:

  • Reba Wells Grandrud, Phoenix, Historian
  • Sue Harris, Phoenix, Arizona Performer and Songwriter
  • Annie Anton, Pima, Basket Weaver
  • Frank Barrios, Phoenix, Author, Historian
  • Dan Harkins, Arcadia
  • Bill Owen, Yavapai County, Artist
  • Roxanne Knight, Springerville, Cultural Preservation
  • Aaron Cohen, Scottsdale, Western Book Dealer
  • Rose Mofford, Globe, Humanitarian, Historic Preservation
  • Scottsdale Charros

Each Culturekeeper will be presented with an award that describes the individual’s or groupís contributions to the state. Plaques with photos of each honoree will be displayed along the walls of the Resort’s meeting space, including Culturekeepers Hall, a special area of the hotel adjacent to the Kierland Grand Ballroom.

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Superstition Mountains, gold draw tourists to Apache Junction

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[Source: Rachael Myer, OpportunityGreaterPhoenix.com Aug. 10, 2010]

Photographers travel hundreds of miles to take pictures of wildflowers blooming at the base of the Superstition Mountains.

Miners still disappear in the ridges looking for the fabled lost gold.

Lost Dutchman State Park’s saguaro cactus, ocotillo plants, and wild javelina draw tourists from all over the world.

With a challenging economy, Apache Junction is launching a tourism effort fused around the park’s beauty and mystique.

The timing seems just right to center a tourism push on the park. This spring the community rallied in droves to save Lost Dutchman from possible closure and the park recently received $1 million in grants for capital improvements.

Now city officials are distributing brochures, creating online videos, and planning downtown revitalization efforts to boost the East Valley city’s economy.

Lost Dutchman’s support, capital improvements

Public support for Lost Dutchman State Park appears to never have been more abundant.

Residents from nearby communities raised $26,000 this spring to keep the park open after a lack of state funding threatened to close it.

Donations came rolling in.

Taylor H. Sanford Jr., a Texas resident who winters in Mesa, donated $8,000. Haley Anderson, 12, led the fundraising effort at Mesa’s Smith Junior High School and collected $1,431. Superstition Harley-Davidson sponsored a motorcycle ride that generated $10,000.

The Friends of the Lost Dutchman State Park formed after the closure threat. The organization continues advocacy efforts even though the State Parks Board voted in May to keep the park open.

Capital improvements to the park over the summer will help to attract more visitors and enable them to stay longer, officials said.

Installing electricity at 38 campsites and constructing an additional restroom and shower will allow campers to enjoy air conditioning in their recreational vehicles, and encourage longer stays in the campgrounds.

The $1 million project, funded through federal and state grants, is expected to be completed in the fall.

Officials hope campers will spend more money at the local grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. About 100,000 visitors – almost half from outside of Arizona – come to the park each year.

The park generates a significant economic boost of $4 million. More than 45 jobs are indirectly tied to the park, according to the state park system.

Mitzi Rinehart has led hikes and educated visitors at the park for nine years. She has met people who have traveled from Scotland, Germany, and Italy.

“They’ve all heard about the Superstition mines and the gold,” the 75-year-old park volunteer said. “They say have you found the gold yet? I’ll say if I had, do you think I’d be standing here?”

Rinehart enjoys the park most of all for the Superstition Mountains’ beauty.

“There’s more quality to a life if you get nature in it and you understand it,” she said. “You take time out for reflection.”

Read the entire post HERE.

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The gift of the Arizona Monsoons

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[Source: Tom Brossart, The Payson Roundup]

Tom Brossart photo

We were looking for elk, maybe a deer or even a pronghorn antelope, but the largest wild animal we saw was a jackrabbit — she was big, but not quite the wildlife we were looking for on our hike along Rudd Creek at the Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area.

What we found was a wide variety of wildflowers along the nearly three-mile hike, which starts at the visitor center follows Rudd Creek to the Mckay Reservoir and then loops back around to the visitor center, which is the old ranch homestead and worth seeing in its own right.

There are more obvious areas in the White Mountains for a hike, hunt for wildflowers or wildlife, but few nicer than the wildlife area outside of Springerville for an early morning or evening adventure.

My wife and I were in Springerville for a different photo shoot at the Casa Malpais, and a Forest Service ranger had told us about the Sipe Wildlife area, which is managed by Arizona Game and Fish Department. Always up for a hike in the wilds, it was just too inviting to resist.

Tom Brossart photo

Since photographing wildlife was the goal of the day we rose early at 4 a.m., grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and drove the five miles on U.S. Highway 180/191 to the turnoff to Sipe. At the top of the mesa there is a sign and pretty good forest road that takes you to the 1,362-acre wildlife area, which is surrounded by national forest. The road is good, I don’t know that I would take a car on the road, but we did see one person with a car.

The night before the visitor center manager told us they spotted a large herd of elk, but after searching during the evening hours we found none. But we still had high hopes for the next morning’s hike.

Starting the hike at around sunrise we expected to see some wildlife, but they all must have known we were coming. There were lots of sign and tracks, but no wildlife this morning.

What we did find were isolated areas of a wide variety of wildflowers. There were no meadows blanketed with brightly colored summer blooms, but there were enough wildflowers to add interest to the hike since the elk were not cooperating.

The hike is an easy one. It follows a meandering trail along the creek up to an old cabin, and then circles through a forest area to the reservoir where you can find migrating birds in the fall and spring, but only one duck and his mate in July.

On the way back to the visitor center you pass an old Native American ruin with its own history that is worth a quick look.

Tom Brossart photo

The wildlife area is the former White Mountain Hereford Ranch, which according to the visitor center host, had problems with too many elk. Seems the rancher planted alfalfa to harvest for winter feed, but the elk ate the grains before it could be harvested despite the best efforts to the contrary. No harvest meant no winter feed for the Herefords, which probably meant it was too expensive of a proposition. So the ranch was sold and the state game and fish folks purchased it in 1993 to meet the objectives of the Arizona Heritage Fund Program for threatened, endangered and sensitive species and their habitats and also for recreational opportunities.

The site has several wetlands area, several easy to moderate hiking trails, a wildlife viewing area and a visitor center with numerous displays.

The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the wildlife area is open from one hour before sunrise and to one hour after sunrise.

Wildflowers are nice right now, but the best time for wildlife is fall and spring. There are special programs from time to time: such as the recent event that allowed the public to observe and photograph hummingbirds; and in early September AGFD conducts a basic wildlife-viewing workshop. For more information on special programs at Sipe, call (928) 367-4281.

Originally published on August 11, 2010

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Limiting Park Access Threatens Body and Soul

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[Source: Doug Ramsey, Public News Service-AZ]

Arizona Foothills Magazine

State and local parks in Arizona are cutting hours of operation or even closing because of budget shortfalls. In some cases, new parks are being delayed for years.

Carol Stambaugh, Arizona director for the National Association of Social Workers, says in tough economic times, it’s easy to forget the role of parks in meeting the needs of the whole person.

“The whole person includes not just the health and the wellness, but also the spiritual and emotional wellness of a person. And whenever people are unable to have recreation to unwind, it makes the stress in our life that much harder.”

People always need the recreational opportunities provided by parks, says Stambaugh — and in a down economy, they also need an affordable leisure option. This makes parks important to the lives and health of all Arizonans, she says.

“We’re seeing epidemics of childhood obesity as well as an increase in adult obesity. And parks and activities are the type of things that we need to be investing in now, not cutting.”

Most Arizona state parks are either closed or operating on limited days or hours. Some cities are adding park user fees, while others are postponing the establishment of parks in newer neighborhoods. Several state parks slated for closure have been kept open because of private fund-raising efforts and partnerships with local communities. Stambaugh hopes the support continues until the state’s economy recovers.

“The fact that local communities have contributed and partnered to keep these parks open illustrates that everyone recognizes the importance that parks play in our life as a whole human being.”

Such efforts have kept state parks like Tonto Natural Bridge, Riordan Mansion and Yuma Territorial Prison open on a Thursday through Monday schedule.

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