Heritage Fund

Commentary: Stewardship is the responsibility of every Arizonan

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[Commentary by Thom Hulen, Tempe, Arizona Heritage Alliance Board Member] — Stewardship can be defined as the individual’s responsibility to manage his life and property with proper regard to the rights of others and I believe this is what Arizona voters intended when the Heritage Fund was created in 1990. Arizonans realized that they could not take for granted the rich natural and cultural heritage bestowed upon them while Arizona continues to grow.

Since I was old enough to leave the house and wonder through Phoenix’s South Mountain Park on my own I have joyously marveled at the grandeur of the Sonoran Desert and the ancient Hohokam people who left their mark carved onto the boulders lining the canyons dissecting our nation’s largest city park. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of this gift. Then as well has today I think about the men and women who had the foresight to realize that if we do not take a role in our planet’s stewardship what we hold dear may not endure. We can love something to death through use, ignorance, and neglect.

The men and women who strove to create parks, preserves, museums and to protect important prehistoric and historic sites for all generations of people had the compassion and foresight to know if they stood by and did nothing it would someday be too late. When I see condors soaring over the Grand Canyon, photograph the petroglphs at Lyman Lake State Park, wander through the ruins at Homolovi Ruins State Park, or learn about desert plants at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, I not only think about the stewardship of the people who worked hard to preserve bits of our heritage, I also think of the thousands of Arizonans who voted to make the Heritage Fund a reality.

Unfortunately many Arizona legislators have not taken their role as stewards of our state’s natural and cultural legacy seriously and on numerous occasions have sought to ignore the will of the people by failing to adequately fund Arizona State Parks and the Arizona Game and Fish Department though appropriation and to raid the Heritage Fund to pay for other state expenses.

I agreed to join the Alliance’s board of directors because I feel a strong sense of stewardship of our state’s natural and cultural heritage and I believe that the voter’s intension in passing the Heritage Fund was acknowledgment of our responsibility to protect this heritage through our actions and not just sentiments. The Heritage Fund is all about stewardship and we all know that it takes more than hard work and commitment — it takes money to make stewardship happen. My intension for serving on the board is simple. I want to see the Heritage Fund protected, as the voters intended, and see it grow so that present and future generations will have the chance to appreciate Arizona’s wealth of natural and cultural heritage.

Historic hotel in Florence Arizona to get overhaul

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[Source: Lynh Bui, The Arizona Republic] — What was once one of the most important rest stops for miners and travelers in the Southwest sits empty today, with scraps of faded floral wallpaper and crumbling mortar as a few reminders of life at the Silver King Hotel.  Since the late 1800s, the social and economic heart of Florence has pulsed through this brick, Victorian building.  The bar was a prominent stagecoach stop and operated “the finest dining room in town,” according to state archives.  When the once-bustling hotel closed in 1977, the two-story building fell into disrepair, sitting abandoned on the corner of Main Street and Ruggles Avenue for three decades and damaged by a fire in the mid-1990s.

Over the years, there have been several rumors of overhauling the structure but nothing came to life until now.  The historic building will get a complete makeover by the end of the year, say officials with the town of Florence, which owns the building and is paying for most of the renovations with more than $500,000 in grants.  The building won’t turn into another hotel but will instead be revamped into retail and office space, Florence Public Information Officer Jess Knudson said during a recent tour of the structure.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Arizona state parks move to lure, keep volunteers as economy worsens

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[Source: Andrew J. Shainker, Cronkite News Service] — Jack Edwards gives visitors to Red Rock State Park a handshake and hello along with a pamphlet on the park’s history.  Louise Appleton leads visitors on moonlight walks.  Those who sneak onto park grounds after hours will get a lecture from Don Swanson, who stays overnight in his trailer.  This nature preserve, set beneath the spectacular cliffs overlooking Sedona, has several employees, but the three aren’t among them.  The retirees are part of a crew of about 80 volunteers that keeps the park running.  [Note: to read the full article click here.]

Cave Creek, Arizona makes plans for open spaces

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[Source: Beth Duckett, The Arizona Republic] — From the lush backwoods of Cave Creek Regional Park to the rugged Spur Cross Ranch, Cave Creek is known for its sweeping open spaces.  But with another 8.8 square miles coming inside the town’s borders through annexation this year, Cave Creek faces a dilemma – how to manage its open spaces.  With the plan, town and park officials would steer the use and management of thousands of acres with one document.  Future visitors centers and trail systems would be included in an open-space master plan.

“Planning as a system makes a whole lot more sense,” said Maricopa County Parks Director RJ Cardin.  “It would be a system of open space, rather than a piece of state land there, a piece there.”  The master plan would merge the 2,155-acre Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, 3,000-acre Cave Creek Regional Park and 4,300 acres of conserved annexation land, plus State Bureau of Land Management and conservation lands.  [Note: to read the full article click here.]