Friends of Scottsdale's Preserve, 6631 E Horned Owl Trl, Scottsdale, AZ (2026)

11/25/2020

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday this year, while there is a lot to be concerned about with COVID-19 still a big issue worldwide, unrest in the country, and all the political maneuvering by both sides, there is also a lot to be thankful for. If most (hopefully all) of your friends and relatives are surviving the COVID-19 outbreak that is huge. We are also blessed to live in this country and in this place in that country, with a 30,000 acre Preserve to enjoy and help relieve stress.

We were also fortunate to have some really good people stand up and run for the city council, and then get elected during a very difficult time. Both of them were a big reason we were able to protect the Preserve against development. Our citizens are now engaged, watching what is happening, and casting their votes in a much more informed manner. Having these people on the council, and having a more engage citizenry, will go a long way toward not only protecting the Preserve, but maintaining the quality of life we moved here to enjoy. Certainly something to celebrate.

So despite the issues, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Our city, country, and citizens have been through far worse so I am confident we will get through these difficulties. There is definitely a lot to be thankful for.

So I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and holiday season and look forward to a better 2021 as the new year rolls around. Good times are ahead.

Howard

09/28/2020

Endless variety of things to see in the Preserve, enjoy every moment in it.

09/28/2020

Our Preserve is being used as leverage to justify more intense development in the rest of the city. The claim is that because we set aside land for a Preserve we MUST have more density elsewhere. The General Plan does not establish a target population at build out, so nothing could be further from the truth. Part of the justification for the Preserve, and spending money on buying the land, was that it would “buy down” development. This means that by taking land out of the total that can be developed we are saving the city and taxpayers a lot of money. This is true because, with our tax rates, development doesn’t pay for itself, meaning development costs the city more than any income it may bring to the city. We have some of the lowest property and sales tax rates in the valley, yet have some of the best amenities and also high cost of government, most of which is invested in good public safety (police and fire). The reason we can do this is because of tourism which brings the city far more money that whatever it costs the city to support the tourism industry. The Preserve is also a huge tourist attraction which brings the tourists here who spend money in our city. However when we bring in a lot more residents, and non retail businesses (don’t generate sales tax income for the city), the cost to service them exceeds the income they generate plus the excess income tourism brings in, which puts the city in a negative financial position. This is the situation the city is in now, way before COVID-19, which pushes the city further into a negative financial hole.
What does all this mean to us residents and to the Preserve? As residents, most of us have moved here because of the high quality of life Scottsdale offers, and the Preserve is a big part of that. That high quality of life, combined with the Preserve, also drives up property values. However if all the areas outside the Preserve are over developed, our desirability and quality of life will go down and with it property values. To control this we need a good General Plan that defines the population at build out, that assures development is compatible the city’s character and supports both our residents and tourism industry. We haven’t had a General Plan update since 2000, a violation of state law that requires updates every 10 years.
We are approaching the general election and this year’s city election will be potentially pivotal when it comes to both the Preserve and how Scottsdale will grow in the future. We will be voting for a mayor and 3 council members so a total of 4 of the 7 council positions. To get the city back on track, toward maintaining its desirability and achieving financial sustainability, we have to put the right people on the council. We are fortunate to have two people running for council seats whose effort was a big reason we were successful with proposition 420, giving us a vote on development in the Preserve. They are Betty Janik and Tom Durham. Both will not only help us maintain the Preserve but will help push the city away from random dense development toward controlled and compatible growth. So they will be a big help for both the Preserve and the city in general. It couldn’t come at a better time because if we don’t change the current direction now it will be too late. So please vote for them because with them we will have a majority on the council who support both the Preserve and smart growth. If they don’t get elected, the current direction will continue and we will wind up with a 30,000 acre Preserve in a very congested city. Views of that Preserve will be lost from everywhere except right next to it.
For mayor, the choice is between David Ortega and Lisa Borowsky. Neither are big Preserve supporters, but the big difference is their attitude toward development. Ortega is on the side of slower more responsible growth, as demonstrated by his opposition to the Southbridge II project while Borowsky is a developer and is in fact is trying to cram a very high density development into the rural area between Sedona and Cottonwood, a very similar situation to the out of character development we are dealing with in Scottsdale. So if all the increased height, density, and congestion bother you, Ortega is the better choice.

Note that you can vote for up to 3 candidates for council, but you don’t have to vote for 3, you can vote for 0 to 3. If you vote for less than 3 it increases the chances of getting elected for the ones you did vote for. The one thing you don’t want to do is increase the chance of winning for candidates that don’t support what you want so just vote for those candidates you feel good about.

Thanks for your support of our Preserve and stay well.

07/30/2020

This is a little off the subject of the Preserve, but I got this from a friend and it was too good to not pass along. As we deal with the COVID-19 virus and the unrest in the country, this little story was so uplifting and also a reminder of the all the sacrifices our military personal endure to keep us safe and protect our freedoms. I hope you read it all and if it doesn’t move you, click on the link at the end which I can’t sit through without shedding a tear. Makes me proud to be an American and appreciative of all who serve to keep us safe, and their families. If you see me in red on a Friday, you will know why. Hope you enjoy both.

Howard

Subject: Red Friday

As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays'.
Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of course, I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line every day for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear of reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be prouder of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.'

The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.

The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her Daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you...' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Americans support our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever; certainly, more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...We need your support and your prayers.

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON.
IF YOU COULDN'T CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE. I don't know if you've seen this, but I couldn't delete it.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD.

Link to the Lonestar – “I'm Already There [Troops Tribute]” video. This video really hit home to me, hope it does to you too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2EW3yBqSk

T

07/11/2020

A Great Opportunity
First I hope you all are well and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and all the unrest in the country as best as you can and that you had a good Independence Day holiday. Whatever our problems are, we are still fortunate to live in this country. These are difficult times for sure, that are tough on everyone. Hikes in the Preserve can really help adjust to whatever issues we have to face so we are very fortunate to have such an amenity right in our city.

While there is a lot to worry about, we have a unique opportunity this year to change the makeup of the Scottsdale city council that we not only shouldn’t ignore but embrace doing that will not only help our efforts to protect the Preserve but make sure growth is compatible with our city and the quality of life we enjoy here. Opportunities like this don’t come often so we have to take advantage of them when they do.

In 2018, we got 2 people involved with Proposition 420 elected and they have done a wonderful job. This year, we are fortunate to have 2 more people, who were both instrumental in giving us a vote on development in the Preserve through the Proposition 420 charter change, running for city council seats, Betty Janik and Tom Durham. Like Kathy Littlefield and Solange Whitehead, they are smart, articulate, and will make good decisions when it comes to growth, managing fiscal responsibility, and preserving our quality of life, making their decisions based on the facts, not what some donor to their campaign wants. They will truly represent us citizens and combined with Kathy and Solange will give us a majority on the council. With a majority of 4 we can better protect the Preserve and control growth so it complements our quality of life rather than degrading it.

The COVID-19 crisis and the riots and looting in our own downtown exposed a severe lack leadership in Scottsdale. Leadership comes from the top, mayor and council majority, not from city staff. Both the mayor, and council majority have been absent when it counts the most. The bars should have been closed in the beginning and remained closed until the virus is under control and the city should have prepared for the riots, that were hitting cities all over the nation way before they came to Scottsdale. Strategies for handing them should have been established before they happened. The mayor with council majority of Korte, Klapp, and Milhaven wouldn’t clamp down on the bars or work with our police and fire departments to prepare for riots because they are supported by the bar owners through contributions to campaign funds. We need a real leader to guide us through these difficult times and also through the financial impact of them on the city, which will be considerable.

By the way, the good news on the riots is that the Scottsdale police department is continuing to follow up on leads and arrest those responsible for property destruction and looting. More arrests are being made every day. Despite lack of mayor/council leadership, they are doing everything they can to send a strong message that you won’t get away with those actions in Scottsdale.

Leadership starts with the mayor and there are 5 candidates for mayor. All have been council members in the past, so we know their voting record AND who contributes to their campaign, both now and in the past. The only candidate who hasn’t taken money from these special interests is Bob Littlefield. He is also the only candidate with a proven voting record of supporting citizens vs. developers, land owners, and their attorneys. He is a Vet who will take charge when needed, something we haven’t seen in the past 12 years. Some people say they don’t want two Littlefields on the council but for me I would have 7 of them on the council if all of them consistently supported citizens and responsible growth, and backed that up with their votes and actions, as Bob and Kathy have done. Korte and Klapp have continuously voted to increase height and density and have not listened to citizens. Korte also spent a lot of time and money trying to deny us a vote on development in the Preserve, again showing her distain for citizen’s opinions. Klapp was solidly behind the DDC, alias Desert Edge, until it became clear we were going to get our charter question to the voters, and then she was suddenly in favor of 420. While we appreciate that, if she were on our side from the beginning we wouldn’t have needed to go through the extensive effort to change the charter. Borowsky, and her family, are developers, currently trying to stuff a high density development in a rural area near Sedona and her voting record while on council was poor, supporting both development and the bars. Ortega isn’t a bad person, but his voting record leaves a lot to be desired plus he was an opponent of the Preserve. So the choice for mayor should be pretty clear.

Who are the best council candidates to lead us through this uncertain future? Who will represent citizens instead of those who want to profit off Scottsdale’s desirability? As with mayoral candidates, all you have to do is follow the money. If you look at who contributes to their campaign fund, it is pretty easy to see who to not vote for as the majority of them are taking donations from people and companies who do business with the city, which may be legal but certainly not ethical. It means they are bound to vote for whatever projects their donors or organizations bring before the council regardless of their impact on the city and its citizens. So you know how they will vote and who they will represent and it won’t be you.

Betty Janik and Tom Durham are the only candidates completely free of special interest donations. All theirs came from average citizens just like us. Guy Phillips is close and in the process of returning any donations that may even appear to be unethical and so far Michael Auerbach is also free of special interest donations. All the others have either taken donations from people who do business with the city or have connections with organizations that want to develop the city like the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, the Scottsdale Area Association of Relators (SAAR), and the Scottsdale Coalition of Today and Tomorrow (SCOTT). All of these groups are very political and want to develop Scottsdale into another version of Phoenix or LA by getting their people on the city council. This will become even more apparent when the second quarter financial reports come out on July 16th. Look at donations and their connections to people, companies and organizations to see who is backing these candidates and therefore who they will represent if they get on the council.

If you want to learn more about the candidates, a great source of information is the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale (COGS) web site where they have posted questionnaires from all but the 2 candidates that didn’t return one (Crawford and Auerbach) and also the first quarter financial reports. If you look through this material it becomes pretty clear who to vote for. Go to: http://cogsaz.net/ and select “2020 Council and Mayoral Candidates Info”.
We have also put a candidate information summary on the Protect Our Preserve website at:http://protectourpreserve.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Candidate_List_C.pdf
It contains a brief summary of each candidate, their connections, voting history, and 1st quarter financial statement plus how they answered key questions in the COGS survey. You might find it helpful. The intent is to just present the facts.

We are going through a very difficult time with the virus and general unrest in the country, but we can make a big difference locally, and therefore how these things impact us in the future, by putting the right people on the city council. This year we have a chance to change the makeup of the council to one that really will represent citizens, will look at responsible growth, retain our quality of life, and drive the city toward financial sustainability. If we get 5 council members who are resident friendly, we can also create a real General Plan to guide future development and give us some predictability of what Scottsdale will be in the future. Two years ago we made a huge difference by passing Proposition 420 and electing two citizen friendly candidates, all by wide margins. We can build on that by electing at least 3 more good candidates this year, all we need are votes for the right people. As before, if we stick together we can make a big difference.

Please pass this along to anyone you know who is a Scottsdale voter, every vote counts.

Thanks and stay well.

Howard

Alert
Voters who are not registered as a Democrat or Republican WILL NOT automatically get a ballot for the Primary election even if are on the Permanent Early Voting List. They are sent a card that gives them the option of requesting a political party ballot of their choice or a Scottsdale-only ballot. These voters must notify Maricopa County Elections (602-506-1511) of their selection to receive a mail-in ballot for the August 4, 2020 Primary Election. Ballot selections also may be made online at:
https://recorder.maricopa.gov/earlyvotingballot/earlyvotingballotrequest.aspx.
This must be done by July 24th to get a ballot and vote by July 29th (last day to mail a ballot back).

11/29/2019

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.
I am thankful to be living in the greatest country in the world, in one of the best places in that country, for all the wonderful people who live here who get involved when necessary and of course thankful for putting the Preserve in the hands of the people.
The 420 effort put Solange Whitehead on the council and reelected Kathy Littlefiled both by wide margins and hopefully more people, involved in that effort, will run for council in 2020. Then we will have even more to be thankful for and will have a great shot at keeping Scottsdale the great place it is.
So thank all of you and hope you also celebrated all we have to be thankful for and had a great Thanksgiving.

11/10/2019

We are keeping Protect Our Preserve alive to do exactly that, protect our Preserve. We are keeping an eye on everything going on in the Preserve and in particular things Preserve staff may want to do to it that they feel do not require a public vote and that they can slide by the council on the expedited agenda (all items approved with one vote and no discussion). Already we have seen attempts to allow “trail head hosts” (people who live in the Preserve at trail heads), allowing electric bikes in the Preserve, private trail heads for new developments adjacent to the Preserve, and other such things that are all clear violations of the Preserve Ordinance. So far we have beat them down, but there will always be some new threat to the Preserve. So for that reason we will keep POP active and keep you informed, through this page and our Protect Our Preserve e-mail list, on things like this proposed for our Preserve.
In addition to Preserve Issues, we are also getting involved in other issues in the city that negatively impact our quality of life. We are seeing more resident revolts against inappropriate up-zonings, 3 current ones that involve legal protests, so the 420 opposition to development in the Preserve seems to be encouraging others to take a stand. As part of this we will soon have some very exciting news regarding the council election for 2020 that will give voters some good choices. Some people that were heavily involved with the 420 effort, and were a big reason for its success, are stepping up and becoming more involved. Ultimately getting a resident friendly majority on the council is the only way to control decisions that impact all of us.
If you want to join the Protect Our Preserve e-mail list just send an e-mail to [email protected].
Regardless of your desire to stay involved with the Preserve or also become more involved with other issues impacting our quality of life, we want to thank you for your dedication and help in protecting our Preserve. The charter change, approved by over 70% of our residents, was not only a monumental effort that gave us a voice in what happens in our Preserve, it was also a first for Scottsdale. Never before was anything like this accomplished by a bunch of pesky residents. You were a valuable part of that. The hope is that we can carry the momentum of that effort over to solving other issues that impact our quality of life.

07/07/2019

This is a little off the Preserve issue, but a tribute to the great country we live in and what can be accomplished in the land of the free.

A BIG congratulations to the USA woman's soccer team who won their 4th world championship, 2nd in a row. Woman's soccer has come a long way, they were the class of the tournament. All the club, high school, and college teams have produced some great players and it showed in this world cup. A tribute to the coaches and players on all those teams. Very proud of this team and our country. A big win for them and for the USA.

01/01/2019

Moon over Tom's Thumb

12/05/2018

Protect Our Preserve held a party tonight for all the volunteers involved with the Proposition 420 effort as a small way to say thank you for all they did to really protect our Preserve. We were also blessed to have long time Preserve advocate and major force in creating the Preserve, Carla, join us to celebrate.
This effort will go down in Scottsdale's history as one of the great citizen achievements that not only protected our Preserve but united the city like never before carrying two citizen friendly city council candidates to big victories. Great sign of things to come. United we can accomplish anything.
Thank you volunteers and also a big thank you to all the citizens who voted for Proposition 420.

11/26/2018

In the Arizona Republic Saturday, Scottsdale edition. A big thank you to everyone involved in putting the ballot change on the ballot and all the citizens who voted to pass it. Fantastic community achievement.

11/22/2018

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with family and/or friends. Lots to be thankful always, but this year even more as we have protected OUR Preserve against commercialization and development. Thanks to our citizens we have also started on the road to having a citizen friendly council. So a big thanks to the citizens of Scottsdale for making this Thanksgiving even more special.

Friends of Scottsdale's Preserve

11/25/2020

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