A Message from the Executive Director
 

Greg Gamble Executive Director

When I first spoke with members of the Desert Foothills Land Trust Board of Directors about serving as the new Executive Director, I think I probably should have played hard to get and held out for a better seat at the Sonoran Symphony, or maybe some free raffle tickets. Instead of being coy, I gushed about the great opportunity we all have to conserve this beautiful landscape in which we live, and how I would enjoy being part of the effort.  In former Executive Director Mike Rigney's "Retrospective" article in this newsletter, he rightfully notes that our conservation work has never been so difficult, especially given dwindling public funding for conservation and skyrocketing land prices. Nonetheless, I'm still optimistic for a few reasons.

First, in ten years of conservation work with The Nature Conservancy I never worked in a place where the residents and local government appreciated their natural surroundings as much as in this area. When my wife, Darcy, and I chose a place to live we picked here. In addition to a rich cultural heritage, this area bests all others in this part of the state because of its spectacular and ecologically-significant Sonoran Desert. As a hack triathlete, it doesn't hurt that it is cooler and has cleaner air! I don't think Darcy and I are unique; the vast majority of the people who live here love this place. When the community appreciates their surroundings as much as we all do, it makes conservation much easier.

The second reason that I'm optimistic is that I believe that land conservation can and does take many forms, and our collective ability to conserve what is special about our surroundings is limited only by our creativity. Acquiring land through purchase or donation, and acquiring voluntary land preservation agreements known as "conservation easements" on private land are tried and true ways of conserving land. As an example of a different way of conserving land, the Town of Cave Creek is working on an innovative density transfer project which will, when completed, conserve thousands of acres of State land while preserving the overall value of the assets managed by the State Land Department. Although there is a great deal of land yet to be conserved, there are many opportunities.

Finally, the Desert Foothills Land Trust is bubbling with ideas, energy, and projects. While we were sad about recent staff departures, DFLT is very fortunate to have landed Stacy Fischer as our new Conservation Director and Mary Warren as our new Member Relations & Operations Manager. Although the paint isn't even dry after our office's extreme makeover this summer, Stacy and I are already hard at work on a number of conservation projects. One of those projects is the expansion of the Caroline Bartol Preserve at Saguaro Hill and the development of the Richard E. Rudolph Memorial Garden - an outstanding project in partnership with the Desert Foothills Library and the Town of Cave Creek. Considering some other exciting projects on which we've been working, it is safe to say the Desert Foothills Land Trust is moving full steam ahead.

In a nutshell, one my goals for the Desert Foothills Land Trust is that it be the premier community organization working in the desert foothills area. We will complete conservation projects that improve the quality of life in our desert foothills communities and objectively benefit all residents. And we will continue to strive to be a strong partner in the community, working with others to achieve the objective of conserving our desert for our common future. We appreciate your continued support for this important work!