Volunteers Cleanup, Celebrate Improvements and Save a Cactus

April 3.

On Saturday, April 3, 1998 Friends of the Scenic Drive volunteers participated in Valley Forward's Earthfest Cleanup of the Desert Foothills Scenic Drive.  Twenty volunteers picked up litter along Scottsdale Road from Happy Valley Road to Carefree Highway. Everybody got off to a fast 7:30 AM start on coffee donated by Rawhide. The City of Scottsdale's Keep America Beautiful program provided safety vests and plastic garbage bags. Mary Manross and Robert Pettycrew, members of the Scottsdale City Council, participated in the cleanup effort.   The picture above (click on it to enlarge) shows volunteers saving a fallen barrel.  Story below.

Celebrating Improvements

Over the past few weeks the Habitat completed the construction of the new drive entry signs.  This picture shows the entry sign south of Jomax that replaced the original wooden sign. 

Volunteers Pose and Save a Barrel Cactus

It was a busy morning.  After picking up litter volunteers rested in front of the visitors' exhibit. Note that the missing informational plaques were installed a week later. Pictured from left to right are: Robert Pettycrew, Howard Meyers, Dick McIntyre, Carol Meyers, Bob Wheeler, Jessie Blake, Debbie Blake, Marty and Kathy Cambal, Cora and Bob Berkery. 

We had no sooner finished posing and Tony Nellsen rolled up pulling a barrel cactus (pictured earlier) that he had found in a wash.  The recent rains had eroded the soil under the plant and it had fallen over.  So we planted the cactus near the exhibit for visitors to enjoy.  This pictures show the plant's saviors, from left to right: Marg Nelssen, Hanna Nelssen , Howard Meyers, Dick McIntyre, Robert Pettycrew, Tony Nelssen and Carol Meyers. 

A nice morning's work!