Friends of Scenic Drive wins Governor’s Pride in Arizona Award

Edie Shannon

480-585-6558

Scottsdale.

The Friends of the Scenic Drive, a north Scottsdale preservation group was honored as recipient of the Distinguished Community Leadership Award at the annual Governor’s Pride in Arizona Awards Conference held Dec. 12, 2003. This is the only statewide environmental award program recognizing organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to the environmental quality of Arizona by the development of innovative, sustainable programs to improve our quality of life. Arizona Clean and Beautiful presents this and other awards to organizations in the state of Arizona who best exemplify outstanding achievement in this area.

The Friends (FSD) is a ten year old non profit organization whose goals are community education and leadership, creation and maintenance of plant exhibits on North Scottsdale Road, preservation and enhancement of roadside vegetation and vistas, reduction of pollution, publicizing the heritage of the Scenic Drive, and support of Preserve and Scenic Corridors.

The Distinguished Community Leadership award is given to programs who demonstrate leadership in preservation of our beautiful environmental heritage, utilizing volunteers, businesses and the community.

“The credit for this achievement must be given to Les Conklin, founder and driving force for the Scenic Drive for the first nine years of its existence, and the hundreds of volunteers who have made the program so successful” said Friends President Edie Shannon upon accepting the award.

Some of the accomplishments of the FSD are the establishment of over eighty plant exhibits on North Scottsdale Road, including the drive in visitor center near Jomax Road which has information on local animals and vegetation.

The Friends website at www.scenicdrive.org has visitors from all over the world.

Hundreds of FSD volunteers have picked up thousands of bags of litter from the scenic drive in their litter pickups over the years.

In the recent elections, FSD implemented a successful voluntary ban of political signs from the Scenic Drive.

In cooperation with many neighborhood and environmental groups FSD was instrumental in having the power lines along the Scenic Drive buried.

In 2002 FSD in cooperation with local companies funded and implemented the painting of all utility boxes on the Scenic Drive in a less obtrusive and more desert friendly color.

In May of 2002 FSD established the Adopt a Plant Program allowing individuals or businesses to purchase the right to be plant parents. Many of these parents have indicated a desire to care for their exhibit for the coming year, to see it is free of trash and weeds.

Major funding for the FSD comes from the annual Cookout at the Ranch, where FSD hosts 400-500 guests. The cookout features exhibitors Liberty Wildlife, SW Wildlife, AZ Game and Fish, AZ State Parks, Scottsdale Historical Society and many others. The highlight of the 2003 cookout was the release of a Great Horned Owl back to the wild.

FSD is a volunteer driven organization with no paid staff. Hundreds of volunteers contribute thousands of hours to the success of its projects.

FSD partners with local businesses, developers, homeowners associations, churches, the city of Scottsdale, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association, Scenic Pima Road Assoc., the Black Mountain Conservancy, and other preservation groups.

The 2003 Governor’s Pride in Arizona Conference held at the Orange tree Golf Resort was keynoted by Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross who spoke on Innovative Approaches toward keeping Arizona Beautiful. Panels on “green business is good business” , forest bioproducts, best business and industry environmental practices and sharing sessions for groups from around the state highlighted what can be accomplished in achieving a balance between environment stewardship and growth.

Further information on the Friends of the Scenic Drive can be found at www.scenicdrive.org.

Attached photo: Edie Shannon: President of the Friends of the Scenic Drive receiving Distinguished Community Leadership Award from Arizona Department of Transportation Director Victor Mendez,