34 APRIL 2018 By Jennifer Marshall S pring has sprung. Plants are flowering and birds are singing. And there’s no better place to take it all in than at Desert Botanical Garden, which is about to celebrate its 80th birthday. “This is the perfect time of year to come. March and April are our peak months,” says Executive Director Ken Schutz. You could say the old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” applies aptly to the Garden’s establishment in 1939, as it was founded as a solution to a problem. The problem was the concern that the ever-expanding population of Phoenix, then at 50,000 people, was going to kill off all the plants native to the Sonoran Desert. “Our founder, Gertrude Divine Webster, was worried that with that rapid growth, desert plants were being pulled out in order to put in plants from the Midwest and the East,” Schutz said. Desert Botanical Garden began with the simple, single- minded focus of conserving the local flora. The beginnings were humble, with just a dirt road leading to the facilities. While Phoenix is now one of the fastest growing cities in America, their same simple mission of saving plants lives on and thrives in Papago Park. Today, boasting more than 70,000 plants, the Garden has surely grown in size, but staff members remain true to their original mission. Research, conservation, education and exhibition are what they’re all about – that’s their mission for today and tomorrow. “We have the world’s best collection of cactus and agave,” Schutz said, “and a very good collection of Sonoran Desert plants and over 1,000 saguaros.” Desert Botanical Garden comprises five distinct, themed, looped trails. Desert Discovery is the flagship trail containing some of the Garden’s best plants. Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert showcases Native settlers and how they were able to build successful civilizations by working, respecting and living amid the desert. Sonoran Desert Nature highlights the natural relationship and balance between plant life and animal life. Center for Desert Living focuses on gardening at home as well as conserving energy and water. And the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower is a beautifully crafted display of wildflowers, which the Garden carefully seeds and waters itself. However, if you can’t make it out during spring, the next best time to visit is in the fall from October up to early January. Desert Botanical Garden is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Schutz recommends allowing 90 minutes to two hours to see everything. And if all that walking makes you hungry, there are two restaurants on site. Protecting flora is the greatest gift Desert Botanical Garden gives to its community, the residents of Phoenix and the state of Arizona. Desert Botanical Garden —      Desert Botanical Garden is home to more than 70,000 plants. CREATIVE COMMONS Anna McDowell-Isaacson 602-526-1213 AnnaMcDowellRealEstate@gmail.com www.AnnaMcDowell.com ABR, CRS, GRI Wonderful updated ranch on 19,000 s.f. lot w/chef’s kitchen and guest house 2 blocks from Hopi Elementary. 4102 N 52ND STREET • $1,395,000 • 4 beds/3 baths, 4400 s.f. Exquisite remodeled home on 1.3 acres. Tennis court and parking for 7 cars. 5409 E CAMELHILL ROAD • $1,495,000 • 5 beds/5 baths, 5200 s.f. Stunning yet warm quintessential Arcadia home with the finest classic finishes. SOLD IN 3 DAYS Spectacular historic restored classic adobe compound with detached guest house and bonus/game rooms on stunning 3/4 acre grounds. JUST LISTED Charming storybook home w/ incredible high end finishes on a quiet street close to Hopi Elementary. JUST LISTED NEW PRICE NEW PRICE 5407 E CALLE TUBERIA • $2,195,000 • 5 beds/5 baths, 4400 s.f. 5415 E. CALLE VENTURA • $1,550,000 •      6515 E. LAFAYETTE • $2,950,000 •     Providing Arcadia with professional & personalized service for over 20 years.

35 APRIL 2018 By Megan Forrester E veryone in the area is familiar with the Phoenix Zoo, but many might not know its quirky beginnings and how it has created lots of memories for many generations. The idea of opening a zoo in Phoenix began in 1962 with Robert Maytag, grandson of the founder of the Maytag appliance company, and his friends, who called themselves “a dedicated bunch of amateurs.” “They got together and decided that Phoenix was becoming a world-class city and they needed an attraction that would go well with the city,” says Linda Hardwick, director of communications for the Phoenix Zoo. Not only were Maytag and his friends determined to get the zoo up and running, but the community helped spread the news, as well and lended a hand any way they could. “Build the zoo in ’62!” was sprawled across everything from shopping carts to vacant buildings, and many people even let animals such as zebras and orangutans stay in their homes until their enclosures at the zoo were ready. “What I love about the zoo is that there are a lot of people who were here on opening day and now they are bringing their grandchildren here to the zoo,” Hardwick said. “I think it is definitely an institution that has stood the test of time.” In conjunction with its well-known holiday light show, “Zoolights,” the zoo offers a plethora of other activities so every family can find the perfect exhibit. “Winter in July,” is one of the zoo’s most well-attended events, which lets people escape the heat during the summer and play in snow alongside animals eating ice treats, as well as “Prowl & Play,” which encourages people to come and explore the zoo at night. The main demographic is families, but the zoo has tried to widen its variety of exhibits to appeal to all audiences, such as “Roars & Pours,” which allows people 21 and over to cruise around the zoo after hours while sampling beer and wine. “Definitely the largest audience is the young families, but we do try to have activities and things geared towards all ages so we can get our educational message out to everybody,” Hardwick said. As for the future, the zoo recently launched The Pride Campaign, which plans to secure $12.1 million in philanthropic support to fund major capital projects in distinct areas of the zoo. Specifically, the aim is to expand the elephant and lion habitat, creating an amphitheater for trained animal shows, as well a nocturnal house. Although there have been many exhibits added over the years and even more planned for the near future, the goal for the zoo has remained the same ever since the ribbon-cutting on November 21, 1962: to inspire and motivate people to care about the natural world. “The reason to have animals here is to get people excited about nature and endangered species and try to get people to realize what they can do to save these endangered species so they will be around for our grandchildren as well,” Hardwick said. PHOENIX ZOO —          PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHOENIX ZOO