40 DECEMBER 2018 state of the desert mountains for plant and wildlife for all our future generations. Going off trail is prohibited within the City Mountains Preserves and those doing so are subject to a citation and fine by the City of Phoenix.” PMPC recently enlisted the support of ACMNA in its efforts to have Camelback designated as a preserve, and the effort has been going well. The idea was introduced at a Phoenix Parks Board Meeting on September 27 and it was met with wide support and no opposition. The matter goes before City Council on December 12. PMPC and ACMNA are hoping to secure preserve designation for Camelback Mountain by this spring. For more: acmna.org. By Anthony Wallace T he top of Camelback Mountain may look much different today if not for the efforts of five-term U.S. senator Barry Goldwater, who in 1965 made it a point to shield its higher elevations from commercial and residential development. Shortly thereafter in 1970, the Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council (PMPC) was formed with the objective of “setting aside the Phoenix Mountains as a unique wilderness park.” Over the course of many years, the organization wooed influential city officials with rides through the mountains on horseback, held large public hearings and even managed to successfully campaign for an amendment to the Arizona Constitution – all in the effort to preserve our natural land from commercial development. This accomplished group remains active to this day. Despite all the Valley-area parks and preserves the PMPC has helped establish, there remains work to be done. The job of protecting our natural wonders never ends, and the group faces continuous pressures from the increasing demands of a rising population. As it stands now, Camelback Mountain is not designated as a preserve like South Mountain, Piestewa Peak and Dreamy Draw. Jody Moman of the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association (ACMNA) has lived at the base of Camelback Mountain for years. She says that preserve status would allocate more funds to the park, enabling better maintenance and marking of the trails, more stringent efforts to keep hikers off non-trail wildlife area, and a new trailhead for Cholla Trail directly off of Invergordon Road. “In the time that we have lived here, you can tell that the trail has been scarred and wildlife has been lost,” Moman said. “People have been hurt or killed because they don’t know where the trail is.” In a recent member newsletter, PMPC outlined the importance of keeping hikers on the trail, and how the preserve designation would aid in that effort. “The Preserves are established with defined pathways for maximum protection of hikers, and to also maintain the natural PROTECTING AN ICON Effort underway to designate Camelback Mountain a preserve ORDER YOUR TAMALES FOR THE HOLIDAYS $30 PER DOZEN WE ALSO HAVE FULL CATERING SERVICE, OR BOOK YOUR PRIVATE HOLIDAY PARTY ON ONE OF OUR PATIOS CALL 602-300-7133 602-956-0178 | 4144 E. Indian School Rd. HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE TEEPEE FAMILY CLOSE 5:00 PM XMAS EVE | CLOSED XMAS DAY | OPEN NEW YEARS Christ Lutheran School Preschool - Grade 8 • www.clsphx.org LC-MS Worship Sunday 8:00am & 10:45am – Traditional* Sunday 8:30am & 10:30am – Contemporary* Sunday School/Bible Classes – 9:40am* Sunday 12:30pm – Spanish Sunday 5:00pm – Sunday Night Devotions Saturday 5:00pm – Contemporary *Nursery Care is available at all Sunday AM services 3901 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix | www.cclphoenix.org | (602) 955-4830 Love GroW Serve Dec. 24 10:00am Lessons and Carols 4:00pm Children’s Service 5:00pm Family Worship with Children’s Program 7:00pm Contemporary Carol Service* 9:00pm Traditional Carol Service* 10:30pm Traditional Carol Service* *Candlelight Services Dec. 25 10:00am Traditional Dec. 31 7:00pm Traditional

41 DECEMBER 2018 While researching our story about the preservation of Camelback Mountain, I was reminded of this illustration that was published over 50 years ago, during the height of a rally to protect our local landmark. I dug this out of the archives at the AZ State Library years ago and held on to it for a future story. Once I saw this idea come across the Arcadia News editorial board, it was time to bring it out. I asked our graphic designer, Gabe, to come up with something similar. With the help of our friend Jim Todd at Todd Photographic, we were able to get an aerial shot of Camelback and Gabe took it from there. It’s not to scale, as it’s really just to make readers think about what could happen to a mountain left unprotected. In 1965, after more than a decade of attempts to put an indefinite moratorium on the ever-increasing development, the Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation was born. Senator Barry Goldwater accepted the position of Chairman and used his influence to sway private property owners to sell their holdings to the Foundation. More than 3,000 individuals made donations from 25 cents to $25,000, totaling over $250,000, which was used to purchase the properties on the mountain. In 1969, once some federal funds were added, the Foundation turned over deeds and dollars to the City of Phoenix. — Greg A. Bruns Publisher’s note PHOTO BY DONN NOBLES; ILLUSTRATION BY KEARNEY EGERTON. APPEARED IN ARIZONA REPUBLIC APRIL 28, 1963. Up until the 1950s, preservation of Camelback was not seen as a major concern until someone proposed a hill-top resort, reachable by cable car. An artist’s rendition of a Camelback Mountain left unprotected appeared in the Arizona Republic in April 1963, along with an article from reporter Don Dedera, who was one of the influential supporters of the mountain through his columns. Barry Goldwater was instrumental in preserving Camelback Mountain. PHOTO: TODD PHOTOGRAPHIC / GRAPHIC: GABE C. TURNER