By Miriam Cruson Concerned about the escalating obesity rate in children, a group of employees from different departments at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona came together and developed the Walk On! Challenge in 2005. “Each person contributed different perspectives, such as health and wellness, childhood education and communication,” said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Manager of Community Relations Angie Ramage. “The original program was a challenge that encouraged students to get 10,000 steps per day, hence, ‘Walk On! Challenge.’ It evolved over the years to include the importance of good nutrition and to teach students how physical activity and healthy eating go hand in hand.” The Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge is a product of this evolution. The competition is geared toward kids age 9 to 12. Children are asked to submit their favorite recipes for a chance to be honored at a Phoenix Suns game. Briony Campisi won the competition in 2016, and her sister Ashlyn competed in the top five in 2017. The sisters said they come from a family where eating healthy was already a part of their life; however, both sisters credited the competition for influencing them to eat even healthier. “It helped me see what foods are good and not good. And it also showed me and most likely others too, how easy it is to make it and eat healthy,” Ashlyn said. “The contest was a way for me to not only practice my cooking skills but also introduce me to a world of healthy foods,” Briony said. Recipes for the 2020 challenge are chosen based on the criteria that they include at least one fruit and/or vegetable, are an original recipe for a hot or cold side dish and, excluding prep time, are ready to eat within 20 minutes. The top five recipes were chosen based on nutrition, taste and originality. The finalists presented their side dish at a Phoenix Suns game on February 7. Ten-year-old Phoebe Loop, one of the top five finalists in this year’s competition, is no stranger to creating masterpieces in the kitchen. She and her mom Selena are always trying to make innovative dishes using vegetables, fish and chicken. “We like to use spices to make plain stuff taste better. It is fun to try new mixtures or have old recipes that we make different with spices and healthier options,” Phoebe said. Like those who competed before her, Phoebe learned a positive lesson from the competition. “I think the competition helps me to see that this is a good idea and to continue what we started.” Phoebe earned her spot with carrot fries with garlic lemon aioli. “It is my favorite and I thought that other people would really like it too,” she said. Briony’s recipe was a Rainbow Mango Taco Salad Taco, which contained lettuce with mango, strawberry, cabbage, avocado and chicken and spices. “I still remember the night I grabbed a paper and pen to write down all the ingredients and the name just came to mind,” she said. Ashlyn’s recipe was the Swirly Whirly Zucchini Pasta. “I wanted spiraled zucchini because it was a great substitution for pasta and it looks exactly like pasta but it’s green, and kids love colorful food,” she said. “The contest meant a lot to me. It was challenging and exciting. I was very proud of myself and still am. To compete in the contest, you kind of have to go out of your comfort zone and grow in some areas that you are not strong in yet, for example public speaking and speaking to people that you don’t know,” said Ashlyn. Governor Doug Ducey designated January 31 as Walk On! Day for the state to help promote healthier choice for Arizona families. Kiva Elementary even hosted a Walk On! event to encourage students and teachers to participate in the month-long challenge. There are four goals to achieve within the challenge: eat five fruits and vegetables a day, limit screen time to two hours, get at least one hour of physical activity each day and consume zero sweetened drinks. As Ashlyn, Briony and Phoebe can attest, this experience has continued to influence their lives and helped them realize they are capable of accomplishing anything if they set their minds and tables to it. Walk On! Challenge celebrates another successful year The five finalists from this year’s competition: (from left) Josslyn Michael, Cayce Parks, Kayla Littler, Phoebe Loop, Jacob Ohara. PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY WOLFF 30 MARCH 2020 Choose Your Lock and Leave Residence. 7532 E. Cactus Wren Rd. Scottsdale 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,925 sf, 2-car garage, community pool, tennis courts, guard-gated. $765,000 6166 N. Scottsdale Rd. B1006, Paradise Valley 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, media room/office, 3016 sf, private 4-car garage w/Tesla charge. $2,000,000 7600 Lincoln Enclave at Borgata Market knowledge. Attention to detail. Results. CHRISTY PYLMAN 602-684-9636 | ChristyJPylman@gmail.com CPylmanHomes.com CHRISTY PYLMAN 602-684-9636 | ChristyJPylman@gmail.com CPylmanHomes.com

31 MARCH 2020 By Amanda Savage Phoenix’s landscape has been described as a patchwork of multi-tonal browns and beiges – it’s even been referenced as one of the most unappealing qualities of this city. But pioneering expats to the Sonoran Desert might have disagreed. When they started arriving in the 19th century, they were greeted with a greener, more hydrated landscape of the Valley. The United States Geological Survey in the late 1990s concluded that roughly 1% of Arizona (over 1,100 square miles!) is wetlands. Some of them are located right here in Phoenix. JEWEL OF THE CREEK PRESERVE Jewel of the Creek Preserve is a 26-acre area in the town of Cave Creek that protects one of the last remaining perennial streams in Maricopa County. Located along Cave Creek next to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, the preserve usually has water year- round. But seasonal rain impacts the water levels of Cave Creek significantly. The Desert Foothills Land Trust manages the preserve, and it’s one of the trust’s only protected sites fully open to the public. It offers hiking and walking trails that intersect with Spur Cross, which connects to the greater Tonto National Forest. For more: maricopacountyparks.net. RIPARIAN PRESERVE AT WATER RANCH Even though riparian areas are not wetlands in themselves, the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert is worth mentioning. The city claimed the preserve in 1999 after the town made a commitment to reuse 100% of its effluent water. But unlike the habitats along the Salt River, the riparian area in Gilbert isn’t a restored wetland, it’s a human-made development that was built to recharge groundwater and to help compensate for the disappearing natural riparian zones in Arizona. Visiting this preserve is free and family friendly. It’s located next to a public library and horse stables and has grassy areas with playgrounds and picnic tables. The preserve also hosts special events and has camping facilities. For more: gilbertaz.gov. TRES RIOS Tres Rios is a true desert oasis in southwest Phoenix where the Salt, Gila, and Agua Fria rivers converge. The Tres Rios Environmental Restoration project is a nearly 700-acre wetland and riparian ecosystem, reconstructed 20 years ago to restore the habitat to what it was like in the 1800s. Highly treated wastewater from a nearby plant is used to fill the basins before it flows into the Salt River. Native cottonwood, willow, mesquite and palo verde trees surround the banks. Desert shrubbery, such as arrowhead, cattail, and sedges enclose the area to the rest of the city. Tres Rios is home to 150 species of animals such as beavers, bobcats and muskrats. It’s a destination for birders, with sightings of bald eagles, ladder-backed woodpeckers, least bitterns, and red-winged and yellow- headed blackbirds. A free permit is required to visit Tres Rios. For more: phoenix.gov. RIO SALADO HABITAT RESTORATION AREA The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is only two miles south of downtown’s urban core, but it is a world removed. The natural wetlands and riparian area dried before the city started restoration, but recovery of this massive area is underway. Rio Salado is home to hundreds of species of animals and native plants. The area is open to the public with miles of paved and unpaved trails and an educational hub at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center. For more: phoenix.gov. Exploring wetlands in the Valley of the Sun EXPLORING ARIZONA WETLANDS There are more opportunities to experience Arizona wetlands outside the Phoenix-metro area. • Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge – Sasabe (70 miles west of Nogales) • Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge – Lake Havasu City • Hart Mine Marsh at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge – Cibola (75 miles north of Yuma) • Hassayampa River Preserve – Wickenburg • Havasu National Wildlife Refuge – Lake Havasu City • Imperial National Wildlife Refuge – Yuma • Las Lagunas de Anza – Nogales • San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area – Sierra Vista • Sweetwater Wetlands Park – Tucson (clockwise from top left) Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch (Gilbert), Jewel of the Creek Preserve (Cave Creek), Tres Rios (Phoenix). PHOTO: ALBERT WEITMAN PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF PHOENIX PHOTO: MARTIN ELY