Patrol Activity â August, 2015 Patrol!
CO RE LEADERSH IP TEAM Program Reports August 2015
Patrol ! Patrol Activity – August, 2015 !Hours& & Patrol!T!Admin! Patrol!T!Bike! Patrol!T!Foot! Patrol!T!Horse! &Total& !
August& 2015&
August& 2014&
& 36! 88! 544!
&N/A! 150! 492! 15! 657&
668&
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Stewards& Reporting& & Patrol!T!Admin! Patrol!T!Bike! Patrol!T!Foot! Patrol!T!Horse! &Total&
August& 2015& &
4! 14! 50! 68&!
Patrol!hours!and!stewards!are!slightly!up!from!July!of!this!year!and!year!over!year!but!includes!a!large! input!of!hours!from!1!steward.!!I!did!put!out!a!call,!via!the!Patrol!Facebook!page,!for!inputting!hours! before!pulling!the!current!month!reports.!!I!will!continue!to!do!so!as!that!may!help!the!reporting!totals.!! ! I!want!to!thank!all!of!the!stewards!who!patrolled!this!month!and!this!summer.!!It!was!a!record!breaking! summer!with!temperatures!averaging!3!degrees!above!the!long!term!average.!!The!morning! temperatures!were!also!up!a!similar!amount!making!it!very!warm!to!be!out!on!patrol.!!This!is!an!amazing! accomplishment!for!those!who!got!out!and!demonstrates!the!commitment!of!our!volunteers.! ! Please!note!the!Stewards!Reporting!numbers!above!include!stewards!who!report!in!multiple!categories.! ! 2C!Trails!are!Officially!Open!! The!2C!Trails!officially!opened!on!Friday,!September!4th!with!the!availability!of!the!printed!maps.!! Reporting!in!this!area!will!be!done!using!a!pin!labeled!2C!until!the!trails!become!available!on!the!Patrol! reporting!page.!!I!will!be!asking!patrollers!to!use!the!2C!pin!to!report!any!trail!issues!they!may!encounter! in!the!interim.! ! Region!Leaders!and!Trail!“Owners”:! The! Patrol! Frequency! maps! have! been! finalized! by! the! City! of! Scottsdale! and! the! changes! have! been! inputted! into! the! Patrol! Reporting! data! base.! ! The! Patrol! Frequency! Maps! are! available! on! the! Patrol! web! pad.! ! I! wanted! this! completed! before! the! 2C! trails! were! officially! opened! and! this! has! been! accomplished.! ! My! thanks! to! Steve! Lipps,! Paul! Staker! and! Dan! Gruber! for! their! help! on! this! task.!! Without!them,!it!would!not!have!been!accomplished.!! ! The!first!email!has!gone!out!to!the!original!group!of!people!volunteering!to!patrol!the!daily!use!trails!on! a!specific!day!of!the!week!or!month.!!More!volunteers!are!needed!to!patrol!the!daily!trails!and!an!appeal! will! go! out! in! this! month's! patrol! email! and! next! week's! steward! weekly! steward! email.! If! any! CLT! members!would!like!to!commit!patrol,!even!1!day!a!month,!on!a!daily!patrol!trail,!that!would!be!greatly! appreciated.!!! !
We! are! making! some! progress! on! getting! commitments! and! my! thanks! to! the! stewards! that! have! committed!to!one!or!more!days!patrolling!the!daily!frequency!trails.! ! ! ! Trails!Needing!Patrolling!Report:! Steve!Lipps!has!been!working!on!the!Trails!Needing!Patrolling!report!(or!the!"Serendipity!Report").!!He! has!developed!a!report!that!shows!the!trails!that!have!not!yet!met!the!monthly!patrol!frequency.!!He! has!!also!tested!creating!and!uploading!the!report!to!the!MSC!web!site!and!it!is!now!working!on!a!daily! basis.!!! !!! The!updated!patrol!frequency!maps!have!been!reviewed!and!input!to!a!table!Steve!Lipps!has!provided.!! Steve!and!Paul!uploaded!the!changes!to!accurately!reflect!the!frequencies.!!During!the!past!month,!we! have! been! testing! the! report.! ! During! the! test! period,! we! encountered! some! issues! that! Steve! has! resolved.! ! While! we! may! encounter! some! "production"! issues! in! the! future,! I! have! removed! the! test! label!on!the!report!link!on!the!Patrol!web!page.!!The!web!page!will!have!a!line!for!Serendipity!Report! (trails!needing!to!be!patrolled).!!When!a!steward!clicks!on!the!(trails!needing!to!be!patrolled),!the!report! will!be!displayed.!!Only!the!trails!requiring!less!than!daily!reporting!will!be!in!this!report.! ! My!thanks!to!Steve!for!all!of!the!work!he!has!done.!!He!has!overcome!several!difficult!and!sophisticated! IT!issues!to!enable!this!report.! ! Using!Instagram!and!Preserve!Visitors!to!Identify!Trail!Issues:! MSC's!Instagram!gallery!has!been!updated!with!the!new!#MSPtrailproblems.!!We!have!received,!within! the!last!2!weeks,!2!reports!(both!large!saguaros!down!across!the!trail!in!2!different!locations)!and!the! City!promptly!took!action!to!get!both!off!the!trail.!!!! ! Hunting!Season! A! question! came! up! on! the! Patrol! Facebook! page! about! handling! a! potential! hunting! violation! and! specific!hunting!season!issues.!!Liz!quickly!answered!our!questions!and!got!AGF!involved!to!help!us!out.!! I!will!be!including!her!information!in!this!month's!Patrol!email.! ! Thank!you!email! Thank! You! emails! will! be! going! out,! this! month,! to! all! stewards! who! recorded! time! for! the! Patrol! program!during!the!last!fiscal!year.!!! ! Ask!Me!Buttons! I! have! compiled! a! list! of! Patrol! stewards! who! have! completed! at! least! 2! Continuing! Education! classes! either! at! SCC! or! onTline.! ! These! stewards! have! earned! an! Ask! Me! Badge! and! are! being! given! out! at! events!over!the!next!couple!of!months.!!We!are!asking!those!qualified!stewards!to!wear!the!badge!on! their!pack,!while!in!the!Preserve,!so!it!is!easy!for!visitors!to!identify!those!who!are!both!knowledgeable! and!happy!to!answer!questions.!!Thanks!to!Marsha!Lipps!for!helping!me!with!this!list.! ! Enhancing!Visitor!Safety!and!Engagement! With! the! Instagram! implementation! and! the! uploading! of! the! Preserve! maps! to! a! smart! phone! app! called! Maprika,! we! are! trying! a! variety! of! tools! to! enhance! visitor! safety! and! engagement! on! the! Preserve! trails.! ! We! have! worked! with! McDowell! Mountain! Park! on! the! Instagram! project! and! are! working!with!Ed!Phillips!to!communicate!these!offerings!sometime!in!October.!!My!objective!is!for!us!to! get!an!article!in!several!local!papers,!just!before!McDowell!Mountain!Week,!to!publicize!these!new!tools! and!how!the!public!can!use!them!to!enhance!their!safety!and!enjoyment.! !
Thanks!to!Laurie!Jones!for!her!work!on!the!Instagram!project.!!Dan!Welker,!did!the!work!of!uploading! the!Preserve!maps!(as!well!as!the!Fountain!Hills!Preserve!map)!to!Maprika!so!visitors!using!this!tool!will! be! able! to! see! exactly! where! they! are! in! the! Preserve! when! their! GPS! locator! is! turned! on.! ! We! are! hoping! this! will! help! enhance! visitor! safety,! especially! on! the! new! trails.! ! When! you! meet! Dan,! please! thank! him! for! his! work! as! he! hasn't! even! attended! NSO! yet!! ! He! is! in! the! September! class! and! has! already!made!a!big!impact.!!! ! Tour (Hike) No report
& Pathfinders 1)!Jeri!Pounds!and!Katy!Lindberg!have!set!up!to!do!a!“four!sentence!communique”!in!Kathy!Dwyer’s! Thursday!newletters.!!The!first!three!will!be!on!“hydration.”! 2)!The!Trailhead!Leads!all!sent!out!Doodle!requests!to!start!up!our!fall!Pathfinding!the!last!two! weekends!of!September.!! Steward Education Steward!Education!had!a!very!successful!inaugural!season!of!our!summer!series!of!lectures:!We!had!a! total!of!210!people!enjoying!the!lectures!at!Mustang!Library.! May!20!:!Desert!101=!34!attendees! June!17:!Geology/Desert!Eco!=!74!attendees! July!15:!Lichens/Desert!Crust!=!47!attendees! August!19:!Ethnobotany!=!55!attendees! ! Over!the!summer,!we!added!several!new!modules!to!our!You!Tube!online!channel:!McDowell!Sonoran! Conservancy!Education! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC33KF7AFASZli67tcHRB56w! ! Fauna!by!Lisa!Miller:!Arthropods,!Amphibians/Reptiles,!Birds,!Mammals!(Just!added!this!week)! Ethnobotany!by!Bernie!Finkel:!Food,!Medicine,!Fiber! These!presentations!join!our!other!offerings!which!include!Geology,!Desert!Ecology,!Desert!Safety,!First! Aid!Management!and!one!module!on!FloraT!Wildflowers.!! ! We!are!gearing!up!for!the!start!of!our!NSO!season.!! Our!first!new!classT!Class!53!is!on!September!12.!We!have!modified!our!material!to!expand!basic! knowledge!of!the!McDowell!Sonoran!Preserve!and!what!is!expected!of!stewards!while!doing!patrol.! These!were!comments!brought!up!during!the!Education!Steering!committee!last!spring.!! Citizen Science NEWS! • Helen!Rowe!started!working!as!the!new!Director!of!the!McDowell!Sonoran!Field!Institute.! • The$Field$Institute$Insider!in!January!2016!will!be!a!5Tyear!anniversary!issue.! ! PUBLICATIONS/Documents! • Insider$team!of!6!stewards!met!to!determine!articles!for!upcoming!issue.!$ ! PROJECTS!
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Brown’s!Ranch!Mapping!Project!–!Volunteers!were!assigned!to!each!feature!found!on!site.!Don! Meserve!and!Dan!Gruber!continue!to!work!on!creating!a!map!showing!each!feature!at!Brown’s! Ranch.! PastFinder!Meeting/MSFI!T!Small!PastFinder!meeting!of!6!people!August!25th!to!discuss!higher! AZ!State!Museum!fees,!research!ideas,!and!input!into!the!Cultural!Resource!Master!Plan.!! Adequate!funds!for!a!certified!archaeologist!need!to!be!identified!for!a!project!like!Stoneman! Road.!!MSC/MSFI!can!undertake!future!historical!research!projects!in!the!future!without!hiring! an!archaeologist!or!we!can!work!on!a!city!sponsored!archaeology!project!if!the!city!funds!a! certified!archaeologist.!!Good!discussion!but!some!frustrations!expressed!over!future! archaeology!research! Human!Trail!Count!–!9!stewards!participated!in!project!covering!10!trails!
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Brown’s!Ranch!Mapping!Project!–!Historic!Architecture!Training!held!for!10!volunteers! by!Mark!Hackbarth!of!Logan!Simpson!in!preparation!for!field!surveys!and!completing! recommended!forms!for!each!feature!found!at!Brown’s!Ranch.!Compiled!packets!for! each!feature!to!give!each!volunteer.!!
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Developed!and!conducted!training!in!advanced!digitization!techniques!for!the!first!5!participants! in!the!project!to!digitize!the!Skotnicki!geologic!map!of!the!McDowells.!Worked!with!the! participants!on!their!first!digitizing!sessions,!helped!resolve!and!document!issues,!and!began! checking!completed!work.!
! PROGRAMS!and!PRESENTATIONS! • PastFinder!Presentation!T!Arnold!Roy!gave!a!brief!presentation!before!answering!questions!on! Frank!Lloyd!Wright,!the!proposed!World!Heritage!Site!of!several!sites!by!UNESCO!and!Taliesin! West.!!29!Stewards!and!16!public!attended!with!most!of!the!public!being!from!Meet!Up.!!! • MSP!Research!Symposium!–!Opened!registration!and!began!receiving!abstracts!of!proposals!for! presentations!and!posters.!Volunteer!needs!completed.!Abstract!evaluation!materials! developed!for!selecting!speakers!and!posters.! Construction & Maintenance During!the!month!C&M!was!very!active!at!the!Tom’s!Thumb!and!Brown’s!Ranch!trailhead!doing!various! clean! up! tasks! along! the! access! roads! and! parking! lot! grounds.! Two! projects! involved! transporting! cement!mix,!water,!signage,!sign!posts!and!tools!necessary!to!install!red!map!signs!in!the!Phase!2C!area! north! of! Granite! and! Cholla! mountains.! Individual! crew! leader! projects! including! pruning,! trailhead! parking!lot!cactus!salvage!and!trail!maintenance!contributed!20!C&M!hours!in!August.!!There!were!136! total!C&M!volunteer!hours!devoted!to!working!in!the!Preserve.!Steward!turnout!was!above!the!summer! time!average!with!8.75!stewards!per!project/crew.!! ! The!September!C&M!Project!Schedule!was!issued!on!August!28th!.! & August&Stats:& - !4!C&M!projects!scheduled!for!the!month.! - 8.75!stewards!average!per!project! - 136!Total!C&M!Steward!Volunteer!Hours!for!the!month.! & & Aug
Date
00116
8/6/15
Project Description Unmapped signage at Dove Valley & Coyote Canyon
# Vols
Stewards
Total Hours
8
8
36.0
00216 00316 00416
8/14/15 8/20/15 8/26/15
Unmapped signage at Branding Iron, Divide, High Desert General grounds maintenance at BR trailhead Grounds maintenance TT parking lot & Marcus Loop
8
8
36.0
9
9
22.5
10
10
21.5
35
35
116.0
Unscheduled 8/1/15
Cactus replanting-Gateway trailhead parking lot
197
1
1
5.0
8/2/15
Cactus replanting-Gateway trailhead parking lot
198
1
1
4.0
8/8/15
Trail maintenance-erosion Tom's Thumb TT1-EE1
199
1
1
3.0
8/11/15
1
1
1
3.0
8/12/15
Find and extract Geocache at Cone mtn summit Survey future red signage N of Cholla& Branding Iron
2
1
1
3.0
8/17/15
Trail maintenance on Marcus Landslide trail
3
1
1
2.0
6
6
20.0
41
41
136.0
31Aug
Nature Guides Overview:& The!popular!Family!Friday!event!format!will!be!moving!to!become!the!Family!Sonoran!Sundays!!The! time!will!also!change!from!4:30!pm!to!3:00!pm!to!hopefully!take!advantage!of!a!more!family!friendly! time!on!Sundays,!switching!away!from!the!more!hectic!Friday/Saturday!family!schedules!!The! presentation!events!will!continue!to!include!both!Gateway!and!Brown’s!Ranch!trailhead!amphitheater! sites.!Nature!Guides!will!also!be!providing!interpretive!hikes!for!school!children!participating!in!the!City! of!Scottsdale’s!After!School!programs!using!the!Kovach!Family!Nature!Trail.!! Sonoran&Sunday&Schedule:& Special!thanks!to!Laurie!Jones!our!new!Nature!Guide!Sonoran!Sunday!Coordinator!for!completing!the! entire!2015/2016!Sonoran!Sunday!program!schedule!by!the!middle!of!summer!!! 9/20/15!–!Browns!(Yvonne!Massman!trail!safety)! 10/4/15!–!Gateway!(Birds!of!Prey/!Liberty!Wildlife/Laura!Hackett)! 10/18/15!T!Browns!(Birds!of!Prey/!Liberty!Wildlife/Laura!Hackett)! 11/1/15!–!Gateway!(Reptiles/!AZ!Game!&!Fish/!Amy!Burnett)! 11/15/15!–!Browns!(Geology!of!the!McDowells/!Spur!Cross!Conservation/!Tom!McGuire)! 12/6/15!–!Gateway!(Rescue!owls!&!birds!of!prey/Wild!@!Heart/Sam!Fox)! & Scottsdale&After&School&Hikes:& Tentative!schedule!(to!be!confirmed!with!COS)! 10/7/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/4/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/18/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/19/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! & Nature&Guide&Orientations:& The!Nature!Guide!orientations!will!continue!to!be!scheduled!on!Sundays,!but!move!to!Brown’s!Ranch!to! take!advantage!of!the!Jane!Rau!Trail!for!interpretive!hike!training!along!with!providing!exposure!to!the! Sonoran!Sunday!family!event!scheduled!later!that!day.! ! Fundraising •
Steward!donations!increased!37%!from!FY!2014!to!FY!2015,!excluding!a!major!single!gift!!Thank!you! Stewards!!
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The!Second!Annual!Steward!HikeTBike!Fundraiser!will!be!formally!announced!within!the!next!week! or!so.!Stewards!may!invite!guests!to!join!the!event.!Registration!will!be!through!the!MSC!website.!An! afterTevent!meal!and!get!together!will!be!at!Rare!Earth!Pizza!and!Wine!(corner!Alma!School!and! Dynamite).!Our!fundraising!goal!is!$10,000!this!year,!so!mark!the!date,!NOVEMBER!21!!! The!Legend!Trail!HOA!has!formed!a!partnership!with!MSC,!whereby!the!HOA!will!make!a!$3,000! donation!to!MSC!and!MSC!will!offer!three!programs!to!Legend!Trail!residents!this!winter.!We!hope! this!serves!as!a!precedent!to!secure!donations!from!other!HOAs!in!proximity!to!the!Preserve!!! Mike!and!I!met!with!Seth!Heald,!CEO!of!Arizona!Outback!Adventures,!to!discuss!ecoTtourism! possibilities.!We!agreed!to!jointly!work!toward!having!a!2Tday!fundraising!event,!consisting!of! rigorous!guided!hikes!and!natural/cultural!history!presentations.!Participants!would!stay!overnight! at!the!McDowell!Mountain!Regional!Park.!AOA!would!be!responsible!for!administrative!and! logistical!matters,!and!MSC!would!provide!a!hike!experience!clearly!linked!to!enhanced! presentations.!!!! I!have!been!participating!as!a!Member!of!the!Board’s!newly!formed!Development!Committee,!and! have!accepted!the!exciting!task!of!keeping!the!Minutes!!! !
Community Relations
! •
No!activity!based!items!occurred!through!the!summer!
r!!!!!!!!Team!leadership!commitments!in!two!program!areas!have!been!made!and!will!be!announced!soon!
! Volunteer Support
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No!report! !
Patrol ! Patrol Activity – August, 2015 !Hours& & Patrol!T!Admin! Patrol!T!Bike! Patrol!T!Foot! Patrol!T!Horse! &Total& !
August& 2015&
August& 2014&
& 36! 88! 544!
&N/A! 150! 492! 15! 657&
668&
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Stewards& Reporting& & Patrol!T!Admin! Patrol!T!Bike! Patrol!T!Foot! Patrol!T!Horse! &Total&
August& 2015& &
4! 14! 50! 68&!
Patrol!hours!and!stewards!are!slightly!up!from!July!of!this!year!and!year!over!year!but!includes!a!large! input!of!hours!from!1!steward.!!I!did!put!out!a!call,!via!the!Patrol!Facebook!page,!for!inputting!hours! before!pulling!the!current!month!reports.!!I!will!continue!to!do!so!as!that!may!help!the!reporting!totals.!! ! I!want!to!thank!all!of!the!stewards!who!patrolled!this!month!and!this!summer.!!It!was!a!record!breaking! summer!with!temperatures!averaging!3!degrees!above!the!long!term!average.!!The!morning! temperatures!were!also!up!a!similar!amount!making!it!very!warm!to!be!out!on!patrol.!!This!is!an!amazing! accomplishment!for!those!who!got!out!and!demonstrates!the!commitment!of!our!volunteers.! ! Please!note!the!Stewards!Reporting!numbers!above!include!stewards!who!report!in!multiple!categories.! ! 2C!Trails!are!Officially!Open!! The!2C!Trails!officially!opened!on!Friday,!September!4th!with!the!availability!of!the!printed!maps.!! Reporting!in!this!area!will!be!done!using!a!pin!labeled!2C!until!the!trails!become!available!on!the!Patrol! reporting!page.!!I!will!be!asking!patrollers!to!use!the!2C!pin!to!report!any!trail!issues!they!may!encounter! in!the!interim.! ! Region!Leaders!and!Trail!“Owners”:! The! Patrol! Frequency! maps! have! been! finalized! by! the! City! of! Scottsdale! and! the! changes! have! been! inputted! into! the! Patrol! Reporting! data! base.! ! The! Patrol! Frequency! Maps! are! available! on! the! Patrol! web! pad.! ! I! wanted! this! completed! before! the! 2C! trails! were! officially! opened! and! this! has! been! accomplished.! ! My! thanks! to! Steve! Lipps,! Paul! Staker! and! Dan! Gruber! for! their! help! on! this! task.!! Without!them,!it!would!not!have!been!accomplished.!! ! The!first!email!has!gone!out!to!the!original!group!of!people!volunteering!to!patrol!the!daily!use!trails!on! a!specific!day!of!the!week!or!month.!!More!volunteers!are!needed!to!patrol!the!daily!trails!and!an!appeal! will! go! out! in! this! month's! patrol! email! and! next! week's! steward! weekly! steward! email.! If! any! CLT! members!would!like!to!commit!patrol,!even!1!day!a!month,!on!a!daily!patrol!trail,!that!would!be!greatly! appreciated.!!! !
We! are! making! some! progress! on! getting! commitments! and! my! thanks! to! the! stewards! that! have! committed!to!one!or!more!days!patrolling!the!daily!frequency!trails.! ! ! ! Trails!Needing!Patrolling!Report:! Steve!Lipps!has!been!working!on!the!Trails!Needing!Patrolling!report!(or!the!"Serendipity!Report").!!He! has!developed!a!report!that!shows!the!trails!that!have!not!yet!met!the!monthly!patrol!frequency.!!He! has!!also!tested!creating!and!uploading!the!report!to!the!MSC!web!site!and!it!is!now!working!on!a!daily! basis.!!! !!! The!updated!patrol!frequency!maps!have!been!reviewed!and!input!to!a!table!Steve!Lipps!has!provided.!! Steve!and!Paul!uploaded!the!changes!to!accurately!reflect!the!frequencies.!!During!the!past!month,!we! have! been! testing! the! report.! ! During! the! test! period,! we! encountered! some! issues! that! Steve! has! resolved.! ! While! we! may! encounter! some! "production"! issues! in! the! future,! I! have! removed! the! test! label!on!the!report!link!on!the!Patrol!web!page.!!The!web!page!will!have!a!line!for!Serendipity!Report! (trails!needing!to!be!patrolled).!!When!a!steward!clicks!on!the!(trails!needing!to!be!patrolled),!the!report! will!be!displayed.!!Only!the!trails!requiring!less!than!daily!reporting!will!be!in!this!report.! ! My!thanks!to!Steve!for!all!of!the!work!he!has!done.!!He!has!overcome!several!difficult!and!sophisticated! IT!issues!to!enable!this!report.! ! Using!Instagram!and!Preserve!Visitors!to!Identify!Trail!Issues:! MSC's!Instagram!gallery!has!been!updated!with!the!new!#MSPtrailproblems.!!We!have!received,!within! the!last!2!weeks,!2!reports!(both!large!saguaros!down!across!the!trail!in!2!different!locations)!and!the! City!promptly!took!action!to!get!both!off!the!trail.!!!! ! Hunting!Season! A! question! came! up! on! the! Patrol! Facebook! page! about! handling! a! potential! hunting! violation! and! specific!hunting!season!issues.!!Liz!quickly!answered!our!questions!and!got!AGF!involved!to!help!us!out.!! I!will!be!including!her!information!in!this!month's!Patrol!email.! ! Thank!you!email! Thank! You! emails! will! be! going! out,! this! month,! to! all! stewards! who! recorded! time! for! the! Patrol! program!during!the!last!fiscal!year.!!! ! Ask!Me!Buttons! I! have! compiled! a! list! of! Patrol! stewards! who! have! completed! at! least! 2! Continuing! Education! classes! either! at! SCC! or! onTline.! ! These! stewards! have! earned! an! Ask! Me! Badge! and! are! being! given! out! at! events!over!the!next!couple!of!months.!!We!are!asking!those!qualified!stewards!to!wear!the!badge!on! their!pack,!while!in!the!Preserve,!so!it!is!easy!for!visitors!to!identify!those!who!are!both!knowledgeable! and!happy!to!answer!questions.!!Thanks!to!Marsha!Lipps!for!helping!me!with!this!list.! ! Enhancing!Visitor!Safety!and!Engagement! With! the! Instagram! implementation! and! the! uploading! of! the! Preserve! maps! to! a! smart! phone! app! called! Maprika,! we! are! trying! a! variety! of! tools! to! enhance! visitor! safety! and! engagement! on! the! Preserve! trails.! ! We! have! worked! with! McDowell! Mountain! Park! on! the! Instagram! project! and! are! working!with!Ed!Phillips!to!communicate!these!offerings!sometime!in!October.!!My!objective!is!for!us!to! get!an!article!in!several!local!papers,!just!before!McDowell!Mountain!Week,!to!publicize!these!new!tools! and!how!the!public!can!use!them!to!enhance!their!safety!and!enjoyment.! !
Thanks!to!Laurie!Jones!for!her!work!on!the!Instagram!project.!!Dan!Welker,!did!the!work!of!uploading! the!Preserve!maps!(as!well!as!the!Fountain!Hills!Preserve!map)!to!Maprika!so!visitors!using!this!tool!will! be! able! to! see! exactly! where! they! are! in! the! Preserve! when! their! GPS! locator! is! turned! on.! ! We! are! hoping! this! will! help! enhance! visitor! safety,! especially! on! the! new! trails.! ! When! you! meet! Dan,! please! thank! him! for! his! work! as! he! hasn't! even! attended! NSO! yet!! ! He! is! in! the! September! class! and! has! already!made!a!big!impact.!!! ! Tour (Hike) No report
& Pathfinders 1)!Jeri!Pounds!and!Katy!Lindberg!have!set!up!to!do!a!“four!sentence!communique”!in!Kathy!Dwyer’s! Thursday!newletters.!!The!first!three!will!be!on!“hydration.”! 2)!The!Trailhead!Leads!all!sent!out!Doodle!requests!to!start!up!our!fall!Pathfinding!the!last!two! weekends!of!September.!! Steward Education Steward!Education!had!a!very!successful!inaugural!season!of!our!summer!series!of!lectures:!We!had!a! total!of!210!people!enjoying!the!lectures!at!Mustang!Library.! May!20!:!Desert!101=!34!attendees! June!17:!Geology/Desert!Eco!=!74!attendees! July!15:!Lichens/Desert!Crust!=!47!attendees! August!19:!Ethnobotany!=!55!attendees! ! Over!the!summer,!we!added!several!new!modules!to!our!You!Tube!online!channel:!McDowell!Sonoran! Conservancy!Education! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC33KF7AFASZli67tcHRB56w! ! Fauna!by!Lisa!Miller:!Arthropods,!Amphibians/Reptiles,!Birds,!Mammals!(Just!added!this!week)! Ethnobotany!by!Bernie!Finkel:!Food,!Medicine,!Fiber! These!presentations!join!our!other!offerings!which!include!Geology,!Desert!Ecology,!Desert!Safety,!First! Aid!Management!and!one!module!on!FloraT!Wildflowers.!! ! We!are!gearing!up!for!the!start!of!our!NSO!season.!! Our!first!new!classT!Class!53!is!on!September!12.!We!have!modified!our!material!to!expand!basic! knowledge!of!the!McDowell!Sonoran!Preserve!and!what!is!expected!of!stewards!while!doing!patrol.! These!were!comments!brought!up!during!the!Education!Steering!committee!last!spring.!! Citizen Science NEWS! • Helen!Rowe!started!working!as!the!new!Director!of!the!McDowell!Sonoran!Field!Institute.! • The$Field$Institute$Insider!in!January!2016!will!be!a!5Tyear!anniversary!issue.! ! PUBLICATIONS/Documents! • Insider$team!of!6!stewards!met!to!determine!articles!for!upcoming!issue.!$ ! PROJECTS!
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Brown’s!Ranch!Mapping!Project!–!Volunteers!were!assigned!to!each!feature!found!on!site.!Don! Meserve!and!Dan!Gruber!continue!to!work!on!creating!a!map!showing!each!feature!at!Brown’s! Ranch.! PastFinder!Meeting/MSFI!T!Small!PastFinder!meeting!of!6!people!August!25th!to!discuss!higher! AZ!State!Museum!fees,!research!ideas,!and!input!into!the!Cultural!Resource!Master!Plan.!! Adequate!funds!for!a!certified!archaeologist!need!to!be!identified!for!a!project!like!Stoneman! Road.!!MSC/MSFI!can!undertake!future!historical!research!projects!in!the!future!without!hiring! an!archaeologist!or!we!can!work!on!a!city!sponsored!archaeology!project!if!the!city!funds!a! certified!archaeologist.!!Good!discussion!but!some!frustrations!expressed!over!future! archaeology!research! Human!Trail!Count!–!9!stewards!participated!in!project!covering!10!trails!
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Brown’s!Ranch!Mapping!Project!–!Historic!Architecture!Training!held!for!10!volunteers! by!Mark!Hackbarth!of!Logan!Simpson!in!preparation!for!field!surveys!and!completing! recommended!forms!for!each!feature!found!at!Brown’s!Ranch.!Compiled!packets!for! each!feature!to!give!each!volunteer.!!
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Developed!and!conducted!training!in!advanced!digitization!techniques!for!the!first!5!participants! in!the!project!to!digitize!the!Skotnicki!geologic!map!of!the!McDowells.!Worked!with!the! participants!on!their!first!digitizing!sessions,!helped!resolve!and!document!issues,!and!began! checking!completed!work.!
! PROGRAMS!and!PRESENTATIONS! • PastFinder!Presentation!T!Arnold!Roy!gave!a!brief!presentation!before!answering!questions!on! Frank!Lloyd!Wright,!the!proposed!World!Heritage!Site!of!several!sites!by!UNESCO!and!Taliesin! West.!!29!Stewards!and!16!public!attended!with!most!of!the!public!being!from!Meet!Up.!!! • MSP!Research!Symposium!–!Opened!registration!and!began!receiving!abstracts!of!proposals!for! presentations!and!posters.!Volunteer!needs!completed.!Abstract!evaluation!materials! developed!for!selecting!speakers!and!posters.! Construction & Maintenance During!the!month!C&M!was!very!active!at!the!Tom’s!Thumb!and!Brown’s!Ranch!trailhead!doing!various! clean! up! tasks! along! the! access! roads! and! parking! lot! grounds.! Two! projects! involved! transporting! cement!mix,!water,!signage,!sign!posts!and!tools!necessary!to!install!red!map!signs!in!the!Phase!2C!area! north! of! Granite! and! Cholla! mountains.! Individual! crew! leader! projects! including! pruning,! trailhead! parking!lot!cactus!salvage!and!trail!maintenance!contributed!20!C&M!hours!in!August.!!There!were!136! total!C&M!volunteer!hours!devoted!to!working!in!the!Preserve.!Steward!turnout!was!above!the!summer! time!average!with!8.75!stewards!per!project/crew.!! ! The!September!C&M!Project!Schedule!was!issued!on!August!28th!.! & August&Stats:& - !4!C&M!projects!scheduled!for!the!month.! - 8.75!stewards!average!per!project! - 136!Total!C&M!Steward!Volunteer!Hours!for!the!month.! & & Aug
Date
00116
8/6/15
Project Description Unmapped signage at Dove Valley & Coyote Canyon
# Vols
Stewards
Total Hours
8
8
36.0
00216 00316 00416
8/14/15 8/20/15 8/26/15
Unmapped signage at Branding Iron, Divide, High Desert General grounds maintenance at BR trailhead Grounds maintenance TT parking lot & Marcus Loop
8
8
36.0
9
9
22.5
10
10
21.5
35
35
116.0
Unscheduled 8/1/15
Cactus replanting-Gateway trailhead parking lot
197
1
1
5.0
8/2/15
Cactus replanting-Gateway trailhead parking lot
198
1
1
4.0
8/8/15
Trail maintenance-erosion Tom's Thumb TT1-EE1
199
1
1
3.0
8/11/15
1
1
1
3.0
8/12/15
Find and extract Geocache at Cone mtn summit Survey future red signage N of Cholla& Branding Iron
2
1
1
3.0
8/17/15
Trail maintenance on Marcus Landslide trail
3
1
1
2.0
6
6
20.0
41
41
136.0
31Aug
Nature Guides Overview:& The!popular!Family!Friday!event!format!will!be!moving!to!become!the!Family!Sonoran!Sundays!!The! time!will!also!change!from!4:30!pm!to!3:00!pm!to!hopefully!take!advantage!of!a!more!family!friendly! time!on!Sundays,!switching!away!from!the!more!hectic!Friday/Saturday!family!schedules!!The! presentation!events!will!continue!to!include!both!Gateway!and!Brown’s!Ranch!trailhead!amphitheater! sites.!Nature!Guides!will!also!be!providing!interpretive!hikes!for!school!children!participating!in!the!City! of!Scottsdale’s!After!School!programs!using!the!Kovach!Family!Nature!Trail.!! Sonoran&Sunday&Schedule:& Special!thanks!to!Laurie!Jones!our!new!Nature!Guide!Sonoran!Sunday!Coordinator!for!completing!the! entire!2015/2016!Sonoran!Sunday!program!schedule!by!the!middle!of!summer!!! 9/20/15!–!Browns!(Yvonne!Massman!trail!safety)! 10/4/15!–!Gateway!(Birds!of!Prey/!Liberty!Wildlife/Laura!Hackett)! 10/18/15!T!Browns!(Birds!of!Prey/!Liberty!Wildlife/Laura!Hackett)! 11/1/15!–!Gateway!(Reptiles/!AZ!Game!&!Fish/!Amy!Burnett)! 11/15/15!–!Browns!(Geology!of!the!McDowells/!Spur!Cross!Conservation/!Tom!McGuire)! 12/6/15!–!Gateway!(Rescue!owls!&!birds!of!prey/Wild!@!Heart/Sam!Fox)! & Scottsdale&After&School&Hikes:& Tentative!schedule!(to!be!confirmed!with!COS)! 10/7/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/4/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/18/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! 11/19/15!–!Kovach!Family!Trail! & Nature&Guide&Orientations:& The!Nature!Guide!orientations!will!continue!to!be!scheduled!on!Sundays,!but!move!to!Brown’s!Ranch!to! take!advantage!of!the!Jane!Rau!Trail!for!interpretive!hike!training!along!with!providing!exposure!to!the! Sonoran!Sunday!family!event!scheduled!later!that!day.! ! Fundraising •
Steward!donations!increased!37%!from!FY!2014!to!FY!2015,!excluding!a!major!single!gift!!Thank!you! Stewards!!
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The!Second!Annual!Steward!HikeTBike!Fundraiser!will!be!formally!announced!within!the!next!week! or!so.!Stewards!may!invite!guests!to!join!the!event.!Registration!will!be!through!the!MSC!website.!An! afterTevent!meal!and!get!together!will!be!at!Rare!Earth!Pizza!and!Wine!(corner!Alma!School!and! Dynamite).!Our!fundraising!goal!is!$10,000!this!year,!so!mark!the!date,!NOVEMBER!21!!! The!Legend!Trail!HOA!has!formed!a!partnership!with!MSC,!whereby!the!HOA!will!make!a!$3,000! donation!to!MSC!and!MSC!will!offer!three!programs!to!Legend!Trail!residents!this!winter.!We!hope! this!serves!as!a!precedent!to!secure!donations!from!other!HOAs!in!proximity!to!the!Preserve!!! Mike!and!I!met!with!Seth!Heald,!CEO!of!Arizona!Outback!Adventures,!to!discuss!ecoTtourism! possibilities.!We!agreed!to!jointly!work!toward!having!a!2Tday!fundraising!event,!consisting!of! rigorous!guided!hikes!and!natural/cultural!history!presentations.!Participants!would!stay!overnight! at!the!McDowell!Mountain!Regional!Park.!AOA!would!be!responsible!for!administrative!and! logistical!matters,!and!MSC!would!provide!a!hike!experience!clearly!linked!to!enhanced! presentations.!!!! I!have!been!participating!as!a!Member!of!the!Board’s!newly!formed!Development!Committee,!and! have!accepted!the!exciting!task!of!keeping!the!Minutes!!! !
Community Relations
! •
No!activity!based!items!occurred!through!the!summer!
r!!!!!!!!Team!leadership!commitments!in!two!program!areas!have!been!made!and!will!be!announced!soon!
! Volunteer Support
!
No!report! !
