Gateways to the oesert

摘要

On a Dry But Relatively Cool September morning in Scottsdale, Arizona, a group of designers stood underneath the overhanging roof of the Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, chatting about the seemingly never-ending process of creating access areas for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The preserve encompasses more than 16,000 acres of land (with an additional 20,000 acres of state land that have yet to be acquired within the proposed boundary) bordering Scottsdale to the north and east. The preserve protects the peaks, hillsides, andrninterior valleys of the McDowell Mountains. Though development has crept into the nearby valleys on the western edge, with golf courses and neighborhoods nestled between the preserved ridges, the preserve provides desert access to the burgeoning population of Scottsdale.