Track: STEM in Our Communities
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is like no place else. Spread across more than 30,000 acres of spectacular desert, it is home to diverse wildlife, lush flora and jaw-dropping topography.
This oasis of beauty and solitude, however, exists near neighborhoods, office parks and one of the busiest corporate jet ports in Arizona.
The preserve has become a laboratory, where the interaction between wilderness and intense human activity can be charted and studied.
What we hope to learn is significant. A healthy desert ecosystem is more than just an aesthetic treat. The Sonoran Desert is the Valley’s “ocean,” a place that attracts tourists from around the world and significant investment from those who seek the beauty and privacy offered by places like the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Preserving that environment requires understanding a complex ecosystem and how it interacts with humans and development. That’s were science comes in. Join us for a fascinating discussion of what we’re learning about the desert and how it can help us preserve and enhance our quality of life, economic development and tourism for future generations.
Presenters:
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Helen Rowe, Ph.D., the Field Institute Director for the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy
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Rachel Pearson, the Vice President of Community & Government Affairs at the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
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Scott Hamilton, the Senior Trails Planner for the city of Scottsdale
(Pictured Above: Helen Rowe, Rachel Pearson, Scott Hamilton)