Causes: Environment, Land Resources Conservation, Natural Resources Conservation & Protection

Mission: We are stewards of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a large urban preserve located in Scottsdale, Arizona. We offer and promote community educational programs on the necessity for and the methods to achieve appreciation, preservation and stewardship of our natural environment.

Results: For the past 18 years, the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy has championed the need to protect the 36,400 acres, or 1/3 of the land in the City of Scottsdale, of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve making the 57 square mile area the largest urban preserve in the United States and protecting vital watersheds, wildlife habitats, and the fragile flora of the Sonoran Desert

Target demographics: The community we serve includes 5,000 active members; the members of our partner organizations; residents of the nearby communities of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Maricopa County; and countless thousands of visitors from around the world who come to experience the McDowell Mountains and surrounding Sonoran Desert.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Thousands of species of wildlife, flora, and fauna. Thousands of visitors and local residents

Programs: Maintaining trails, restoring damaged desert habitat, and removing invasive plants. Educating young people and the general public about the wonders of the Preserve through public hikes, lectures, and outreach programs. Advocating completion of the Preserve plan to acquire 36,000 acres of Sonoran Desert within the City of Scottsdale, and the integration of the resulting trail system with other existing and planned local, county and national preserves.