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PICTURE ROCKS DIGEST |
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| Volume 5, Number 7 |
August,
2007 |
Welcome to the Picture
Rocks Digest,
a free newsletter about issues and events in the community. The print
version of this all-volunteer
publication is distributed at area businesses and community sites. If
you have calendar events or news items, or if you would like to be
added to our email
list, please contact us at PictureRocksDigest@comcast.net.
The Picture Rocks Digest is a publication of Citizens for Picture
Rocks, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(4) civic organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in the community. Citizens
for Picture Rocks meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Picture Rocks Community Center, 5615 N.
Sanders Road. Meetings are free and open to the public. The next meeting is August 21, 2007. Everyone is welcome
to attend — membership not required, but highly recommended!
CITIZENS FOR PICTURE ROCKS
Next
Regular Monthly Meeting will be
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 7:00 P.M.
Picture Rocks Community Center
5615 N. Sanders Road
Guest speaker: Tom Evans,
Tucson Electric Power Company,
on
monsoon season safety.
Also Scheduled to Speak:
Lt. Scott Martin, Commander
Tucson Mountain District Sheriff's Station
Iced tea social time begins at 6:30 p.m.
Meetings are free and open to all neighbors.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
MANAGEMENT PLAN OPEN FOR COMMENT
The Draft General Management Plan for Saguaro National Park, 382 pages long, is open for comment.
Park representatives will present information and solicit comments at the Picture Rocks Intermediate School, 5875 N.
Sanders Road, on Wednesday, September 5, between 4 and 7 p.m. Comment can also be made online by clicking
here.
Of particular interest to most Picture Rocks residents
are plans for Picture Rocks Road. The Plan states that there is no effort to close the road, as had existed in an earlier
General Management Plan.
Under the Park's Preferred Alternative 2 (Alternative 1 being to leave everything
as it is), there would be traffic calming approaches starting with the least impact, like lower speed limits, speed signs to
show your vehicle's speed, rumble strips, and pullouts. If those did not reduce speeding and ensure Park visitor safety,
roundabouts and speed bumps could be added, up to and including Park kiosks to stop traffic and collect Park fees.
Construction of these devices might shift traffic to Kinney and Twin Peaks Roads, which the Park would prefer.
While many residents of Picture Rocks might agree that speeding and unsafe driving are a problem on Picture Rocks
Road, the Park states that most public input is in favor of reducing traffic or closing roads. This is our last chance to let
them know what we think.
A STROLL THROUGH HISTORY
THE CCC'S CAMP PIMA
Driving west on Rudasill Road to the schools, pool or community center, you may have noticed some
crumbling adobe walls to the south of the road. These, and some concrete foundations, are the ruins of the Civilian
Conservation Corps' Camp Pima, which contained 32 frame and adobe buildings and was open from December 1933 to
June 1941.
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The remains of a 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps
camp can be seen from Rudasill Road between Sandario and Sanders Roads. |
The CCC was set up early in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New
Deal" to help rescue the nation from the deep economic depression that followed the collapse of the stock market. With
more than 25 percent of the workforce unemployed, the government became the employer of last resort to provide jobs
and get wages circulating in the economy.
The Civilian Conservation Corps put three million young men and
thousands of young women to work on environmental conservation jobs, not in competition with the private sector, that
included fighting fires, reforestation, erosion control, trail and dam building, and building the ramadas and picnic areas at
many national parks, including Saguaro.
There is an entry point for hikers on Sanders Road, just south of
Rudasill. There is no formal trail, but it's an easy walk of less than a half-mile on flat ground to the ruins. Do watch where
you step to avoid critters that call the area home. Please remember that anything over 50 years old is legally considered
to be an artifact and is therefore protected. What looks like rusty trash is part of an archaeological record that should not
be disturbed.
COMMUNITY NOTES
- Ice Cream Social at PRCC. Join your neighbors for ice cream sundaes with all the toppings at the Picture Rocks
Community Center on Friday, August 17, 6-8 p.m. Cost is $2/person. And mark your calendars now to see Elvis (!) on
September 21. Details in next month's newsletter. For more information, call 682-7166.
- 12-year-old Picture Rocks resident Jordan Lange began pitching horseshoes at Benny's Cafe just last year. Since
then he has gone on to become the Arizona Junior State Champion and winner of his division at the 2007 World
Horseshoe Tournament held in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in July. Dubbed the "Tiger Woods of horseshoes," his story is
reported in the July 31, 2007, issue of the Tucson Citizen. Click
here to read the complete article online.
- The Pima Council on Aging has a representative at the Picture Rocks
Community Center, 5615 N. Sanders Road, from noon - 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Seniors and
caregivers are invited to meet with Council representative to find out about rights and resources.
- The Community Food Bank's Mobile Market
sets up shop in front of PRCCI, 6691 N. Sandario Road, every other Monday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. A new panel truck makes
shopping easier, with low cost staples available. Upcoming dates are August 27, September 10 and September 24.
- The Picture Rocks Pool will be open only on weekends after August 13, when school opens. The pool closes for the
season on Labor Day.
- Schools are open, so drive safely. Use caution, especially around schools, and watch for pedestrians and bicycle
riders wherever you drive.
- Saguaro National Park announced that fire restrictions have been lifted due to reduced fire danger following
monsoon precipitation. Park visitors are reminded to continue to exercise caution while smoking and to build campfires
only in picnic areas where fire grates are provided.
- Lilian Von Rago, formerly of Supervisor
Sharon Bronson's office, has moved on and Picture Rocks
will miss her. She was a valuable link between this community and Pima County, attending many meetings of Citizens for
Picture Rocks, listening patiently to residents' concerns and helping members navigate bureaucratic mazes.
- Clarification: Citizens for Picture Rocks is an independent non-profit organization, not affiliated with either the
county-run Picture Rocks Community Center and Park on Sanders Road or the privately operated Picture Rocks
Community Center, Inc., on Sandario Road.
- Sixth wettest July. The
National Weather Service reports that Tucson
officially received 5.22 inches of rainfall in July, though many areas received more. The normal amount of rain for July is
2.07 inches. The desert flora are flourishing with the precipitation, as shown in photos below, taken August 14 in
Saguaro National Park West.
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The blossoms on the fishhook barrel cacti will soon ripen into fruit. |
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PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ISSUES RESOURCE GUIDE
A new Resource Guide available from the Pima County Sheriff's Department is chock full of information,
including phone numbers for assistance in many law-related areas. Here are a few of the listings that might be useful to
our community:
- SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY - "If you have a feeling that something just isn't right, call 9-1-1...If possible give a
description of the person and/or vehicle involved...Don't be afraid to call 9-1-1."
- METH HOTLINE - 1-877-787-6384 - "If you suspect an illegal lab, call 9-1-1 or the Methamphetamine hotline."
- MAIL THEFT - To reduce the risk of mail (and identity) theft, retrieve your mail promptly, never leave mail in the box
overnight, and consider replacing your box with one that locks. Outgoing mail should go to a blue Post Office box or to
the Post Office. If you have had mail stolen, call 9-1-1.
- LEASH LAW - Dogs not in a confined area should be leashed at all times. They should not be left tied up in a yard
unattended. Leash law citations require a photo of the loose dog with the date and time of the photo, plus the address
where the dog lives; or testimony of two witnesses. Call Pima County Animal Control, (520) 243-5900.
- VICIOUS DOGS - A "vicious animal" is one that bites, attempts to bite, endangers or otherwise injures humans or
other animals. It is unlawful for any person to keep, control, or harbor any animal that is vicious or destructive. Report to
Pima Animal Care, (520) 243-5900.
- NOISE - From 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. it is unlawful to create an excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that can be
heard 125 feet from the property line of where the sound is produced. Loud music, vehicles or business noise is
considered a nuisance. Any noise which would cause a reasonable person discomfort or annoyance between 10 p.m.
and 7 a.m. is unlawful. Call 9-1-1 with a vehicle description or license, or the address.
- ILLEGAL DUMPING - Report illegal dumping immediately. Call the Department of Environmental Quality anytime at
(520) 622-5800, or call 9-1-1. Identifying information helps.
- CHILDREN - Bicycle helmets are required for children 17 years and younger, for safety reasons. Bicyclists are
required to follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles. Children under five years must be secured in a car seat while
traveling in a vehicle.
- DOMESTIC ABUSE - Child abuse and neglect should be reported to the toll-free Child Abuse Hotline, 1-888-767-2445.
Elder abuse, defined as intentionally causing pain or suffering to a person over 60 years of age, should be reported to
9-1-1, if it requires immediate attention; or to the Elder Abuse Hotline, (520) 791-5809 (messages only). Adult Protective
Services' number is 1-877-767-2385. For domestic violence emergencies, call 9-1-1. The Tucson Center for Women and
Children has a 24-hour crisis line, 1-888-428-0101.
To view the complete Guide online, click here.
The Picture Rocks Digest is written by Albert Lannon (email:
bluemoon@dakotacom.net; phone: 622-3561).
Additional materials and formatting by Karen Zopf. Distribution of the print version is thanks to Jim Pethe.
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