Conserving the Verde River

At 595 acres, Park Central Farm is the largest privately owned farm along the banks of Arizona’s Verde River. In 2018, property owners Hauser and Hauser Farms entered into a voluntary conservation easement that will protect streamside forests and wildlife habitat, reduce water use on the farm and assures the land will never be subdivided or developed. This long-term conservation effort is the result of The Nature Conservancy’s sustained work on behalf of the Verde River, the Hauser family’s dedication to water conservation, and the Trust’s $2.5 million investment, along with that of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Conservancy. Park Central Farm will remain a working farm, with the Hauser family employing agricultural best practices to reduce river water consumption and diminish polluting run-off. This successful public-private partnership demonstrates there does not have to be a choice between conservation or sound economics – we can have both.

The Park Central Farm project is one of several Trust Verde River projects launched in 2018 that are cumulatively protecting and restoring more than a 3-mile corridor of the river and retaining or returning more than 350 million gallons of water to the river every year.

Unifying for open space planning

Maricopa County in Arizona is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, and with growth often comes development that eliminates or permanently alters natural resources and systems. In January 2016, the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance, a project of the Desert Botanical Garden, convened a two-year strategic planning process, involving more than 30 participating organizations and hundreds of meetings, to examine how to align economic growth, natural resources and cultural heritage conservation values.

The result is the Regional Open Space Strategy for Maricopa County, which CAZCA released in 2018. The ROSS is a road map that lays out first steps toward unified, cohesive, regional open space conservation, with strategies that include the social, cultural and environmental values of communities. When fully implemented, the ROSS will deliver an open space network that enhances the unique character of the desert region and enables Maricopa County to realize the full benefits of open space for people, the environment and the economy.

Advancing White River restoration and protection

Indiana’s White River and its watershed provide drinking water to 2 million people and habitat to several thousand plant and animal species. Interest in the waterway, which winds through the center of Indiana and urban Indianapolis, is on the rise; and the Trust’s investment in the White River is driving increased emphasis on waterway protection and water-use planning.

In 2018, the Trust supported the first statewide Indiana Water Summit, which convened national water experts, public and business leaders, community groups and researchers to lay the groundwork for future statewide and regional water planning. The Trust is participating in the White River Vision Plan, a joint effort among Hamilton and Marion counties and numerous municipalities; economic development, tourism, conservation and community organizations and other stakeholders, to develop a community-driven plan to enhance 58 miles of the river. Last year also marked the Partners for the White River’s first full year implementing $4.9 million in collaborative projects the Trust funded in 2017 to protect and restore the river and surrounding habitat. The numerous Indianapolis-area nonprofit organizations comprising the Partners are performing water quality research and monitoring, helping reduce pollution, improving wildlife habitat, and increasing Hoosiers’ access and connection to the waterway.

Hoosiers are embracing the White River – its challenges and its opportunities – with renewed energy making this an opportune time to engage even greater numbers in efforts to restore and protect this critical, life-giving resource.

Mobilizing veterinary care

The Trust continuously seeks to establish new partnerships with animal welfare organizations in Arizona and Indiana to expand the care and services for companion animals in our communities. In 2018, the Trust funded new grantee Midwestern University’s Shelter Medicine program to purchase a mobile surgical unit and support spay/neuter and wellness services. The climate-controlled mobile surgery unit allows medical staff to safely provide medical care and conduct surgery during the hot summer months and take veterinary services to underserved neighborhoods in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and nearby Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The mobile unit will result in an additional 800 surgeries and 1,200 medical cases each year; and the spay/neuter and wellness services funding allows Midwestern University staff and students to conduct more than 1,100 low-cost surgeries over six months.

Increasing care for at-risk animals

The Trust awarded grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to 13 Indianapolis-area animal welfare organizations in 2018 to support the groups’ efforts in caring for Indianapolis’ homeless pets and to continue to help reduce euthanasia rates in Marion County. These dedicated grantee organizations remove animals from municipal and county shelters and care for at-risk cats and dogs until they can help them find a permanent home.

Indiana hosts first statewide animal welfare conference

Representatives from 315 animal welfare organizations gathered in Indianapolis for the first statewide Indiana Animal Welfare Conference, focused on the plight of Indiana’s companion animals. Hosted by Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana, the event provided an opportunity for animal welfare professionals to learn from one another, network and strategize about how to save more companion animal lives.

Doubling clinic space, increasing impact

Spay/neuter surgeries are the most effective means of reducing pet overpopulation, which is why the Trust invests heavily in such surgeries in Indiana and Arizona. In 2015, the Trust contributed $500,000 to double the size of FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic in Indianapolis, which opened the doors of its renovated space in 2018. In its new facility, FACE staff will be able to conduct up to 17,000 spay/neuter surgeries and perform at least 22,000 dog and cat vaccinations annually.

Permanent galleries expand Arizona and Indiana cultural offerings

The Trust’s investments in enriching community life primarily focus on institutions and organizations that give a city its soul – libraries, zoos and museums. Three permanent galleries the Trust helped fund in prior years opened at museums in Indiana and Arizona in 2018.

Frozen Reign at the Indiana State Museum explores the Ice Age through compelling interactive experiences, complete with chilled-air ice tunnels, glacial sound effects and ancient animals in realistic environments. The exhibition demonstrates environmental change over time and its relevance for Indiana’s ecosystems today.

The Museum of Northern Arizona unveiled its revitalized Native Peoples of the Colorado Plateau exhibition. Museum directors partnered with more than 40 tribal consultants from several American Indian tribes to contribute to the gallery’s themes, objects and wording that describe the complex histories of the native people who have inhabited the Colorado Plateau for thousands of years.

Children clamber through prickly pear cactus pads, slither through an oversized rattlesnake and explore the secrets of the Packrat Playhouse: Hidden in the Midden installment at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Packrats are considered nature’s archivists. Their large, messy nests, or middens, leave clues about the local environment that existed thousands of years ago.

Investing in species preservation

Nina Mason Pulliam loved the Phoenix Zoo and was among its earliest benefactors. She generously invested in the Zoo during her lifetime, serving an instrumental role in saving the African oryx from extinction by leading and funding preservation efforts. Because of Mrs. Pulliam’s great affection for the Phoenix Zoo, the Trust continues to invest in its species preservation efforts, including funding in 2013 for the Sumatran tiger habitat. In 2018, the Trust provided $1 million to aid the Zoo’s conservation efforts for the endangered African lion. The Trust’s investment supports development of a 1-acre habitat for the lion and the spotted hyena. The Phoenix Zoo is creating the new habitat as part of its participation with the African Lion Species Survival Plan Program through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, an international breeding program.

Collective community impact:
keeping youth safe online

The Trust often partners with peer philanthropic foundations and community organizations to achieve greater impact. In 2018, the Trust joined with Arizona Community Foundation and the Phoenix IDA to bring Common Sense Media to Arizona to increase the safety of our community’s children in the online environment. According to Common Sense research, teens spend almost nine hours per day, outside of schoolwork, on some form of media; and 49 percent of fourth- to eighth-grade students are online after 11 p.m. on school nights. Issues surface for young people in schools and at home, including privacy violations, hate speech, online harassment, digital addiction and anxiety, and depression attributable to social media use. Common Sense Media provides parents, educators and children with resources and education to help young people maximize the positive effects of digital media and minimize the potential downsides.