PAPAGO PARK.

Surrounded by three major municipality's sits one of the jewels of the Valley of the Sun: Papago Park. Operating under the Phoenix Parks, Recreation, and Library Department, Papago was the home of a National Day of Service Event during the 2000 NRPA Congress and an off-site tour of the park was available for those willing to take a look, enjoy the warm weather, and stroll the grounds of our state treasure. The history of the park is as interesting as its features, telling a story of state and national events within the desert terrain.

In 1914, Papago was originally designated as the Papago Sahuaro National Monument by the Federal government and covered over 2,000 acres. Only lasting until 1930, it was abolished as a National Monument and turned over to the state of Arizona. In the 1930's the CCC had several camps at Papago and provided willing workers an opportunity to build a boathouse, docks, canals, roads, trails, shelters, picnic amenities, and fishing ponds. One of their highlights is the 3,500-seat amphitheater, which was used heavily for Easter services and other public gatherings.

An interesting feature located on a hill in the middle of Papago Park is Hunt's Tomb, built in 1932. It is a white pyramid that houses the bodies of the first Governor of Arizona and several of his family members. In 1932 the Arizona Game and Fish Department requested a hatchery and a year later it was constructed for the purpose of propagating fish to be used for restocking lakes and streams. By 1936 it released 175,000 bass and an equal amount of annual perch.

In the 1940's the park was used as a prisoner of war camp during World War II, housing over 4,000 German prisoners. The prisoners decided to build a faustball (volleyball court), which soon became the hiding place for dirt that was being excavated from an escape tunnel. Some of the prisoners got a hold of a map that showed many of the rivers in the state which led them to believe they could build a boat and use these rivers as an escape route. However, the fact that most of the rivers were dry and only flowed after heavy rains was a major problem for the POW's. Although 18 prisoners actually escaped the confines of the camp, they were all returned within one month. The 364th Infantry that was stationed at Papago Park rioted in 1942 due to poor living conditions and racial problems, which caused two deaths and 12 injuries. In 1946 the POW camp was turned into a veterans hospital. In 1959 the City of Phoenix bought the property for $3.00 per acre and decided to turn it into a City Park. It has remained a City Park to this day.

Papago is a very unique park. There are approximately 1100 acres with quite a variety of amenities. Included in the park is an 18-hole golf course, which is one of the top 100 municipal courses in the country. The Desert Botanical Garden leases approximately 124 acres for one of the top visitor attractions in the valley. The Phoenix Zoo leases about 120 acres and receives over one million visitors per year. It is also one of the few privately owned non-profit zoos in the country. The Phoenix Municipal Stadium is also on Papago land and is the home of the Oakland A's for Spring Training. There is also a four field softball complex on the park. Our neighbors include the City of Scottsdale, City of Tempe, and the Arizona National Guard.

Maintenance

Staff at the park includes a park manager, a Parks Foreman I, three groundskeepers, one Park Ranger III, and eight Park Rangers II. This is the total of staff that maintains and takes care of the day to day operations at Papago Park.

The facilities that are actually part of the park and are maintained by staff include an orienteering course, archery range, three fishing lagoons, amphitheater, bike paths, trails, picnic shelters, and lookout features.

Some of the general daily maintenance includes cleaning picnic ramadas, restrooms, Zoo parking lot, picnic tables, trash cans, graffiti, vandalism, trimming trees and shrubs, minor irrigation repairs, and clearing park roadways and paths.

Bike Path & Roadways

Maintenance on the bike path is conducted on a daily and weekly basis and includes sweeping, trimming back trees, and checking for obstacles. weekly checklists are filled out to make sure there are no major problems with the bike path. The City of Phoenix has just settled a lawsuit with a bike rider who was injured when a low hanging branch knocked him off of his bike. There are some issues with the bike path because it has an area where water collects when it rains, as we always have a need to close this area and put up a barricade. It will take some major construction to re-align the path, but it is evident that we need to do so in order to make it more accessible for all types of riders during all types of weather conditions.

Three very high traffic roadways border the park and a chief responsibility is trimming along these major roadways. Since there is a lot of vegetation in the park and on its boundaries, we find ourselves continually trimming vegetation. Due to the traffic on these roads, we have to work with the Streets Department to close a lane of traffic to make room for our staff and our equipment. This process sometimes takes a week to complete and usually happens two or three times a year. Along with the trimming comes the day to day trash pick as well.

Cleaning along park roads is also a daily task. There are approximately three miles of park roads that get inspected every day. Checking for debris and overgrown vegetation are always a top priority in keeping the park look tidy and inviting.

Hole-In-The-Rock

One of the main features of Papago Park is what has become to be known as "Hole-in-the-Rock." This feature is recognized across the valley and is an easy hike to get a great view of the City to watch the sunrise, sunset, or just observe the park and surrounding area from an interesting point of view.

Since there are people in this lookout almost the entire time the park is open, it is one of the most used areas in the park. We have to sweep, pick up trash, and spray down this area as much as possible.

The ramada that we reserve for schools is at the base of hole-in-the-rock. The Zoo gets hundreds of school children a day and many of these schools come over to our picnic ramadas for lunch. The "Hole-in-the-Rock" feature is just too tempting for the children to resist, so in turn there are hundred or so children running around the feature. We get a lot of litter from this age group.

Our evening crowd usually consists of more teens and adults. They enjoy Watching the sunset, looking at the city lights, or talking with friends. Some of the younger groups that visit here in the evenings use this area for partying and leave the park staff with more than a bit of trash each day. The partyers are the worst group to clean-up after. There is something some people enjoy about hearing a glass bottle break, so at the base of "Hole-in-the-Rock" there is always a problem with broken glass. This group also brings the cigarette butts that people don't seem to think is litter. We end up trying to pick up and sweep this area daily.

Since this area gets so much use, the trail is always in need of repair. During the National Day of Service, we made a good start at repairing some portions of the trail. Since the ground in Arizona is so hard, it is not easy to dig, requiring most of our trail projects to include a cobra (something like a jackhammer) to loosen the ground to build steps and water bars. Water bars are used to divert water off the trail.

The hole-in-the-rock is part of a number of buttes in the park and they are definitely an attraction for people to scramble up, although most aren't as easy as "Hole-in-the-Rock." Many times it is a struggle to reach the top of a Butte and inexperienced hikers and climbers don't realize they must return to the ground following an inclining hike. Thus, there are approximately 8-10 incidents a year to rescue people off the Buttes.

"Hole-in-the-Rock" is a great photo opportunity and we get several requests a year for commercial photo shoots and video taping at Hole-in-the-Rock. We are proud to display this feature of the park and many people through out the United States recognize it as a special part of our park and the state of Arizona.

Zoo

Since the Phoenix Zoo leases the property for the Zoo, the city has kept ownership and responsibility of the parking lot. The Phoenix Zoo receives over one million visitors per year, offering several special events a year, which bring in between 15,000 - 20,000 people in one day. This generates a lot of trash.

The first thing the crew does when they come in at 6:00 a.m. is to clean the Zoo parking lot. During these special events, we have an agreement with the Zoo to assist with the parking lot detail. In fact, just recently the Zoo hired a cleaning company to come in and help clean their parking lot, as well as the park roads. It is very important for us to keep a good working relationship with the Zoo. We also keep responsibility for the Zoo parking lot because many of the special events in the park use this parking lot. Some of these activities include High School cross-country meets, charity walks, doggie dashes, birthdays, weddings, receptions, corporate meetings, company picnics, and parties. The Zoo offers many special events through out the year including Zoo Lights (for a month), Boo at the Zoo, and Free Zoo Days.

Lagoons

Some of the more uncommon maintenance tasks we perform pertain to the three fishing lagoons. Papago is part of the Arizona Urban-fishing Program sponsored by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This means that the Game and Fish Department stocks the lagoons in the summer with fish and in the winter with trout.

The three lagoons are fed from the Cross Cut Canal that is run by the Salt River Project, which is one of the local electric companies. The three lagoons feed the golf course and the lagoons at the Phoenix Zoo. One of the main problems with the lagoons is the shoreline that fluctuates with the Zoo and the golf course taking water at different rates during different times of the year. SRP (Salt River Project) and the City got together and decided to install a weir automatic lake leveling system. This keeps the lagoons at a constant level throughout the year.

The one other major concern with the lagoons is the quality of the water. We must consistently check for algae growth to combat. We buy a permit from the Arizona Game and Department to purchase White Amur fish. These fish help keep the water clean by eating the weeds and algae from the lagoons.

On the National Day of Service we had a scout group build and install five floating islands into one of the lagoons. These are being used as fish and waterfowl habitats, which is another issue we have with the lagoons -- waterfowl dropping into the park. We have had geese in the park, which tend to bother the fishermen and eat the grass and wetland vegetation. In this case, we have to call a removal company to come and relocate these animals. Along with geese we have had chickens, roosters, and iguanas here at Papago.

We pull out trash and debris from the water on a daily basis. We get a small amount of fishing debris around the lagoons left from the fishermen. Most of the trash is what is usually blown into the water, like plastic bags and cups from the picnic areas. We use park patrols to reach most of the trash near the shoreline.

Trails

The trails need to be checked on a weekly and monthly basis. Our Park Rangers check the trails on foot, but we also have a bike program so many times the rangers check the trails on bikes. This saves time in patrolling the trails and provides our staff with an exercise opportunity. We also use volunteers, on bikes and horses, to help check these trails.

There are approximately 5 miles of trails throughout the park. Hikers, bikers, runners, and horseback riders use these trails. We don't have a lot of elevation change in the park, so there aren't a lot of steep hills to maintain. The main problem with our trails is renegade, or spider trails, and erosion. Even though we don't have more than an average of about 7 inches of rain in a year, the lack of ground cover and lack of vegetation make for top soil and ground erosion.

There is also an interpretive Nature Trail in the park. This trail is about 1/2 mile long with interpretive signage along the path. This is checked on a weekly basis. We check to see if there has been any vandalism to the signs, check the plants, and check the trail for repair needs. This was one of the ten projects we worked on for the National Day of service. We have wanted to upgrade the irrigation system and plant new vegetation near some of the interpretive signs that were missing plants.

When we plant new vegetation, one of our biggest challenges is to protect it from the rabbits. We have to put fencing, which usually consists of chicken wire wrapped around the plant, and firmly stake it into the ground. It's amazing to think that our biggest problem isn't the heat, but the animals.

Another big problem with our trails is the renegade or spider trails made by users. Since we are still developing the trail system, most of the trails have not been signed. Once we get these trails signed it will be better for users to stay on designated trails.

Master Plan

A master plan was developed in 1998 by staff and a group of interested citizens. This plan helps outline the goals of Papago Park and the future plans for development, preservation, and recreation. We have been very fortunate to be able to begin many of the projects outlined in this master plan.

We have a little over a mile of park road that will be closed and turned into a barrier- free/all-use trail. We are getting ready to bid to start construction on this new trailhead and trail. It will be paved with a surface to allow a variety of modes of transportation.

The master plan called for the installation of the weir lake-leveling device, which was installed, in early 2000. This has tremendously cut down on the shoreline erosion that has been taken place over the years.

One item we have gotten approval to start is redesigning the entire park. A few years ago, the Department designed a new signage package for all mountain parks and preserves. Most areas have already been signed and Papago will be coming on-line with the new sign package to add conformity to all the mountain parks and preserves that Phoenix maintains.

One issue that the plan called for, but we are still reviewing, is the removal of our orienteering course. One' issue that we are looking at is the fact that there are only two orienteering courses in the City of Phoenix. We have had several requests from the public not to take out the orienteering course and we are currently looking at other options. Many of these requests have come from the Boy Scouts who teach and train the scouts on this course.

Another big issue the plan called for was revegetation. We are recurrently working on projects throughout the park. Through a large donation from American Express, we planted almost sixty trees in our lagoon area. We have had a few volunteer projects to plant some sahuaro cacti in various locations in the park. We are also currently working on a project to plant our parking islands in the zoo parking lot, which is also a beautification effort. One major revegetation project will be at a main intersection at the park to plant native material and sign it with recognition to the many people who have donated time and money for this revegetation effort.

There are also some non-native plants that have really taken a hold in the park. Salt cedars have almost dominated some areas of the landscape. One of our goals is to irradicate many of the non-native species without doing any damage to the native plant material. We will be working with our lessee, the Desert Botanical Garden, to use the best method of eradication.

Other areas from the plan that are high on our list is making the restrooms and picnic ramadas accessible, GPS and sign and map all the trails, renovate some of the historic structures, and add some educational components to the park.

Volunteers

Volunteers play a big part in the maintenance of Papago Park. We have boy scouts working on Eagle Projects perform major work projects. One of the projects is shoreline stabilization. Since we have had a problem with our shoreline fluctuating, we needed to stabilize many areas. They also have assisted with the revegetation efforts, trail work, and habitat restoration.

We are also very lucky to have several major companies assist with projects in the Papago. American Express has been a major friend when it comes to our revegetation effort, donating several thousands of dollars of plant material this year and the volunteers to plant this material. Other groups include Allied Signal, Motorola, APS, Arizona State University, local high schools, middle schools, grade schools, churches, Girl Scouts, and Phoenix Clean and Beautiful.

Another area of volunteers is our court directed participants. We are very fortunate to work with the Maricopa County Adult Probation program. On the weekends, we have anywhere from three to eight people on Saturday and Sunday assisting with the daily maintenance and some of the specialized projects.

The National Day of Service allowed us to recruit over 200 volunteers to assist with ten different work projects. These projects included shoreline stabilization, wetland revegetation, building floating fishing habitats, general clean up, painting, installing split rail fence, sahuaro cacti revegetation, trail work, kiosk beautification, and irrigation on the interpretive trail. As a kick- off to the whole day's event, we planted a 12-foot sahuaro cactus.

The greatest thing about Papago Park is the TEAM spirit within the division. It is promoted throughout the Department and the entire city and the work group at Papago is a great example of how teamwork is meant to work. All of us at Papago Park understand that maintaining the grounds isn't the most glamorous job, but remains the most important in our effort to keep the area clean and visitors marveling at the beautiful and spacious grounds.

Kathryn Reichert is Park Manager for Papago Park and Camelback Mountain for the City of Phoenix Parks, Recreation, and Library Department and has been with the City of Phoenix for over 16 years. She received her Bachelors of Science in Recreation Administration from Brigham Young University in 1981. She has worked in a variety of capacities with the Department, but has spent her last nine years coordinating work projects and managing parks within the mountain parks and preserves system. She has been very active in the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association chairing and serving on various committees, most recently chairing the Volunteer/Room Host Committee for the 2000 NRPA Congress held in Phoenix utilizing over 1,000 volunteers. During her free time, she is an avid user of the Phoenix Mountains Preserves trails for hiking, biking, and rock climbing. Kathryn draws on her experiences in her article, "Papago Park" on page 50.