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The cache is hidden along the loop trail in Catalina State Park. A $7 entry fee or annual AZ State Park pass is required for entry. The walk from the parking lot is appropriate for kids, dogs, grownups, and seniors like my wife, Pooh-Pooh. There's just one steep section near the start of the trail.
Doug Shakel is the guiding force behind the establishment of Catalina State Park. Because of his tireless efforts, you are enjoying a unique and beautiful experience in nature instead of driving through another invasive housing development. And for that, I thank him. If you don't care to read his story, skip to the bottom of this listing for a description of the cache. But I hope you take the time to learn more about the ordinary man who did extraordinary things. I believe his work should be recognized in more than just a newspaper obituary.
The following is an excerpt from an article in the Arizona Daily Star, 10 Dec 12, page A7:
"If you like to visit Catalina State Park, thank Doug Shakel. He was the "spark plug" who did more than anyone to make the park possible. Shakel, who doubled as a respected geologist and an outspoken environmentalist, helped kick off the modern environmental movement in the Tucson area nearly 40 years ago by spearheading opposition to a big development in an area that later became the heart of the state park. He died last month (November 2012) at age 74, after a brief battle with liver cancer.
In the early 1970's, a Phoenix developer proposed to put 6,000 homes on 4,200 acres known as Rancho Romero, just northwest of the Catalina Mountains. The developer, John Ratliff, came to a Sierra Club meeting to lay out his vision for the project, which he was promising to make environmentally sensitive.
"Shakel stood up and said, 'Anybody who feels this shouldn't happen, meet me upstairs in five minutes'," recalled John Leonard, anther Sierra Club activist at the time.
Thus was born the Rancho Romero Coalition, representing about 20 Tucson organizations. In September 1973, it pulled off a feat that many at the time thought was nearly impossible: stopping a big development. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to kill it amid an overflow crowd lured in part by Shakel.
Over the next decade, proded by Shakel and others, the county raised $4.5 million and pulled off a land swap to create the state park. It opened in 1983, contains 5,525 acres and nearly 5,000 saguaros, and draws about 160,000 visitors annually.'
See, that wasn't too much to read, was it? And you learned a little bit about the preservation of this wonderful place. The cache is a log only micro in a special container. It is placed at a point on the trail where you can go one way or another (kind of like the story of this park!) I made it pretty easy to find, as the point of this cache is to learn a little, not increase your numbers with another LPC. As always, beware of critters, bring water, and wear sunscreen. Congrats to RStarrT_Gang for FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ebpx