By SUZANNE PAETZER
2009 Scottsdale Leadership Class Reporter
The Scottsdale Leadership Experience
This is the 13th of a 17-article series recapping Scottsdale Leadership’s nine-month Core Program. The program educates, connects and empowers citizens who are interested in community leadership.
Does staying Calm, Relaxed and surrounded by Natural Beauty factor into your Quality of Life?
If so, you would have really enjoyed Scottsdale Leadership’s Quality of Life and Sustainability class day. Held in Scottsdale’s own backyard – the Gateway to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve – this pristine recreational area is amazing!
Completed in May 2009, the Gateway adjoins 383 acres and is part of Scottsdale’s vision to preserve 36,400 acres. That’s 1/3 of Scottsdale’s total land mass!
If you don’t hike, mountain bike or ride horses along the 45 miles of trails, maybe the 8,800 SF building (pending LEED Platinum certification) would catch your eye. It has rammed earth walls and uses recycled/regional materials. With its solar energy performance (producing 105% of annual demand), rainwater harvesting (providing 100% irrigation), water efficiency (saving 250,000 gallons annually) this building is a marvel in the desert.
Or you can take a short stroll to the Amphitheater and enjoy the amazing views. The amphitheater serves as an ideal field classroom for lectures, too. For those physically challenged, there is a ¾ mile accessible interpretive trail – one of the few in existence.
Whatever route you take, I guarantee you’ll be touched by the beauty of the land and its ability to restore calm!
Scottsdale Leadership, Class 24 not only experienced the Preserve but spent time with Virginia Korte, Class 3, and president/CEO of STARS who shared the history of preserving Scottsdale’s land since the 1960’s and how the Preserve came to fruition.
To read the rest of Suzanne’s blog click here.
The Scottsdale Leader 
Calling all Scottsdale Leadership alums…make your plans to visit the preserve this month! The weather is perfect and the flowers are out in mass. And as Suzanne states, it’s one of the most enjoyable ways to restore your calm and appreciate all Scottsdale offers us.