Published on April 19, 2023
ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (April 19, 2023) – Town of Oro Valley employees will participate in an Earth Day beautification event on Friday, April 21 at 8:30 a.m. removing invasive species like buffelgrass and Russian Thistle from the newly acquired Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. This is the second year Town employees have volunteered to participate in an Earth Day beautification event, providing them an opportunity to give back to the community and contribute to the Keep OV Beautiful program. Mayor Winfield and members of Council have also been invited to participate with staff.
Preserving natural beauty and keeping Oro Valley free of litter and debris is a community wide effort achieved through the Keep OV Beautiful program. In addition to the long-term commitment programs like Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A-Trail, the Keep OV Beautiful program is designed for small or large groups who want to participate in a single-day beautification event. Volunteer opportunities are available year-round. To learn more about Keep OV Beautiful, click here.
About the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve
The Town of Oro Valley acquired Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve (formerly known as the Vistoso Golf Course) in the summer of 2022 and began working on safety improvements including general maintenance of the open space. One focus area was removing weed overgrowth. Invasive species like buffelgrass pose a risk to the Sonoran Desert landscape by out-competing native plants. By removing invasive species, the Preserve stays true to its nature of being an open space that preserves Sonoran Desert vegetation and wildlife.
In the fall of 2022, the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve Master Planning project began with consultant Sites Southwest gathering data, site research, conducting workshops and asking for community input. The first Master Plan draft was presented to Town Council on March 15. The final Master Plan draft will be presented to Town Council on June 21. The Master Plan aims to keep Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve simple and natural by addressing the long-term protection of ecological and cultural resources and creating site-sensitive passive recreational and educational opportunities. To view the Master Plan draft and the Vistoso Trails community input report, click here.