Rotary Helps Oracle State Park
Pete Watson and Barbara Barr Bengen
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke brought together park rangers and students to solve a safety issue at Oracle State Park. Years of Arizona’s challenging weather had deteriorated a bridge on the park’s popular Geology Trail. Park Manager Sinda Sutton talked to Community Services Chair Pete Watson about some help. As a frequent volunteer with both the State Park and at San Manual Pre-K–12 School, Pete worked with park rangers, the school, and the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke to make things happen. Before this collaboration, none of the students from San Manuel had even been to Oracle State Park.
Here is the visual history of a wonderful project that was just completed with the help of so many. In Oracle State Park, there was an old, decrepit bridge. Think of an Indiana Jones movie—that posed a hazard on the Park’s much-used Geology Trail.
Old steel beams salvaged from the remodel of the main visitor center at the park were transported to the Welding Class at San Manuel High School. There, under the expert tutelage of the welding instructor, Jo Ann McCrea, her students welded the beams into three rugged strands that were placed across the crevasse, once called Dead Man’s Gulch, so that the bridge could be replaced.
Then, under a grueling sun, Rotarians Dan Watson, Dan Devou, and Pete Watson, along with the park rangers, installed weatherproof Trex decking across the span. Now, the trail can be enjoyed safely by visitors and students alike.
Care was taken, under the guidance of Park Manager Sinda Sutton, to ensure that the bridge was wide enough to accommodate their new “Trail Hugger” vehicles that their handicapped visitors are now using to access most trails of the park.
Here is a great example of collaboration and co-operation between industrious students, hardworking park rangers, and willing Rotarians. It should be noted that no fingers or toes were lost in the construction of this bridge. This is just one of many community needs projects brought to us by one of our members.
What is Rotary? It’s your friends and neighbors joining together in friendship as a part of the Rotary International organization, which is the world’s largest volunteer organization. Working together in fellowship, Rotary Clubs in Tucson and in countries around the world outnumber the number of countries served by the Red Cross, McDonald’s, or even Starbucks. Our mission is to make the world a better place through lasting impact.
Want to add more meaning to your life? The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke gathers for fellowship weekly at 11 a.m. at the Ranch House Grill, 31143 S Amenity Dr., at SaddleBrooke Ranch. We follow lunch with an educational program and quick meeting. For more information, or to have us save you a seat, check out our website at saddlebrookerotary.com or contact us at RotarySBAZ@gmail.com.
Emma Carillo, District Governor of Rotary District 5500, spoke to members of the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke on Oct. 8. She closed her program by reading a poem she wrote as a gift for the club.
Service Above Self in SaddleBrooke
Emma Carillo, District Governor of Rotary District 5500
For the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke
In SaddleBrooke, a vibrant light shines bright,
Where members and Amigos turn service into light.
An award-winning club, distinguished and true,
Rotary International’s Club of Excellence honors you.
With diapers for families through Arizona’s caring bank,
And groceries packed at IMPACT, row by row and rank,
You answer every need with willing hands and heart,
Proving that compassion is where strong communities start.
Soft plastics find new purpose, kept from waste and stream;
Respecting our environment is more than just a dream.
Through partnerships that touch each corner of our home,
Your service plants a promise wherever neighbors roam.
At neighboring Coronado School, young minds begin to see
How the Four-Way Test can guide them thoughtfully.
Second and third graders join an adventure on the shelf—
Apple Dumpling Adventure brings “Service Above Self.”
At Oracle State Park, along the restored trail,
TREX planks bridge the pathway, sturdy without fail.
And Little Hooves and Big Hearts know your kindness, too—
Beneficiaries of the care that SaddleBrooke brings through.
You keep the promise to end polio alive,
With Paella fundraiser spirit helping hope to thrive.
Each plate becomes a pledge; each gathering plays a part,
Uniting global purpose with a generous local heart.
So here’s to SaddleBrooke Rotary—active, warm, and strong,
With members and Amigos moving service right along.
From classroom, park, and pantry to a healthier world made new,
Service Above Self is the promise lived by you.