Kendrick Wilson

The hum of bulldozers, the whisk of traffic, and the dots of rooftops are now a way of life in Tucson, which occupies a valley that once had no cars, only a handful of people, and a pristine desert ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the world. Until recently, Tucson has escaped much of the development the ugly smog-filled concrete jungle to the north has become known for.

Times, they are a-changing! The Arizona Daily Star highlighted in a Sunday article how a northwest-side landmark, Sanctuary Cove, built in 1962, has managed to remain a peaceful respite from the rest of Tucson as development has sprung up around it. Despite the endurance of Sanctuary Cove itself, Annie Bunker, one of the cove's live-in caretakers, told the Star it pains her to see how much recent development has changed the surrounding area. "I have a really hard time looking out there now. The view has really changed," she said, having lived at Sanctuary Cove since 1984.

On Easter Sunday, Sanctuary Cove will celebrate its 48th annual Sunrise Easter Service. Jennifer Rood, a 30-year Tucson resident, told the Star, "The land and the nature of the cove makes Easter there special. What a place to do it, when you don't have a ceiling over you," noting how the serenity of the cove has been maintained in spite of nearby development.

The article went on to point out how founder Elmer Staggs used to call Sanctuary Cove a "still place in a turning world."

Unfortunately, very few slivers of untouched land remain around Tucson. More and more of the still places are turned upside-down by time as developers ravage our precious land. There is no end in sight, and little is being done to curtail the effects of urban sprawl in our community.

Pima County recently approved increased impact fees, over the loud objections of developers and construction companies. Increasing impact fees will hardly do anything to reduce urban sprawl, but at least when what is perceived as inevitable "progress" happens, those who cause it are required to pay for some of its costs.

Bunker was quoted in the Star article explaining how the caretakers' mission at Sanctuary Cove has changed. "We've come to a time of decision-making. We have a spiritual mission, but it's becoming preservation of the environment. We don't want to make it cute. We want to keep it natural, and we want to preserve it for the future," she said.

So many old homesteads are not being preserved or kept natural these days. Those that existed in the Tucson Mountains are quickly becoming flashy new houses carved into the sides of no-longer-saguaro-dotted hills. The ones that are preserved are facing the increased traffic noise and encroaching development that Sanctuary Cove is now seeing.

There was a time when Tohono Chul Park, an oasis of natural desert on the northwest side, was far off in the desert and seemed miles from the city. Today, its nearest intersection, East Ina Road and North Oracle Road, is one of Tucson's busiest, and development has sprung up on all sides of the park.

Anyone wondering what comes next need look no farther than Phoenix and then Los Angeles. Sprawl is a process that doesn't stop, and people seem to be the one species in abundance in the desert.

Perhaps growth cannot be corked, and better management of growth may even be a fantasy itself, as any changes would be sure to drive up housing prices and hurt the economy ÷ neither of which are popular around these parts.

Some would say, "Get used to it," as their voices are drowned out by speeding cars and honking horns. Others would say, "Enjoy what's left while it lasts," believing our community has already been sentenced to a Phoenician future.

While this "still place in a turning world" may not forever remain unturned by urban encroachment, it remains a testament to the beauty that once flourished throughout this valley. Perhaps a stop by Sanctuary Cove for this Easter's Sunrise Service might help convince those who have come to accept urban sprawl that there is something left in this valley worth saving.