(Photo by Mark Brodie-KJZZ)

Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

This week, Scottsdale is marking the 25th anniversary of the official effort to save a significant part of the city’s open desert area.

In 1991 the McDowell Sonoran Land Conservancy was formed to work to create the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which is now at 30,000 acres. Scottsdale City Councilwoman Virginia Korte was a businesswoman when she was asked to lead a task force to look into whether preserving the area was truly viable.