‘Everybody goes their own way’
by Brian Mostoller
It has been four years since Mark Maresca retired as a high school Spanish teacher. For 30 years he taught, and now he serves again as a Desert Defender, helping Arizona in a different way.
Desert Defenders is a program that unites citizens, the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance, the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, and surrounding conservancies to improve the state’s biodiversity and ecosystem health. The most pressing issue for the group right now is the removal of invasive plants in Arizona such as Buffelgrass and Stinknet. These species displace native plants, fuel wildfires, and threaten wildlife.
When Maresca retired from teaching in 2020 he reached out to the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Parks and Recreation in order to volunteer in some capacity.
From picking up garbage to trail work to supervising water stations to teaching a little Spanish to other park stewards, Maresca has served at Piestewa Peak, Papago Park, and Echo Canyon.
“It’s almost a losing battle,” remarked Maresca when speaking about the need for more volunteers, especially when it comes to the removal of invasive species. “For example, at Deem Hills Park one side of the mountain is full of Buffelgrass.”
Maresca has helped remove Buffelgrass in many areas, including the Desert Vista Trailhead, but the most rewarding work he has done thus far is on the Freedom Trail at Piestewa. Over five-and-a-half miles of trail, he and others “built 17 different stone steps and picked rocks out of surrounding areas,” he said.
“The tools we primarily use on trails are pickaxes and McLeods,” Maresca remarked. “McLeods rake and smooth, and they help decrease erosion by opening up drains so that water gets off the trails.”
Maresca’s love for Arizona’s environment began with Grand Canyon. Since moving from Delaware to Arizona in 1977 he has hiked the canyon rim-to-rim four times. On one of those trips he was with his brother, who became ill and he carried his brother’s backpack and his own back to their campground on Bright Angel Creek about a mile and a half away.
There are 32 Arizona state parks, and Maresca has been to 31 of them. The beauty of this state draws his interest, but it’s simpler than even that. Just the mere hiking and camping throughout this state thrills him. “There are so many RVs now, and often I’m the only tent in a campground.”
When Maresca camps he is often with a friend who is from Colombia. He has ventured south of Arizona to Mexico and the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), but Arizona is home.
Recently he was involved with teaching others about Hike Patrol, a group that teaches people how to treat Arizona hiking areas with respect.
He doesn’t hear or see many of his former students anymore. “Everybody goes their own way,” he remarked with a smile.
His way seems to be the simple task of defending the Arizona environment and carrying the weight of serving others.