Spotlight on Volunteers – Jess Tyler
Stewards of Public Lands Co-chair Jess Tyler, right, shakes hands with Cottonwood Public Works Director Tim Costello for the role Cottonwood played in placing no dumping signs on public lands within Cottonwood's city limits. Cottonwood's Street Maintenance Loader Operator, Jim Wixom, volunteers for Stewards cleanups and helped put up the signs.
Cottonwood's Stewards of Public Lands Volunteer "Leads by Doing"
Cottonwood resident and native Arizonan Jess Tyler believes public lands are a valuable asset everyone can enjoy. He co-chairs the Stewards of Public lands, a volunteer group that removes trash and litter from public lands in the upper Verde Valley. "To date the Stewards have picked up 110 tons of trash around Cottonwood and Clarkdale on state and forest lands," Tyler says.
The Stewards coordinate assistance from local businesses, municipalities, county, state, and federal agencies. They encourage law enforcement and citizens to monitor and prevent additional dumping. Working hard to make a difference in the community by cleaning up trash that finds its way to public lands, Tyler believes, "All journeys, no matter how long, begin with a single, first step."
Cottonwood City Manager Brian Mickelsen says, "Jess Tyler sets a great example of how volunteerism can better our community. He is intelligent, experienced, caring, willing to serve, busy and possesses a great sense of humor. He has a real zeal for quiet, behind the scenes leadership. Jess leads by doing."
Tyler's father moved to Arizona in 1924 to work for the Santa Fe Railroad, retiring after more than 40 years of service. The Tyler family lived in some very small towns in Yavapai County including Drake, Ash Fork, Seligman, and places like Audley, Crookton, and Pica that no longer exist. Tyler's mother moved to Arizona in 1934 and was the first beautician at the Fred Harvey Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon. She now resides in Winslow.
After earning a 1967 engineering degree from the University of Arizona and meeting his wife Joanie, Tyler worked 33 years for Procter & Gamble. The Tylers' son Robert, 30, lives in Tucson and daughter Jenni, 27, in Cincinnati. Tyler worked primarily in engineering management. That provided the family opportunities to live in Mexico, Europe, South America, and several locations in the United States.
"I grew up in very rural Arizona and developed a love and appreciation for our very unique and beautiful land," Tyler says. "During my professional career I had the opportunity to see many other parts of the world but when I retired, there was no question where we were going to live. Arizona is our choice and the Verde Valley is, in my opinion, the best part of Arizona – and I’ve lived in 25 other locations in the state. Now that we are back, we want to help where we can to make our community and state even better." Joanie is a Stewards volunteer and a graduate of the Master Gardener's program.
Tyler believes the challenges of the last 10 years--water and growth-- will continue and likely increase over the next 10 years. "I believe Cottonwood has done a very good job of identifying and addressing these problems and will need to continue to do so in the future. We have a responsive and dedicated city and county government but to be effective, they need all citizens to be active participants and supporters." He encourages community members to get involved. "Second guessing is too late," he says.
Tyler's philosophy is, "If you don’t believe people are inherently good – you have also lost faith in yourself." Besides volunteerism, he enjoys technology. He is the geographic information systems (GIS) data steward for Cocopai Resource Conservation and Development's Verde Valley trails group. He designs and builds in wood and metal. Tyler says he enjoys working with high school students to promote technical education and careers in technology. A pilot, Tyler is passionate about flying.
Tyler hopes in the next 10 years the City of Cottonwood continues to manage growth effectively and makes the municipal water company a huge success. He would definitely like more shopping opportunities in Cottonwood so residents can do all their shopping locally. Finally, he'd like to see the Verde Valley's public lands sparkling clean for all to enjoy. He intends to work hard to make that happen.
Spotlight on Volunteers is written by Diane Joens on behalf of the Cottonwood City Council. Council members recognize the invaluable contributions volunteers make to the betterment of city government and the community. There are many opportunities to volunteer and make a positive difference. Council members encourage everyone to get involved. Volunteer today!
Stewards of Public Lands Web Site (Leaving this Web site)