Living in Harmony with the Natural Desert

Fountain Hills is a rare place — where neighborhoods meet nature, and where we can enjoy the desert’s beauty every single day. Residents and visitors alike are drawn to the open vistas, rocky ridges, dark skies, and the wildlife that freely moves through our community. Many who pass through tell us they wish they could live here someday. Those of us who already do consider ourselves fortunate.

Flourish Fountain Hills embraces a fundamental Guiding Principle: to live in harmony with the natural desert. This reflects our shared commitment to preserve what makes Fountain Hills special — not only for today, but for generations to come.

Our Local Framework for Environmental Protection

Fountain Hills is guided by an adopted Environmental Plan, rooted in the 2020 General Plan and shaped with resident input. It includes goals, policies, and actions that promote:

  • Preserving and conserving the natural desert.

  • Protecting open space, washes, and wildlife corridors.

  • Identifying and safeguarding historical and archaeological resources.

  • Encouraging water and energy conservation.

  • Reducing water and air pollution.

  • Supporting dark sky protections.

These priorities are not abstract ideals — they are practical commitments that help maintain the health, character, and value of our community.

Key Actions We Support

Guardianship of the Desert

  • Limit disturbance of natural areas through ordinances and enforcement.

  • Provide education that encourages staying on designated trails.

  • Protect our world-renowned dark skies.

  • Partner with neighboring communities, the County, State, and Federal agencies.

  • Encourage responsible water use.

  • Develop strategies to preserve or restore pre-development stormwater flow.

Protecting Open Space

  • Maintain and expand an interconnected open space network.

  • Preserve washes and wildlife connections.

  • Maintain unpaved desert trails that link neighborhoods to surrounding public lands.

  • Keep trail information current and accessible.

  • Preserve unique historical and cultural assets.

Improving Air Quality and Sustainability

  • Promote native, drought-tolerant landscaping and reduce reliance on gas-powered equipment.

  • Increase bicycle and pedestrian connectivity throughout town.

  • Support waste-reduction and safe hazardous-waste disposal.

  • Incorporate biophilic design — connecting built environments with nature.

The Air We Breathe Still Needs Our Attention

Despite our natural beauty, Maricopa County continues to receive “F” grades from the American Lung Association for ozone and short-term particle pollution. Statewide, Arizona ranks among the worst in the nation for unhealthy air days — a result of desert dust, urban growth, and climate conditions.

Environmental agencies recommend simple changes that make a real difference:
driving less when possible, carpooling, switching to electric lawn equipment, and choosing safer alternatives to fireworks — steps that align directly with our Environmental Plan.

Our Shared Responsibility

Keeping Fountain Hills beautiful — for wildlife, for our health, and for our quality of life — is a responsibility we all share. Many of us chose to live here because nature is not something we visit; it is part of our everyday life.

To protect what we love, we must continue to care for the land, water, air, and open spaces that make Fountain Hills unlike anywhere else in Arizona.

Flourish Fountain Hills believes in honoring our desert environment and safeguarding it for future generations. Together, we can ensure that the best parts of Fountain Hills remain here long into the future.