An abandoned golf course northwest of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is on its way to becoming a nature preserve, and you could help give it a name.
The town of Oro Valley is holding a naming contest for the 202-acre property formerly known as the Golf Club at Vistoso.
The 18-hole desert course operated for more than 20 years before shutting down in 2018 amid rising water prices and sagging demand for tee times.
It was targeted for possible residential or commercial development in 2020, but nearby residents formed a nonprofit group called Preserve Vistoso to keep the land open.
Late last year, the group partnered with national nonprofit The Conservation Fund in hopes of buying the shuttered course from Canada-based investment firm Romspen.
Their fundraising campaign brought in more than $1.8 million from 600 individual donors in just over a month, allowing The Conservation Fund to officially acquire the property on Feb. 17.
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The land is slated to be transferred later this year to the town of Oro Valley, which helped broker the deal.
Now the town has announced a contest it’s calling “Name OV’s New 202-Acre Outdoor Space!â€
The winner will receive a prize package worth more than $1,700 that includes, among other things, a one-year Premium Family Membership to Oro Valley’s community, recreation and aquatic centers, a kickball team entry for the fall season, a park ramada rental and “assorted OV-branded merchandise.â€
The contest is open to anyone, but entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. April 17.
Ten finalists will then be selected by a five-person committee from the Oro Valley Town Council, Oro Valley town staff, the Youth Advisory Council, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Preserve Vistoso.
Oro Valley residents will pick their favorites from among the 10 in an online survey sometime in May, and those choices will go to the Town Council for final selection.
The former golf course off Vistoso Highlands Drive west of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard features native desert plants and wildlife, views of the Catalina Mountains and scattered archaeological resources, including petroglyphs along at least one fairway.
The property also came with three restrooms that could be reopened someday and 6 miles of wide, fully accessible concrete trails, with underpasses beneath major roads.
The Conservation Fund is placing a conservation easement on the land to ensure that it can never be developed, even after it is transferred to the town.
In the meantime, the fund has hired a landscaping firm to start cleaning up the site and clearing away tumbleweeds and other nonnative plants.
The property is currently open for public use, though some areas are subject to temporary closure during the landscaping work.
Photos: 202-acre Oro Valley golf course becomes a nature preserve
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

The Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The preserve was once home to a 202-acre golf course that closed in 2018.Â
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

Mike Ford, of the Conservation Fund, talks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The former golf-course which is 202-acres of land is now a nature preserve and can never be developed.
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

Residents gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The former golf-course which is 202-acres of land is now a nature preserve and can never be developed.
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

Joe Winfield, mayor of Oro Valley, talks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The former golf-course which is 202-acres of land is now a nature preserve and can never be developed.
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

John McAlister takes a walk at the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022.Â
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

Remnants of the golf course can be seen at the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The preserve was once home to a 202-acre golf course that closed in 2018.Â
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

The Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The preserve was once home to a 202-acre golf course that closed in 2018.Â
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

Rich Bingle takes a walk at the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022.Â
Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

The Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz. on July 15, 2022. The land was initially bought by a national nonprofit, The Conservation Fund, which partnered with a local group called Preserve Vistoso. The preserve now falls under the town of Oro Valley's parks and recreation.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

A lone javelina strolls along the fairway that has gone fallow since 2018 at the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Mother Nature is reclaiming the water-intensive, all-grass fairways on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley. Once inside the former golf course, there is little evidence it is ringed by homes and apartments.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Grasses, some non-native, have overtaken areas of the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

The evening sun spotlights a cholla cactus on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Then: A golfer retrieves his ball from the cup on the 3rd hole at the Golf Club at Vistoso in May, 2018, shortly before the course was closed. Now: By October, 2021, there is little evidence that the 3rd hole existed.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Then: Golfers on the ninth hole near the clubhouse at the Golf Club at Vistoso in Oro Valley in 2010. Now: Three years after the irrigation was turned off, weeds poke through the desiccated sod on the ninth hole in October, 2021.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Morning doves rest on tree branches on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

Apartments along Vistoso Highlands Drive peak above the lush landscape on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

The fairway is slowing returning to nature, looking east to Pusch Ridge from a tee box at the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, Oro Valley, conservation

The cart path makes a sharp turn on the way to the 3rd tee on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

A couple walks their dog long the patch that fronts the driving range at the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

The six miles of high-quality concrete cart paths are a major feature in the conservation plans for the abandoned Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

A volunteer mesquite tree and scrub overtake the once-grassy driving range at the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

A petroglyph off the cart path at the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

The extensive irrigation system throughout the the abandoned 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley could be used to jump start native revegetation.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

Bathrooms near the first tee, as well as two other locations, are included in the plan for the abandoned 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

Residents can walk and ride the six-miles of cart paths on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley.
Golf Club at Vistoso, conservation, open space

Tumbleweeds encroach on a sand trap on the 202-acre Golf Club at Vistoso on W. Vistoso Highlands Drive in Oro Valley, closed in 2018.