Supervisors rename trail, river park for Jan. 8 victims

Posted: Feb 15, 2011 4:03 PM MST

http://www.kgun9.com/global/story.asp?s=14036709

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to name county park facilities for an aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and a 9-year-old girl who died in the Jan. 8 mass shooting.

Giffords was shot in the head but survived.

The board voted to rename the Davidson Canyon trailhead for Gabe Zimmerman and to rename the Cañada del Oro linear river park for Christina-Taylor Green, according to a media release from Giffords’ Tucson office Tuesday afternoon.

Other victims of the shooting will be honored with markers at the Davidson Canyon trailhead, the board decided. Thirteen people were injured and six were killed in the attack.

Gabe’s father, Ross Zimmerman, welcomed the board’s decision as a fitting honor for someone who grew up enjoying Arizona’s open spaces.

“Gabe was immersed in the natural world of the Desert Southwest from birth,” he said. “Before he could crawl, Gabe was carried in sling packs up the sides of mountains. Vacations tended to revolve around visits to National Parks, both inside and outside the United States. Emily Nottingham, his mother, became president of the Arizona Trail Association and Gabe helped her explore the passages of the Arizona Trail, including this one.”

Ross, a biologist and trail runner, noted that Gabe and his brother Ben were his favorite partners on numerous outdoor adventures.

“The spot chosen to memorialize our son is a fascinating confluence of Sonoran Desert edge and sheer canyon walls with beautiful vegetation,” he said. “Gabe visited the area with Emily on several occasions and we are touched that the trailhead there will bear his name.”

Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll agreed, noting that the renaming of the trail for Gabe had bipartisan support and was the result of many agencies working together.

“This is an appropriate tribute for fine public servant who greatly enjoyed Arizona’s outdoors,” said Carroll, who represents the district in which the trail is located. “Those who didn’t know Gabe will know him through this trail.”

The 30-year-old Zimmerman was community outreach director for Giffords when he was killed at a Jan. 8 “Congress on Your Corner” event hosted by Giffords.

Zimmerman organized the event at a shopping center at Ina and Oracle roads on Tucson’s Northwest side.

Zimmerman was a natural athlete who enjoyed hiking and running in the Sonoran Desert, Giffords’ office said.

The Arizona Trail Association asked the county to rename the Davidson Canyon trailhead the Davidson Canyon-Gabe Zimmerman Memorial Trailhead.

Zimmerman was a member of the trail association and, while working for Congresswoman Giffords, helped get the Arizona Trail designated as a National Scenic Trail. The Davidson Canyon trail links to the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve and the Arizona Trail.

The Tucson National Estates Improvement Association asked the county to rename Cañada del Oro River Park for the 9-year-old girl who was killed in the shooting.

It will now be known as the Cañada del Oro Christina Taylor Green Memorial River Park. The park runs along the Cañada del Oro Wash from North La Cholla Boulevard to North Thornydale Road.