A wildlife bridge spanning North Oracle Road will soon have a new name: The Ann Day Memorial Wildlife Bridge.
Pima County made the announcement in late August. Day was an Arizona state senator and Pima County supervisor. She was killed in a car crash in May 2016.
The name isn't official quite yet. The Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names gave it the OK on Aug. 8 but still needs to approve its minutes from that meeting. That happens in October. Then the name change will head on to the U.S. Department of Interior's Geographic Names Information System for the final thumbs up, according to the county.
And then it's official: The Ann Day Memorial Wildlife Bridge.
The name has been in the works since the bridge was completed in May 2016.
Mule deer make up most of the animals that use the animal-crossing bridge over North Oracle Road near Oro Valley, while javelinas, coyotes and bobcats prefer a nearby tunnel.
"She was always a big supporter of conservation and our wildlife," says Ana Olivares, the director of Pima County's transportation department. "She was also a good supporter of our roadway improvements."
The wildlife bridge connects Coronado National Forest with the Tortolita Mountains, allowing animals to get from one area to the next without having to navigate Oracle Road. The bridge was funded by the 2006 Regional Transportation Authority plan.
Since the bridge's completion, plenty of animals have ambled across it — around 2,500, according to cameras the Arizona Department of Game and Fish uses to keep tabs on the bridge.
Here are a few reasons the name honors Day's memory.
1. She was a local lady who loved her state.
Supervisor Ann Day listens to executive aide Patrick Cavanaugh at her office, 130 West Congress St.
Ann Day grew up on her family's Lazy B Ranch in eastern Arizona with her brother Alan Day and her sister, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Ann served as a Republican state senator for 10 years and as the Pima County Supervisor for District 1 — covering the northwest side of town, including the location of the Oracle Road bridge — from 2000 to 2012. During those decades in politics, she earned a reputation for advocating regional solutions for local problems.
Her grandfather H.C. Day started the ranch in 1880 and served as chairman of Graham County's Board of Supervisors. Service ran in her family, and Day attributed her stubborn streak and independence to her upbringing on the ranch.
2. She loved the outdoors.
Pima County Supervisor Ann Day hugs Lauren Baarstad, 3, before a ceremony dedicating new playground equipment at Northwest Community Park. Lauren's father, Andy Baarstad, is at left. Lauren's mother, Carrie, asked for the playground.
Growing up on a ranch will do that to a person. Day was a consistent supporter of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. The plan, passed in the late 90s, sought to balance development with conservation within Pima County. Early in Day's tenure as a county supervisor, then-Supervisor Raúl Grijalva described her as "a Republican of a greener tint," according to a story published by the Arizona Daily Star in November 2000.
Her passion for parks contributed to the creation of Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, 3482 E. River Road. In 2010, a mom requested the addition of a playground for small children at Northwest Community Park at 7601 N. Mona Lisa Road. Day made it happen, and the park now bears her name.
3. She should have been at the bridge dedication.
Kate Stewart, a friend and fellow bridge player, signs a guestbook for the late Ann Day.
The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection formed around the same time that the county was adopting the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan — the late 90s. Then, the coalition hoped to guide the plan. Now, it remains vocal about conservation and was one of several organizations that made the Oracle Road wildlife bridge a reality.
And then two things happened nearly at once: Construction on the wildlife bridge wrapped up, and Day was killed in a car crash.
On May 7, 2016, a car crossed the median on East Ina Road near the Westward Look resort, colliding with Day's vehicle. Day died, and a Grand Jury later indicted the man who caused the wreck on multiple charges.
She was 77.
Following Day's death, Supervisor Sharon Bronson remarked that Day would be missed at the dedication of the wildlife crossing bridge on May 10.
"I was hoping to see her later this week at the dedication of the wildlife crossing that connects the Catalinas to the Tortalitas," Bronson told the Star. "I think a good way to remember her would be to name that crossing after her, and that's something I'm going to try to pursue."
Sources:
• "Day to join 4 incumbents" published in the Arizona Daily Star November 8, 2000
• "Day seeks solutions for entire region" published in the Arizona Daily Star August 8, 2008
• "Day to leave board when term's up" published in the Arizona Daily Star July 29, 2011
• "Mom gets her wish: a playground" published in the Arizona Daily Star February 16, 2012
• "Ann Day remembered as fierce, loving, with 'cowgirl common sense'" published by the Arizona Daily Star May 7, 2016
• "Grand Jury indicts driver in fatal Ann Day crash" published by the Arizona Daily Star May 18, 2016
