Jacaranda will not make it in Wickenburg. Look for trees that do well in Tucson not Phoenix. Desert Willow? It's more vertical than wide, and deciduous. Also drought tolerant and can be fast-growing if you water it heavily the first few years. It is messy with shed flowers, but does cast nicely dappled shade. Leaf drop in the fall is very rapid, not prolonged.

$3.05 a foot for 3 wire. My buddy (actually my buddies dad, but he is a poker pal as well) picked up the wire at one of his supply houses. We (or he) shopped Nor Cal and Southern Oregon (he is an Electrical Inspector up there) and ended up buying local. Not positive why we used conduit, i assumed it was required. As a owner/builder I have to assume a lot because I know so little. I do know we had my driveway tore up and back filled in about 4 days time. We did not have the wire then, so the conduit made sense. I just do what they tell me and write the checks (not really but I do really trust my friends who have a ton of experience). I will ask about it when I see him this weekend.

Okay - thanks for the info so far. These power lines have the enormous poles but not towers. They're not in the yard of this home but adjacent to it and across the cul de sac - so they're close. However they'd pretty much only be in my view when I come and go from the house. When I'm looking out the windows of my house I'm looking at a gorgeous 1+ acre wooded lot with a stream running through the back of it. When I'm in my backyard or on my deck - same gorgeous view and complete privacy. The home was designed to take advantage of the beautiful views and not the view of the lines & poles. So far there is nothing else similar - home of this quality, lot of this size and privacy, in this close in location where I want to be. If there was a comparable place I'd certainly choose it over one with the power lines but so far there isn't. I've read the info on cancer risks, etc. and like I said, there is no valid scientific evidence of that. I've got quite a bit of experience evaluating that kind of thing so I'm not the type to believe everything I google. Plus I had cancer twice before I lived by high voltage power lines and I never had it again after I lived by them so what does that tell you. Back to my questions: What % of people do you think would/would not buy in this location? What do you think the % impact is on the price of a newer home in an area of custom built homes on nice one acre lots? Thanks again!!

Thanks, Edlincol. I spent the day reading up on the history of Transmission Right-of-Way Integrated Vegetation Management. Unfortunately, it appears that the regulation and management of these areas is done regionally. So, while New York State has a great program based on years of research and input from multiple groups, I don't know who is in charge in Michigan. It may be left entirely up to the utilities to choose how they manage the control of vegetation. If that is the case, they may choose to spray or mow, depending on what is cheaper or faster. I did put a call in to the forestry department of the utility and they promised to have that manager give me a call back. Apparently private citizens can lease the areas to use for agriculture or whatever else someone might use open space for. I already have some Common Milkweed and Swamp Milkweed seedlings that I wasn't sure what to do with. I think I have Joe Pye Weed and some Anise Hyssop and annual coreopsis, too. I'll get those in the ground for now, and think about what to do next. There is a wealthy family in the school district whose grandkids coached my kids in soccer. They've done a lot for the community, and they have a branch of their business just down the block from the same site. I may try to think up a proposal for them and see what they think. Any more ideas are welcome. I want to find out more about the specific process involved in the Integrated Veg. Manag. so I could try that. Hmmmmm. Martha