Thursday, August 12, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Recreation windfall

BLM auctions result in big bucks for parks, recreation in Southern Nevada

By Geoff Schumacher

It's hard not to like the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. Sure, it can be argued that the large chunks of federal acreage sold at auction under the 1998 act fuel Las Vegas sprawl. A strong case can be made that the Bureau of Land Management, which administers SNPLMA, should move slowly with the auctions, in the interest of allowing transportation and school planners, among others, to try to keep pace with growth.

But there is a yin and yang to SNPLMA. While the government is selling off public lands within the valley, it is putting the proceeds to good ecological use. Most of the money is spent on two things: 1) to buy environmentally sensitive properties to keep them from being developed or destroyed and 2) to improve outdoor recreation and educational facilities for the public.

Skyrocketing real estate prices in the valley mean that the public land auctions are yielding hundreds of millions of dollars more than expected, resulting in a variety of wish-list conservation and recreation projects becoming reality. Over the next few years Southern Nevadans will be able to enjoy an array of parks, trails, visitor centers and other facilities that otherwise might not have been built for decades or would have required tax increases to pay for. Last week, Interior Secretary Gale Norton authorized $493 million for use on dozens of such projects. This is an unprecedented figure that, she said, amounts to more than is being spent on federal recreation projects across the nation this year. Here are some highlights:

¥ $26.9 million to finish the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, which promises to be the valley's premier historical and cultural center--180 acres of museums, educational exhibits, trails and species habitat at U.S. 95 and Valley View Boulevard.

¥ $15.8 million to build a 800-acre sports shooting park in the northwest valley. The public will have access to a day-use range, clay target range, archery range and hunter education facility. One objective of this facility is to reduce unauthorized casual shooting outside the park.

¥ $21.4 million to build a visitor center at Mount Charleston. The center will provide visitor information, interpretive displays, education programs, camping and picnic sites, trailheads and research facilities.

¥ $18.9 million to build a science education center at Oliver Ranch in Red Rock Canyon.

¥ More than $25 million for facilities and restoration projects in the Clark County Wetlands Park in the southeast valley.

¥ $21.1 million to convert the Craig Ranch Golf Course in North Las Vegas into a regional park. The 18-hole course has hundreds of mature trees and desert habitat for species that would be preserved while creating facilities to make it the premier public gathering place in North Las Vegas.

¥ $15.8 million for improvements to Sunset Park. The money will be used to renovate the giant regional park, with expanded picnic areas, interpretive trails in the native sand dunes and a festival area.

¥ $7.8 million for 60-acre Hidden Falls Park in Henderson.

¥ $4.75 million to build the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas. The money will finance a public park and a museum to protect and display historic neon signs.

Also, $20 million has been allocated to purchase the Hacienda hotel-casino on U.S. 93 within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It's not clear yet what the National Park Service would do with the oddly placed resort's 37 acres, which it has wanted to acquire for decades. It could be converted into a visitor center, regional offices for the Park Service or a training center, but the 16-story tower likely will be demolished for aesthetic reasons.

More SNPLMA funding will become available once the BLM sells more parcels within the valley. The next auction, which is slated to include the sale of large parcels near Kyle Canyon and in North Las Vegas, is Feb. 2.