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PROPOSED EXPANSION OF
THE RED ROCK CANYON CONSERVATION AREA
Mr. Rex Wells, Bureau of Land
Management
HCR 33, Box 5500
Las Vegas, Nevada 89124
August 2002
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is reaching a
saturation point as evidenced by high traffic counts, implementation
of camp grounds, the proliferation of bicycle paths, and the
increased number of climbers. The NCA has obviously become a
world-class monument and is drawing a world-wide audience. The
need for expansion is clear and the means of such an expansion
is at hand and equally clear.
We propose an Expansion Of The
National Conservation Area (ENCA), beginning with annexation
of public lands in the Conservancy area. The ENCA also suggests
the purchase of or trade for the Hardie Gypsum Mine.
The Hardie holdings are surrounded
on three sides by the Conservation Area. The annexed and purchased
property would enhance the appeal of the area and reduce some
of the pressure now being placed on more sensitive canyon lands.
The value-added to the canyon and the availability of the land
suggest that now is the time to enact a policy of completing
the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The following pages address the
values associated with expanding the Red Rock Canyon National
Conservation area.
Your consideration of our proposal
will be appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you.
Evan Blythin
Chairman
Red Rock Citizens Advisory Council
CC:
Senator Harry Reid
Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20510
Senator John Ensign
Russell Senate Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20510
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley
439 Cannon House Office Bldg. 364
Washington D.C. 20515
Congressman Jim Gibbons
100 Cannon House Office Bldg. 528
Washington D.C. 20515
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Table of Contents includes
the values stated in the Proposed General Management Plan
for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
(BLM/LV/PL-99/018+8322, July, 1999). The underlined and margin-marked
material emphasizes how the values advanced by the U.S. Department
of the Interior relate to this proposed expansion of the NCA.
The Table of Contents concludes with the unique values of the
property.
Values Proposed by the U.S.
Department of Interior
 A. Preservation Values
Cultural Resources and native American Concerns
Biodiversity Preservation
Ecosystem Management
Wild Horses and Burros
Riparian Restoration
Air Quality
Vegetation
B. Recreation Opportunities
Climbing and hiking
Trails
Roads
Unique Values
A. Cultural/Historical Values
Prehistory--man and fossils
Mining history
Mining artifacts
B. Visual Resource Management
Protection of existing perspectives
Expanded perspective of Red Rock Canyon Conservancy
Expanded views of Las Vegas Valley
Astronomic observations
C. Additional Recreational Opportunities
Rock climbing
Bicycling
Hiking
Equestrian
D. Special Environmental Values
Preservation of existing conservancy
Air and water quality
Vegetation
A. Cultural/Historical
Values
Prehistory/cultural
The Red Rock Canyon is of historical
and religious significance to the Paiute Tribe of Southern Nevada.
The old Agave pits, the sacred rock circles, all point to the
cultural/historical importance of the area. Historic markers
and scenic viewpoints at critical sites would be valuable additions
tothe conservation area.
Mining History
The Hardie Mine is the oldest,
continuously-run mine in Nevada, and perhaps the southwest. It
reflects mining history from the early 1900s to the present.
Portal mining and open-pit mining are both illustrated on the
Blue Diamond Hill.
The Hardie mine is responsible
for rehabilitating mining disturbance since the early 1980s.
The major portal sites and one or two of the open pits could
be left as historic monuments to mining in America.
A road starting at the north
end of canyon, at highway 159, leads to the mine hill and exits
at the south end of the canyon: This road is a ready-made public
asset that weaves through historic mining sites.
For the short term, the road
mentioned above could be left in its current, rough state, and
open with cautions to drivers. The traffic could be monitored
and the road could be paved when volume warranted the expense.
Mining Artifacts
The portal and open-pit mines
are, themselves, monuments. The equipment used to extract ore
has historical import. The mine might be prevailed upon to leave
some of its more antique equipment with the site. Monuments through
the scenic loop could identify the historic time-line of the
mines and the equipment used to work those mines.
B. Visual Resource Management
Protection of existing perspectives
The BLM has spent a great deal
of time and resource to develop the canyon's Scenic Loop. The
high spots along the loop, on the west side of the canyon, offer
spectacular views of the east side. If the Hardie properties
and BLM lands not in the conservancy were ever subjected to commercial
development, the current viewpoints would reveal urban Las Vegas
sprawl rather than canyon land. The current perspectives are
beautiful and should be preserved and managed.
Expanded perspective of the
Red Rock Canyon Conservancy Area
The north-south road that runs
through the Hardie sites affords numerous views of the complete
canyon area, views that are not accessible to automobile traffic
at the west side of the canyon. Various turnouts with monuments
would enable the public to see the full scope of the NCA.
Novel perspectives of Las
Vegas Valley
There are no roads that go to
the very edge of the escarpment overlooking the Las Vegas Valley.
However, at several points mining roads do lead to within an
easy walk to a perspective that would enable the public to see
the whole Las Vegas Valley.
Astronomy
The Red Rock Canyon National
Conservation area provides opportunities for astronomy, away
from the light pollution of Las Vegas. The Blue Diamond Hill
is the essential barrier shielding the Red Rock Canyon from urban
light pollution. Commercial development in the area would bring
urban lighting to a rural and international resource.
C. Additional Recreational
Opportunities
Rock Climbing
The NCA is an international venue
for rock climbing. Escarpments within the Hardie Mine property
could offer some relief from the intense use of the west side
of the canyon.
Bicycling
Red Rock Canyon's mountain biking
trail system has reached its saturation point. The Hardie property
contains numerous paths, trails, and roads that could be organized
into a series of bike trails appealing to a broad range of public
excursions from easy to difficult. The BLM is currently unable
to control bicycle paths in the canyon area--there are simply
too many mountain bikers for the area open to biking. The Hardie
properties could absorb numerous new paths and open up the opportunity
for a world-class bicycle course.
Hiking
The NCA attracts a broad spectrum
of hikers. The Hardie and BLM properties surrounded by the conservation
area offer a varied terrain, with numerous paths, trails and
roads that could be organized into a series of hikes appealing
to a broad range of public excursions, from light to heavy exertion
walks.
Equestrian opportunities
The west side of the Red Rock
Canyon is too steep and too sensitive for the size of the Las
Vegas equestrian community--that community would welcome an expanded
conservation area open to horse trails. The primary commercial
equestrian concession in the NCA is already on the east side
of the canyon and that commercial traffic could be channeled
to the proposed expansion lands.
The vehicle, walking, bike, and
horse paths suggested in this document could at times intersect
at common overlooks and monuments, thus maximizing the educational
and recreational values of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation
Area.
D. Special Environmental
Values
Preservation of existing conservancy
environment
It is accepted scientific truth
that when an urban interface is directly adjacent to a wilderness
area, such as the NCA, that wilderness becomes degraded. Areas
such as Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, and Yellowstone
National Park, are all examples of mitigation becoming necessary
when urban development is allowed in such proximity. This is
a mistake that can be prevented in the NCA.
Air and water quality
Commercial development of the
properties discussed in this document would result in an adverse
impact on the air quality of the canyon and produce a noise pollution
not appropriate to a conservation area. The east side of the
Red Rock Canyon is a critical part of the canyon watershed. This
drainage area should be preserved if the canyon is to be preserved.
Vegetation
The Blue Diamond Cholla is listed
as a threatened and endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife
Service, and is covered by the Clark County Multi-Species Habitat
Conservation Plan, and is also listed as a sensitive species
by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM has taken the stance
that "to preserve biodiversity, an ecosystem must be considered
in its entirety as opposed to the individual components."
The holdings suggested as additions to the conservancy are important
to the biodiversity of the whole conservation area.
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