MV Trail Study Kicks Off With Public Input

Local outdoor enthusiasts and trails advocates gathered on Thursday, January 22, for the first public meeting of the Moapa Valley Trails Study. About 30 people attended the meeting held in the Overton Community Center. In attendance was a good sampling of a wide variety of user groups including equestrian, OHV, bicycling and pedestrian uses.

The Moapa Valley Trails Study was commissioned by Clark County and is being done by Alta Planning and Design, a company out of Portland, Oregon.

Rose stated that phase I of the trails system was already planned and funded. This includes a trail system linking Grant Bowler Elementary with the Moapa Valley High School.

The current study would take a more comprehensive, valley-wide approach, Rose said. It would include a full evaluation of cultural and environmental resources in the area. “We will catalog all of the known (sensitive) sites and make sure that the trails system won’t impact those sites,” Rose said.

The process will also include a series of public meetings to gain input from the community. Rose said that this would help his group to focus on priorities and concerns the community felt were important in the development of its trails system.

The plan is expected to be completed by November, Rose said.

Attendees at the meeting were divided into five groups to provide input on detailed aerial maps. Each group marked up its map with colored markers to show various ideas for the plans.

One group suggested that the plan include and institute walking and biking trail loops down in the towns of Overton and Logandale. Another group recommended that additional river crossings be built for equestrian users to have more options moving back and forth east and west. Another suggestion emphasized the need for a walking trail to accomodate the high pedestrian traffic between the Best Western and downtown Overton. Other attendees requested signage on the trails to show GPS location and mile markers. All groups identified many additional trail routes and destinations that had not already been marked on the maps.

Concerns were expressed about accomodating ATV traffic safely alongside other trail uses. Specific concerns were voiced about the Overton Wash area where target shooters are often in close proximity to ATV users.

After nearly two hours of hearing public input, Rose concluded the meeting by emphasizing the desire to keep an open process throughout the planning. “We appreciate the turnout here this evening and the time you all have spent here,” he said. “We hope to have even more people involved in this. If you have friends interested in this project, we hope that you will encourage them to come and be involved in it.”

Additional public meetings are currently planned to be held in April and again in October.

The group is also conducting a User Needs Survey to give the opportunity for the community to provide further input. The survey and other information about the planning process is available online at www.moapavalleytrailstudy.org. Paper versions of the survey can also be made available by calling Michael Rose at 503-230-9862.