MV Open Space Committee Tour Disposal Lands

The members of the Moapa Valley Open Space committee met on Wednesday, September 16 to tour key sites in BLM disposal area on the east bench of the Valley and to get a sneak peak at a draft plan for the disposal area. The group was guided by representatives of EDAW, a company hired by Clark County to complete the study.

In addition to local committee members, representatives from Clark County,

The tour took the group out into the disposal area. The first stop was at a hilltop near the Logandale Water Tank just east of the Fairgrounds. There they got an overall view of the 11,460 acres of BLM dispoal area which spread out to the north and south. Later the group travelled to a spot just north of the Bowman Reservoir to a site which is being proposed in the draft plan as a managed open play area for OHV use.

The formal planning process began last year. EDAW representatives met with members of the local committee and held a number of public meetings to get input. They spent a great deal of time studying the area on the ground as well.

The resulting draft plan presented to the committee last week contained three main sections. The first was a detailed inventory of the 11,000 acres being studied. Next was an assessment of the various elements and resources of the land. These included full assessments of slopes and drainage, habitat, cultural resources, scenic value and suitability for development. Also included was accounting for existing trails, planned land uses and utility right of way corridors. Finally these elements were overlaid to form the basis for a cohesive plan.

In the draft plan the disposal land was proposed to be divided into three types of use. The first was areas most suitable for development. These comprised most of the land between the southern edge of the Bowman reservoir and the north border of the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

The second proposed land use type is called “Passive Open Space areas” in the plans. These would be areas that; because of cultural resources, sensitive habitat, scenic value or just rugged terrain; were considered less suitable for development or even closely managed recreation. Included in this second group were the rocky mountain region at the head of the Valley on either side of Hwy. 169. The plan recommends a request to BLM to simply remove these areas from the list of disposal areas.

The third land use type was termed “Active Open Space”. This was area set aside for specific recreational uses. The area of Bowman Reservoir was included in this group with proposals made for non-motorized trails and limited recreational uses at the reservoir. Also the hilly terrain area just east of the high school was proposed as a recreational open space because of its scenic value and its traditional use by runners, equestrians and hikers.

Finally, the plan proposes the dedication of a large OHV play area in the clay hills just north of Bowman Reservoir. This was done in the hopes that it would provide a place for higher impact OHV use such as jumps, stunts and higher speed use; and discourage that type of use elsewhere.

Other strips of “Active Open Space” are also proposed within the developable area. Non-motorized trails divide up these vast developable lands into loops. These trails would connect to a trail that would run the full north-south length of the disposal area along the foothills of the mesa.

OHV trails are less frequent within the disposal area. Rather the plan is focused on providing access for OHV users from the interior, through the disposal area, to the open public lands beyond. The plan proposed that routes like existing Mormon Mesa Rd and the power line corridor from Logandale, be retained as OHV trails. These type of trails would connect to a main north-south routre along the edge of the mesa.

EDAW representatives emphasized that the plan was being made to accomodate full development of the disposal area. “Some residents might look at this and feel that they have lost a lot of existing OHV trails,” said Jeremy Call of EDAW. “But development will bring that loss anyway. This plan is trying to bring a better system and keep access to public lands further out.”

To conclude, Call also recognized that there would be challenges in the full implementation of the plan. Firstly, in releasing the land, the BLM is aiming to pass the role of management over to developers or other local government agencies. This raises the question of who would finally manage the areas of “Active Open Space” that the plan proposes.

Call also acknowledged that developers that eventually bid on and purchase the lands would become private owners of now public lands and, thus, not necessarily bound to adhere strictly to the plan. “This document is just a plan,” Call said. “It won’t drive the development process. But it should inform that process.”

A public meeting to obtain broader input from the whole community on the draft plan is currently being scheduled for later next month. Keep an eye on the Progress for more information or visitwww.moapavalleyopenspace.org.