By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
Where are your favorite places to go in the Gold Butte region? That was one of the many questions that BLM officials were asking at a series of workshop meetings held last week to get public input for a Gold Butte Recreational Analysis, a study of non-motorized recreation which is expected to be completed later this year.
The three open house meetings were held in Mesquite on Tuesday, March 20; Overton on Wednesday, March 21 and in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 22.
BLM staff set up an informal meeting format where local stakeholders could wander from one table to another, reviewing several large maps of the area and scribbling in their favorite camping, hiking and picnicking spots. Participants could also make suggestions on where they thought improvements were needed such as interpretive and informational signs, formal campgrounds, hiking and biking trails, picnic spots, restroom facilities and parking areas.
The format of the meeting was calculated to encourage input while minimizing conflict, officials said.
“We had people tell us that they didn’t want to have a formal presentation and they didn’t want to meet around a table for general discussion,” said BLM Natural Resource Specialist Carrie Ronning who is coordinating the analysis. “Gold Butte is a controversial topic in these areas and people have very strong feelings about it. So we decided to just keep things free and open.”
At the Mesquite meeting the input was sometimes conflicted. For example, some commenters requested more signage in certain areas to inform the visiting public of the natural, historical or cultural value of what was there. Others, sometimes writing comments in the exact same spot on the map, stated that the area should just be left alone for visitors to discover and experience it for themselves.
The maps were dotted with multicolored circles showing the spots where the local participants most liked to go.
Suggestions were made to place signage at the Riverside turnoff towards the Gold Butte area to better explain the wide expanse of the area and the distances between features. The Gold Butte complex consists of more than 360,000 acres east of the Virgin River and Overton Arm of Lake Mead starting just south of Bunkerville.
Another comment suggested a kiosk pointing out the route of the historic Arrowhead Trail at the far northern end of the complex. Such a spot could offer a destination and a turnaround point for the more casual Gold Butte visitors, the commenter wrote.
Most commenters agreed that infrastructure was needed at the most visited spots on the northern end of the complex. Suggestions were made to provide restrooms and more formal camping spots at the heavily visited Whitney Pockets as well as at the Gold Butte townsite. Additional parking and turnaround space was also suggested at other commonly visited destinations like old corrals, springs and in the vicinity of petroglyph sites.
In the Overton meeting, Lindsey Dalley of Logandale suggested that a formal ATV-focused camping area be established at the far northern end of the complex just outside of the Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and near a well-known Virgin River crossing. Dalley said that this area, self-contained in its landscape features, could provide a spot for non-destinational ATV-ers to be able to play and do their stunts in the desert. It would also be a stagins spot that would tie into longer trails into the Virgin Peak range and also other points south; as well as access areas across the Virgin River, onto the Mormon Mesa and beyond. Furthermore this base camp would be closer to the amenities of Mesquite, Dalley said.
The hope would be to provide an early outlet for much of the traffic to Whitney Pockets in an area outside of the ACEC where it is less sensitive, Dalley said.
Logandale residents Stan Hardy and Dustin Nelson echoed the fact that various improvements were needed to help protect heavy vistitation areas. But the two emphasized that, rather than awaiting federal funding to be granted, these improvements could be done more quickly using local resources and volunteer manpower if only there were less red tape.
For example, Nelson stated that he had already contacted people willing to donate equipment, materials and volunteer man hours to build restroom facilities at Whitney Pocket and Gold Butte townsite. That project would be able to get started right away if the federal regulations could be opened up to allow for it, Nelson said.
“You don’t have to spend $100,000 to build a simple restroom facility,” Nelson said. “You have a committed and engaged community here. We have people willing to get it done. We just need the way cleared of all the red tape and we can fix that problem.”
Carrie Ronning expressed enthusiasm at the community input that had been received in the meetings.
“We have had everyone tell us that they want community based planning for Gold Butte,” Ronning said. “That is what we are doing here tonight. People love the area whether they have recently moved into the area or whether they have a long family history out there. It is exciting how people have jumped in and been involved. Everyone’s input is important. The more participation we get, the better plan we will have.”
The public comment period for the Gold Butte Recreational Analysis will be open until May 25. Comments can be submitted by email to BLM_NV_SNDO_GoldButte@blm.gov; or by regular mail to Gold Butte; C/O Carrie Ronning; BLM Las Vegas FO; 4701 N. Torrey Pines Dr.; Las Vegas NV 89130.
Additional information about the study is available at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.html.
A draft Environmental Assessment document for the project is expected to be completed in the fall, Ronning said.
