Moapa Valley Progress
A group of 11 local residents met for a presentation about Site Stewardship from the non-profit Nevadans for Cultural Presentation (NVFCP) on Saturday morning in the Old Logandale School. The NVFCP works closely with the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that administers the Site Stewardship program statewide.
The meeting took place as a result of the recent vandalism to the grave of Art Coleman at the historic Gold Butte Townsite. When that crime took place back in May, local citizens were deeply disturbed; so much so, that Board members of Partners In Conservation (PIC) spent time learning of the legal and proper process to quickly repair the defilement of the site. They then promptly and respectfully carried out those repairs to the gravesite.
The whole incident inspired some valley residents to get involved in protecting historic resources in the surrounding areas. Members of PIC also felt the need to focus more of their attention on this issue. So they contacted representatives of SHPO who subsequently contacted the NVFCP which helps with educational issues and presentations. Thus, Saturday’s local workshop was scheduled.
At the workshop, members of NVFCP showed some interesting mining artifacts loaned from the Nevada State Museum. Rayette Martin, NVFCP Executive Director, gave an overview of the site stewardship program, which is a formalized structure allowing regular citizens to visit sites they love and care about, in order to monitor any changes to that site. If changes are observed, they are reported back to SHPO personnel in Las Vegas.
As time goes by, an extensive data library is created for each important site. That data not only documents the changes over time at the site, but it can be used in cases where vandalism or theft have occurred.
Because all government involvement in the Gold Butte area is restricted for the time being due to the recent events surrounding the Bundy ranch, no formal stewardship reporting is currently taking place. But Rayette encouraged those in attendance to report any changes they observe at their favorite places directly back to her.
“Changes can be anything from erosion caused by weather, to someone taking the wood from a corral, to trash left at the site or vandalism,” Rayette said.
Members of PIC agreed to work with NVFCP to monitor changing conditions in these areas.
“Partners In Conservation is committed to documenting all the wonderful historical sites in our area from mines to corrals, to water features and fences to prehistoric treasures like petroglyphs and rock shelters,” said PIC Administrator Elise McAllister. “Exploring public land is a way of life that PIC wants to preserve. Part of that exploring is finding a historical site on your own and enjoying the window into our past that it provides. Leaving those sites intact so that others can discover them is critically important.”
Anyone who wants to participate in these efforts may contact Partners In Conservation at picorg@mvdsl.com or call McAllister at 702-219-2033.
More information about SHPO is available online at http://nvshpo.org/stewards.html . Information about other exciting projects that NVFCP works on by visiting their website http://nvfcp.org/ .
