By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
It’s a cottontail! It’s a jackrabbit! No, it’s a pink Easter bunny?!
If you were out riding the desert trails last weekend, chances are you might have seen a bunny that stood out a bit from the normal wildlife. Moapa Valley Revitalization Project (MVRP) sponsored it’s first spring Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) event last weekend and it was a hit!
Last year, the Clark County Commission named Moapa Valley as the county’s first OHV-friendly community, making it legal to drive OHVs on most county roads. This designation has made Moapa Valley a more popular trail destination than ever before. Thus MVRP, along with Partners in Conservation (PIC) and Rotary Club have worked hard to educate drivers on the rules and the laws so everyone is safe, as well as getting the word out about the fantastic local businesses that are here to serve locals and tourists alike.
The first OHV roundup was held last fall. But as Moapa Valley is just as beautiful in the spring, another event was planned to invite regional riders to come out for some fun.
The event began Friday morning with members of MVRP and PIC setting up a booth in front of Lin’s Marketplace in Overton. They offered free trail maps of the area and brochures that covered pretty much any questions visitors and locals may have about Logandale trails, the OHV designation, local businesses, other great places to enjoy the outdoors, and more.
Response to the information was good. People were there to pick up maps before the booth even opened at 10:00 am. Traffic for the booth stayed steady throughout the day.
“We’ve had lots of interest in events today,” said PIC Administrator Elise McAllister. “There have been a lot of people stopping by to learn about the Easter bunny events that will be happening tomorrow, as well as picking up maps and other information.”
PIC, and especially McAllister, was instrumental in helping Moapa Valley acquire the OHV-friendly designation, which promises to increase tourist flow into the valley.
“It really helps our community and we are here to let those who don’t live here know about our wonderful public lands,” McAllister said. “We want them to know about the local businesses they can frequent while they’re here and about alternate trail areas that can help spread the traffic out on heavy-use weekends.”
The pink bunny hopped up first thing on Saturday morning to greet OHV riders and community members alike. The event was held at a private recreation facility off of Magnasite road. Kids ages 12 came to join the bunny in an egg hunt done desert-style A crowd of about 100 people including over 30 kids braved blustery weather to enjoy the festivities.
“We came today just so the kids could have some fun,” said Roxanne McFarlane. “I like how the valley does things like this that helps the kids get out and enjoy nature.”
Half the fun, however, occurred before the hunt even began. The bunny posed for photos with all the kids, joked and played games with them.
The wind, it turns out, is great when blowing bubbles and the kids had a lot of fun waving bubble wands around producing hundreds of bubbles before the hunt began.
MVRP volunteers hid over 700 eggs around plants and rocks in the desert landscape. The kids had them cleaned up in a matter of minutes. Then they went back to the picnic area for crafts, coloring, jelly bean-necklace-making, and an early lunch of hot dogs and chips, provided by MVRP and prepared by their volunteers.
Egg hunter Zach Moss, 9, came from Driggs, ID, to enjoy the day. His family was here for spring break. They saw the event advertised in the newspaper and decided to give it a try.
“The hunt was totally awesome,” Zach said. “I got a lot of eggs. We were running around trying to find them. They were hidden in the trees. Once we saw a cactus with a pink egg and went running over to it, but when we got there it was really just a flower. It was great.”
Local resident Jane Jones brought her grandkids Ryder, 7, and Mia, 4.
“It was windy today, but that’s what you get in the desert,” Jones said. “I loved the bunny. We all had a good time.”
The fun did not end with the picnic, though. People were challenged to find the Easter bunny out on the trails all day and take a photo with him to post to the MVRP Facebook page. The photo with the most ‘Likes’ after a week will win a prize, as will everyone who posts a photo of themselves out on the trails cleaning up trash.
Event organizer Stoney Ward, said, “I think it was fantastic! I had a great time with the kids and we got lots of good photos. I’m looking forward to doing it next year.”
MVRP president MaryKaye Washburn agreed. “It was so much fun and we had a wonderful turnout,” she said “The Easter Bunny was a big hit. It was great.”
