By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
A small group of conservation advocates are currently on the lookout for anyone in the Moapa Valley who may have old photos of a specific local spot that has caught their attention. This group of Las Vegas residents hope that such photos might better document decades of damage that have gradually been done in the Arrow Canyon Wilderness area.
The group has been urging the Bureau of Land Management to address issues caused by a historic flood control dam that has long been backing up mud and debris, gradually burying ancient petroglyphs and other cultural resources in the canyon just northwest of the Warm Springs area.
“It has been going on for decades and some of us have watched it and just never really thought that we could do anything about it,” said Terri Robertson in an interview with the Progress. “But we have realized that something has to be done now. Otherwise we will lose a lot of what is left there.”
Robertson is well-known in the region for her efforts in lobbying for protection of places like Red Rock, Sloan Canyon and Gold Butte. Now she has joined up with fellow rock-art enthusiasts Elaine Holmes, Anne McConnell, Cherry Baker and Doyle Waymon in this appeal to the BLM for action.
The Arrow Canyon Dam was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression. It’s purpose was to control flood water coming down the Pahranagat Wash and protect the 740 square miles of public, private and tribal lands lying downstream in the Moapa Valley. The BLM owns and manages the historic stone masonry structure which still serves its original purpose. BLM officials have said that their primary responsibility in regards to the dam is to maintain it and ensure that it is still functioning in that purpose.
Robertson and her group agree. They have no desire to see the dam removed.
“Those CCC boys knew what they were doing back in the 1930s,” Robertson said. “The dam is a beautiful, historic structure that has served an important function all these years. And it is still in great condition.”
On the other hand, Robertson is also worried about all that might be lost if nothing is done about the continuously rising silt behind the dam. The Arrow Canyon is known for its rich displays of unique ancient rock wall art, etched into the limestone walls of the narrow canyon.
Robertson is especially fond of one feature, a large angled slab known as “Altar Rock.” The slab is covered with etchings of cryptic symbols and is decorated with beautiful scalloped edges. Robertson tells of an old photograph that shows a man on horseback with the “Altar Rock” towering over him alongside. Today the silt build-up has covered most of the rock, leaving only a short pyramid-shaped outcrop jutting out of the layers of sand and hard clay.
Experts that the groups have brought to the site have estimated that there might be 20-25 feet of silt buildup in the area, Robertson said. But they are uncertain because no real study has been done of the area, she said.
Robertson and her groups wonders what other ancient etchings might be buried beneath the decades of mud. One thing is certain, she is curious to know.
“We are not laying blame on anyone,” Robertson said. “It doesn’t matter how it has happened. And right now we don’t have a solution on what should be done about it. We are just asking that the destrution be stopped; and then we ask that a removal of the silt be started.”
Robertson recognizes that removing the silt is a long term project. “It might take a decade or more,” she said. “But it is important to at least get started now before things keep getting worse.”
BLM officials have listened to Robertson and her group and have begun the process of applying for funding through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) to study the problem further and determine what can be done about it. The agency is in the final stages of completing a full report on the issue.
That is why Robertson’s group is looking for any old photos of the area that might be extant. They have found a number of photos going back to the 1970s, but would like to have even older images; perhaps from the 1940s or early ‘50s; that show conditions in the area shortly after the dam was built, she said.
“I know that there are a lot of people in the community there with families that go way back,” Robertson said. “We are hoping that maybe there might be family members that were involved in the CCC project or were there at the time and have some old photos of the area. If so, it would be a great thing for the BLM to put in with the project request.”
Those with photos or other materials can contact Terri Robertson by phone at 702-506-6107 or by email at trober9567@gmail.com.
