This map shows the changes proposed by the new Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act which is currently working its way through the US Congress. For a detailed map showing changes to all of Clark County see the link below.
By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
A group of Moapa Valley residents are staging a last ditch effort to quash a new restrictive federal designation proposed on public lands just east of the Logandale and Overton communities.
A delegation of local stakeholders, including realtors, business-owners and OHV users, will be presenting their concerns to the Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board during public comment at a meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 27 beginning at 7 pm in the Overton Community Center.
Their concerns revolve around language in a public lands bill currently winding its way through the U.S. Congress. The Southern Nevada Ecconomic Development and Conservation Act would set aside a total of 2 million acres of newly-designated conservation land throughout Clark County in order to make available about 30,000 acres of new disposal land for development in and around the Las Vegas valley.
Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., submitted the Senate bill in March of 2021. The House version of the bill was filed at the same time by Rep. Dina Titus. Since then, the bills have been making their way through the committee process.
The Mesa Milkvetch SMA
At the heart of the local concerns is a swath of 8,430 acres which lies at the very doorstep of the lower Moapa Valley community. On the bench of the valley; just east of Logandale and Overton and spanning to the edge of the Mormon Mesa, the proposed area runs the full length of the valley from just north of Bowman Reservoir all the way to the Overton Wildlife Management Area.
For nearly three decades, this entire area has been designated by the BLM as disposal land open for development.
But this bill proposes to designate this swath of the valley as the Mesa Milkvetch Special Management Area (SMA), with a focus on preserving a small plant by that name which grows mainly in the washes of the northern sector of the area.
According to the bill, establishment of the SMA will give the Secretary of the Interior, by way of the BLM, the authority to manage the land “in a manner that conserves, protects and enhances the purposes for which the SMA is established.”
“The Secretary shall allow only uses of the SMA that are consistent with the purposes for which (it) is established,” the bill adds.
Effects on local economy
Local stakeholders say that these kinds of restrictions are way too close to home on this nearby land.
Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bernie Conrique said that placing these restrictions on this land will impact local business and hurt future economic development for the community.
“It is interesting that for the past 25 years this land has just been in disposal status – nothing more than vacant desert land available for any use that came along,” Conrique said in an interview last week.
“Now suddenly it has to be urgently saved for some reason!”
But Conrique said that the Moapa Valley economy has just as much of an urgent a need to be saved.
“Our small business owners are hurting,” Conrique said. “They have been for a long time. We have been hit by one impact after another over the past two decades. This restriction will further hurt our businesses in its effect on OHV events and tourism. Plus, over the longer term it will completely stifle any opportunity for growth in our community.”
Local realtor Kasen Kolhoss agreed. He pointed out that the real estate market in Moapa Valley is currently overheated with an overwhelmingly high demand and a record low housing inventory available for sale in the community.
“So why would we be pulling good developable land off the table at this point?” Kolhoss asked.
“Granted, no one is saying that we want to build a Summerlin out there,” Kasen added. “And we certainly don’t want it to go to big solar development. But that land is really the only place in the lower valley community that is available for future growth. And forever is a very long time. There ought to be some way to set it aside for future community use without having to lock it up for some whimsical and needless conservation agenda.”
Effects on recreational use
The local group is also concerned that the designation would restrict access to OHV use in the area. The bill does not state specifically that roads and trails would be closed in the area or that motorized vehicles would be restricted. But it also doesn’t promise to keep them open.
“The use of motorized vehicles in the SMAs shall be permitted only on roads and motorized routes designated for the use of motorized vehicles,” the bill states.
In addition, the bill restricts any new roads or routes being constructed in the SMA.
These provisions are vague and uncertain enough to make local OHV-ers very nervous. While there are many existing roads and trails zig-zaggin through the proposed area, very few of them have been formally set aside as motorized vehicle routes. To do so would take a full transportation study by the BLM which would will likely make things more restrictive, they say.
Overton resident Lori Houston stated that she and her family has been riding on and across that land for more than 25 years that they have lived in the community. She also recognized that there are many families in town who have been using it for recreation much longer than that.
“It is kind of a community heritage,” Houston said. “That is where we go to be with family and friends and get away from the crowds. This bill makes it very unclear what will happen. And that never goes well for us when dealing with federal land agencies.”
Houston expressed frustration that the OHV community was not consulted about this provision of the bill.
“Now we are facing the idea that this land, which is basically right across the street from our homes, could be completely restricted from our traditional recreational uses,” she said. “Any say on it is being completely taken out of our hands. And it is being done with absolutely no real local representation in the process.”
Regional OHV groups are also unhappy with the Milkvetch SMA provision of the bill. The Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada (MRAN) has held regular long-distance racing events out in the proposed area. The last such race, staged from the Clark County Fairgrounds in 2016, brought more than 1,000 people to the community.
MRAN Land Use Representative Steve Paxton said that the club used to hold races in that area once every 3-5 years. But they have already seen added restrictions to that area in recent years. This has caused them not to have an event here since that time.
“It is difficult now, but this bill would completely shut down any of our events there in the future,” Paxton said. “It would just be too restrictive. We wouldn’t be able to get permits for it at all.”
This would be true, despite the fact that the MRAN races have a relatively low footprint on the land, Paxton adds. “Our racers stick exclusively to the trails that are out there,” he said. “And they just ride straight through. We don’t have a lot of people staying out there and making a mess on the land.”
In addition, MRAN is mindful of the economic benefits it brings to the communities it visits, Paxton said.
“We bring a lot of people to town,” he said. “They are getting food, filling up with fuel and some even are getting lodging there. But the environmental groups behind this bill don’t see it that way. They want the whole area restricted to events like ours. And that takes all of those economic benefits away.”
Getting involved
The local group plans to write a letter to the members of the Nevada Congressional delegation asking that the Mesa Milkvetch Special Management Area be removed from the bill. They are encouraging local residents to write letters individually as well. Contact information for writing to Congressional representatives may be found below.
The group will also be making an appearance at the MVTAB meeting on Wednesday night to request that the board also write a letter opposing the designation of the SMA. They invite the members of the community to be in attendance at the meeting to show support.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto: https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/contact/connect
Sen. Jacky Rosen: https://www.rosen.senate.gov/contact_jacky
Rep. Steven Horsford: https://horsford.house.gov/send
For a full map showing details of the public lands bill in Clark County click here.
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