Page 50 - 2004 DT 9 Issues

What’s Inside!

Featured Articles
Conserving Red Rock Canyon........1
In the Beginning............................9
Special
“Thanks” from Mark Morse...........2
The Way It Was..............................4
Making a Difference......................6
August 2004 Departments
News &Notes................................2
Special Edition Programs & Hikes.........................8
Desk Schedule.............................10
Bulletin Board.............................12

Conserving Red Rock Canyon by Barbara Wolin

sk a native Las Vegan about Red Rock Canyon in “the early days” and you’ll open the door to a
secret garden. “Secret,” in part because the only motorized access was up the narrow dirt road
A now known as West Charleston Blvd. The old dirt track ran roughly parallel to the route first
traveled by scouts seeking a shortcut for wagon trains traveling the Spanish Trail to California. The ride
was long and dusty, but the lure of spectacular sandstone cliffs was irresistible to those with a taste for
adventure and the unknown. Tales of hidden gold and mysterious sightings, relicts of a distant past . . .
and more . . . fired the imagination.

To hear it told, the truancy rate in Valley high schools and went with the snowmelt. Summer rainstorms filled the
must have been unusually high. There was so much to be ancient rock basins and attracted the many animals that
discovered in the foothills, crags, and canyons—Indian ar- make their living in this diverse habitat.
During the early 1960’s though, the secret garden was
hardly a secret any longer. Outdoor enthusiasts invaded
the place—climbing, prospecting, collecting, hunting,
and—increasingly—trashing and vandalizing. It was clear
to many Las Vegans that without official protection, this
wonderful place would continue to be abused.
Protection of a sort came in 1964, when 10,000 acres
were placed on protective withdrawal status. A year later
the State of Nevada listed Red Rock Canyon as a high
priority for protection and recreational development.
Spurred by Clark County citizens and environmental
groups, the Canyon was designated a candidate for Na-
Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev. dedicates the NCA. tional Recreation Area status. Finally, in October 1967,
tifacts and carvings, old bootlegger stills, vintage-era sto- 62,000 acres were dedicated by U.S. Senator Alan Bible
len cars chopped and stripped by local gangs, prospec- as Red Rock Canyon Recreation Lands (RRCRL) under
tors’ gear, abandoned mining sites, half-quarried blocks of
sandstone, and even (it was whispered) human remains. It
Red Rock, continued on p. 10
was dangerous territory, but a lot more fun than school!
Not all activities were unsupervised. Scout leaders
came camping with their troops. Badges could be earned
here. Wildlife abounded. So did rare plants and ancient FORRC Celebrates 20 Years!
native campsites and roasting pits. Wild horses and bur-
ros—living symbols of the American West—roamed freely
between Mt. Charleston and Goodsprings. Waterfalls came