Page 7 - spring 2015 magazine FINAL

Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Gateway By Nancy HartGold
Friends of Red Rock Canyon Archival Photo President—Friends of Sloan

This article is the seventh in a series highlighting the accomplishments of other Friends and Partner groups
associated with the National Conservation Lands. There are over 60 nonprofit organizations, very similar to
Friends of Red Rock Canyon, who preserve and protect their own special places. They educate and advocate
to ensure that the lands will remain as pristine as possible for our future generations to love and enjoy.

The stories for most of our current and proposed Na- petroglyphs lie within a stunning, water-bearing wash
tional Monuments and National Conservation Areas whose sidewalls are stacked with volcanic rocks in all
began with citizens who had love in their hearts for shapes and sizes.

each area. So it was with the Sloan Canyon National The petroglyphs
Conservation Area (NCA) and North McCullough begin about two
Wilderness. Before there was a Sloan Canyon NCA, miles from the
there was the creation of Friends of Sloan Canyon. northern end of this

Years were spent networking in southern Nevada wash and continue
educating citizens, local officials and federal legisla- on both sides of the
tors about the wonders that could be found in the wash for more than Photo by Chuck Williams
Northern McCullough Range. That work paid off. a mile. Above the
Thanks in a large part to Senator Harry Reid listening mile-long gallery of
to our pleas, federal legislation created the Sloan Can- petroglyphs, you Anthropomorphic petroglyphs

yon National Conservation Area with Wilderness areas will find ancient
in 2002. The cultural cen- pathways revealing historic hunting blinds and rock
shelters.
Friends of Red Rock Archives terpiece of the tors with no paid
Friends of Sloan is led by a volunteer board of direc-

conservation area
staff. Our members
is the Sloan Can-
have presented edu-
yon Petroglyph

at area schools and
1,700 petroglyphs
Big horn petroglyphs in Sloan Canyon Site. More than cational programs Photo by Nancy HartGold
are visual proof hosted camp-outs
that the area was used by native cultures from archaic for the After-
to historic eras. This very sacred place is still utilized School All-Stars Sloan Canyon—Barrel Cactus with
Las Vegas in the background
by Southern Paiutes today. The main set of program. We
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