Basin and Range home to treasures

By Christian Francisco Gerlach, Las Vegas

Saturday, June 13, 2015 | 2 a.m.

There are various reasons to protect Basin and Range, the name by which Coal and Garden valleys have become known. The article “A monumental push: Reid plans to designate two more areas for protection” (lasvegassun.con, April 19) failed to capture some of the other vital motivations the public and Sen. Harry Reid have for protecting Basin and Range.

The conservation area protects archaeological treasures on par with the treasures of the paintings in the Lascaux Cave. There are Clovis points (arrowheads as much as 13,000 years old) that have been found in these valleys that change our understanding of the migration of peoples through North America. This is only a small added bonus to the thousands of petroglyphs that are yet to be discovered and the ancient Native American trails found in this pristine example of the American West’s public lands.

If these aren’t reasons enough to protect the area, how is this for an inspiration for conservation? The area has aquifers that are part of the White River Watershed, a water system that ultimately drains into our water source, Lake Mead. With how tightly the drought has gripped the Southwestern United States, it is of vital importance that we protect our resources, especially the land that is sensitive to our water supply.

Reid cares about our natural treasures and protections for resources like these valleys; they will comprise what is his final legacy.

The writer is an organizing representative for the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign.