Preservation is worth the effort

By Valerie McNay, Boulder City

Monday, May 4, 2015 | 2 a.m.

With the recent observance of Earth Day (April 22) it seems fitting to recognize many of the incredible places we have in Nevada that help to make our state home.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Mount Charleston Wilderness Area, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Great Basin National Park and so many other places are protected for us and for future generations.

One common thread to all these places, as Amber Phillips pointed out in a recent article, is Sen. Harry Reid (“A Monumental Push: Reid plans to designate two more areas for protection,” Las Vegas Sun April 19). He had a hand in protecting all of these areas and continues to build on this legacy by working most recently to protect Gold Butte and Basin and Range. I have followed his effort to protect Gold Butte starting with the passage of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002. Since then, local advocates have been working hard to protect the cultural, natural and historic treasures in Gold Butte and have built a long and diverse list of supporters calling for protection of this area.

Another place activists have been rallying behind is Basin and Range, working to protect the landscape and the art found within its boundaries. Knowing what all the existing protected public lands do for our quality of life and our economy, imagine what protecting two more incredible landscapes will do to for us, our state and our future.