Senator Harry Reid talks of the love and commitment he has for preserving our state’s natural resources during a Nevada celebration at Springs Preserve to commemorate the recent designation of Basin and Range National Monument on Saturday, October 17, 2015. L.E. Baskow.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015 | 9:27 p.m.
About 100 people gathered Saturday in cozy quarters at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve to celebrate a vast expanse of newly protected Nevada land.
They listened as U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze and Conservation Lands Foundation Executive Director Brian O’Donnell lauded the newly designated Basin and Range National Monument, and described the challenging path leading to the area becoming federally protected.
President Barack Obama announced the designation in July, shielding about 700,000 acres of public land from encroachment. The Basin and Range is about two hours north of Las Vegas and is home to petroglyphs, desert wildlife and a large art project; O’Donnell said the vast expanse of land “challenges us to think about art and land conservation in a new way.”
Kornze discussed BLM’s evolving role in managing protected lands.
“Conservation is something that has come to us just in the past few decades,” he said, adding that the agency now manages 23 national monuments.
Titus said that in her travels, people have traditionally associated Nevada with the Las Vegas Strip — but that’s changing.
“People are learning more and more about our natural beauty in Nevada,” she said, adding, “We have flora and fauna and other treasures that you won’t find anywhere else on the planet.”
Reid, who spearheaded the effort to protect the land, spoke last at Saturday’s ceremony. He said he learned about the land about five years ago and visited with Michael Heizer, who is responsible for “City,” a large earth art work there. Reid said Heizer, who has been working on “City” for more than 40 years, had approached him expressing concerns about the Basin and Range’s future.
The retiring Reid echoed other speakers in thanking Obama for his support, but he saved his choicest praise for the newly protected land. As for his initial impression of it during his visit with Heizer?
“It was stunning,” he said.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy