Editorial: Preserving beauty of Lake Mead area

National park officials are taking the right step in revising the master plan for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Planners believe it's time that the park, which gets visited by 10 million people every year, gets an updated plan.

Alan O'Neill, the park's superintendent, told the Sun's Cathy Scott last week that five options will be revealed next month at public meetings so that those who use the area can have input on the best uses. "We have to find a balance. If we don't do something and get ahead of the curve, it's going to be harder to manage later," O'Neill said. He added that first and foremost the mission of the National Park Service is to protect the park's resources, balancing it with recreational uses. "To allow it to degrade to a Coney Island is not what we want to see happen," O'Neill said.

Some might not realize it, but Lake Mead is more than just a place for boaters and other watercraft users. It is home to bighorn sheep, mule deer, coyotes, kit foxes, bobcats, ringtail cats, desert tortoises, lizards, snakes and a variety of bird species. While the needs of recreational users needs to be taken into consideration, it is imperative that the natural habitat be preserved.

And once the master plan is finalized it should not be amended or modified in coming years. If anything, the National Park Service should not look to our local governments as a model in establishing a master plan. What isn't needed is a master plan that is expected to be changed either five or 10 years from now. The bottom line is that as final touches are being put on the master plan, it should be done with the expectation that it should last for several decades before ever being revised again.

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