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May. 07, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

BLM will manage off-road rec area

County, enthusiasts come to agreement

By SCOTT WYLAND
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Click image for enlargement.

A rugged patch of desert teeming with the caterwaul of three-wheelers on weekends threatened to become a political battlefield.

But Clark County officials have come to a truce with off-road enthusiasts about how to manage Nellis Dunes, a 10,000-acre expanse of dirt and rocks near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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    • The county is backing off its original plan to take charge of the entire dunes and, instead, will develop motorcycle tracks and user-friendly courses on 1,000 acres along Las Vegas Boulevard south of Apex.

    The Bureau of Land Management, which owns the dunes, will continue to oversee the open area where off-roaders ride unrestricted. That was good news for a large contingent of local riders.

    "It is our last open, unrestricted land," said Maryetta Bowman, a member of the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts, or SNORE.

    The county has a troubled history in managing areas for off-road riding, Bowman said. For that reason, she and other people in the sport are relieved that BLM will manage the dunes' open area.

    She praised Clark County for changing its position.

    The next task is to submit a bill to Congress requesting the land be transferred to the county and that the entire dunes become a designated recreational site, said Michael Popp, senior county planner.

    Right now, the dunes are unprotected, leaving the land open to be sold and developed.

    The new arrangement doesn't affect the county's plans for creating a venue for sanctioned races and courses for varying skill levels, he said. It simply leaves the bulk of the dunes with the agency that off-roaders prefer.

    A BLM representative said riders can expect the open area to stay the same.

    "We're not proposing any change in management from the existing land-use plan," said Robert Wandel, BLM's recreation program manager.

    However, Commissioner Tom Collins said he would like to ensure that the dunes are safe for riding, and that ambulances have adequate roads to carry out the injured.

    When the county gets control of the land, it can request money from BLM land sales to improve the park, Collins said. Safety and solid infrastructure, he said, become crucial as the population grows.

    "There are a lot more people out there stirring it up," Collins said.

    SNORE is working to get the county's air-quality department to sign off on events at the dunes, said Don Wall, the group's president.

    They've submitted a dust-suppression plan describing how they'll use water trucks to wet down the dirt and how they aim to install a semi-natural hard surface, Wall said. They also have research showing that area winds tend to blow north into the mountains, away from neighborhoods.

    Still, Wall said he is pleased with the county's new arrangement with BLM.

    "I'm just impatient," he said.

    Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.



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    Todd wrote on May 12, 2008 10:35 PM: I am not sure how Mr Popp can say that the land is unprotected? As the BLM owns the land for the government, they have rules that govern if a parcel is available for sale or trade. Most of the time, I would say this is only done when it is a benefit to the people, and the BLM. Trading or selling the dunes has no benefit to the people, other then the county that wants to try and gain extra cash off the backs of the users of the dunes when they want to charge entrance fee's.
    BLM has rules written by congress about if or how to charge fee's for an area. If they do charge fees, the money generated here has to remain in the area where they are collected. Can the county say they would do that? I doubt it!
    The BLM has years of experience managing recreation areas for a multitude of users, and they have done a pretty good job of it over the years. They may not get it right all the time, but they normally do a pretty good job.

    Todd
    UFWDA
    DOEA


    Justin wrote on May 08, 2008 04:14 PM: On March 22, 2008 Multiple off-road clubs and organizations from the Las Vegas Valley assisted BLM in a clean up of the Nelis Dunes area. We recovered three industrial dumpsters worth of trash, over 300 tires and at least two abandoned vehicles. Not all of this trash was left behind by offroaders, most is illegaly dumped by people who have no intention of recreation.
    As stated in the article areas available to responsible off-roaders within the valley have all been closed and many areas outside the valley are being closed or limited.
    You will find most of the clubs hold our members to high standards as far as tread lightly, pack it in pack extra out and using only open designated trails. A few of us are even trained volunteers as state Site Stewards to help monitor sensitive remote locations.
    Not all off-roaders are evil evironment destroying goobers. Just like not all greenies are out for good of the environment. None of us know whats absolutly best, but this area is best left to the agency with the most experience in this field, the BLM. The county is still trying to dig itself out of it's other land use follies.


    douglas wrote on May 07, 2008 03:33 PM: the issue should reduce to visiting public lands while leaving no trace of the visit.

    if "off-roaders" are allowed to sow up landscape, then any regulations regarding abandoned trash, contamination, and campfires on all public lands must immediately be rescinded. that would be good news for the owners of that exxon valdez.

    or are these "off road enthusiasts" somehow better than the rest of the population ?


    David wrote on May 07, 2008 01:39 PM: Roger, have you ever been offroading before? Do you realize that you don't know what your saying. Sure people get hurt riding offroad vehicles, most of the time because they are careless, but it is a great activity and out in that area, where there is no development, who even cares if people ride out there. The places where people care if someone is offroading is around their houses. Also, you might be angry because you don't have an offroad toy to play with.


    Roger wrote on May 07, 2008 08:12 AM: BLM should close it down and let it recover. Off Roading is a pretty useless activity that hurts a lot of people and ruins the desert...