Las Vegas community members push to turn public land into national monument in east valley
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument.
The stretch of recreational land including Frenchman Mountain right off Lake Mead Boulevard is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Trash and glass are littered across the area after parties and people visiting the land.
“We absolutely need to get this land protected,” Taylor Patterson, the Executive Director of the Indigenous Voices of Nevada explained.
Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS) Conservation groups and some community members are looking to turn public land on the outskirts of east Las Vegas into a national monument. (KLAS)
She said Frenchman Mountain is one of the few places people in east Las Vegas can enjoy public land without a fee.
“This whole area has really been [an] important piece of Southern Paiute history and I really hope that we can preserve that so future generations can have that same experience,” she added.
Nearly 35,000 acres of the land is what she and Bertha Gutierrez, Program Director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, would like to see turned into a national monument. Gutierrez was part of the same group that advocated for the creation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument.
Now they want to protect this land that has some pretty important features like ‘The Great Unconformity.’ The area is one of the few places you can see these geologic layers besides the Grand Canyon it’s also home to the Las Vegas Bearpoppy, a yellow perennial flower that was listed as critically endangered.
Any effort to turn this land into a national monument is still years away. Right now, Patterson said they are seeking input from the public.
“We are really looking for the community to tell us what they think about this piece of land and what they would like to see in the area.”
They’ve created a website for input including a petition.
In 2021, Clark County and Nevada Lawmakers passed resolutions calling for more protection of the site.
Avi Kwa Ame to be designated as Nevada’s next national monument, Biden says
With the creation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument last year Governor Lombardo said it was a federal confiscation that conflicts with economic development efforts.
8 News Now reached out to him about the proposed monument and is awaiting a response.
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