Red Rock threatened by development

I was in red rocks this fall and you could see where the bull dozers were already at work. THIS IS BAD.

Yesterday, I e-mailed all sizeable climbing groups I could think of, such as the WA Mountaineers, Mazamas, the Alpine Club of Canada, Harvard Mountaineering club, CO Mntn club, AMGA, Bay Area Climbers, etc, and the Nature Conservancy. I hope that they'll at least pass the word around to their members.

The event page on facebook shows over 1,100 people attending, pretty damn impressive especially for a weekday morning. Lets keep it going!

Facebook Event

Just sent this letter to Senator Reid.

Dear Senator Reid,

Respectfully and thoughtfully, I implore you to consider helping the outdoor enthusiast community oppose the proposed development by Gypsum Resources Inc. just outside the Red Rock National Conservation Area.

I am an avid rock climber, outdoorsman, and frequent visitor to your state. Red Rock is a cherished and historical national public climbing area and it draws climbers from around the country to visit Nevada.

We may not be high rollers, but as a user group we add diversity to your tourism base. We eat, sleep, rent cars, pay for entertainment, and play in and around Las Vegas while practicing our "recreation tourism" in the unparalleled beauty of the American West.

If this development were undertaken as proposed, it would likely induce myself and my peers to consider other destinations in Utah, Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

I understand that the deep economic troubles for America mean that economic activity may be prioritized over conservation and recreation. And this development will create construction jobs and stimulate a depressed sector of the economy.

But the tradeoff is severe: This large development will be highly visible from the cliffs, pillars, and peaks of Red Rock. It will significantly spoil the aesthetic beauty of the area.

In addition to the loss of recreational tourism and the aesthetic impact to Red Rock, please consider this final argument:

As you are no doubt painfully aware, Nevada has suffered deep declines in housing prices. And yet the demand is not coming back fast enough to prevent construction from shrinking its fraction of the economy.

I have to ask, where is the demand for housing in Nevada? Housing prices do not indicate that it exists. If there is no demand, why is it acceptable to continue to build out the city as though there was? Continued building helps keep prices depressed, and homeowners are wary of spending when the value of their primary asset, their home, does poorly.

Yes, construction is an important sector of the economy. But this development could be completed in a different area of the greater Las Vegas area without spoiling such an iconic National Conservation Area.

Please consider my arguments, and oppose the development by Gypsum Resources in Blue Diamond, or at least help us promote a BLM-brokered land swap to preserve the majesty of Red Rock National Recreation Area.

Regards,

AK

Great letter, Andy.

For those of you who find it hard to write your own, there is now an alternative: the Access Fund has established an action page for Red Rocks with a fully automated e-mailer. All you have to do is sign and enter some contact info, and poof, e-mails are out. USE IT.
accessfund.org/c.tmL5KhNWLr…

Just got a reply from the BLM:

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Dear Mr. Ponslet:

Thank you for taking the time to write.

My office is aware of the recent town hall discussions related to development plans for Blue Diamond Hill. I understand and appreciate your concerns for the visual and other effects that development could have on the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Most of the land on Blue Diamond Hill is privately owned and is not under BLM’s jurisdiction. Development related to Blue Diamond Hill could come under BLM's jurisdiction for routes and other infrastructure that might need to cross BLM-administered lands, generally east of the hill. For example, a concept plan has shown potential access routes coming from the Summerlin area. The BLM could also become involved if we receive an application for a land exchange.

As of today's date, the BLM has received no land use applications or other proposals from the developers, other than the concept plan. If my office receives an application that the BLM can start processing, such as a right-of-way application or a land exchange proposal, I will do my best to notify you specifically, and I will contact the local public, generally, regarding opportunities to comment. Any official proposal received by the BLM will require the development of an environmental analysis. Our decision-making process is a public process, and your input is always welcome.

Thank you again for your note.

Sincerely,

Bob Ross, Field Manager
Las Vegas Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
4701 North Torrey Pines Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89130
702-515-5199

Emails sent and petition signed.

Emails sent, petition signed.

I won't be able to attend the meeting, I will be out of the country. Glad to see such a positive response to this issue, I hope we can put a stop to this.

Pretty disapointing to get form letter responses. I understand it would be really hard to answer each letter individually but when Commissioner Scow says, "I look forward to reviewing the concept plan, and encourage you and all Red Rock enthusiasts to contact my office with suggestions and comments." and then only replies with a form letter, it makes it hard to believe she means it.

bump

emails sent

dinosaurattack wrote:BUMP! Someone should post a suggested email prompt so we can lazily forward en mass!

Check out the Access Fund link posted by Eric and Lucie above. You go there, fill in some info and it sends letters for you. Easy- takes less than 2 minutes.

I sent the pre-written Access Fund email, but I doubt anyone will read it or care about it, since I live in CO.

I have a friend who works for a congressman, and interns in his office keep a tally of phone calls from the congressman's constituents. So, it doesn't matter how clever your argument is; representatives just keep track of how many constituents support or don't support an issue. All you need to do is call and say "I don't support the proposed development outside of Red Rocks." The number one priority of most politicians is getting re-elected. If the representatives are getting tons of campaign funding from the developers, a LOT of people probably need to make that phone call.

I've never been to Red Rocks, so I'm not 100% sure about this, but I assume the park is used for many forms of recreation. I also assume that many Vegas residents enjoy using the park for various recreational activities. Trying to convince these people to call their representatives would probably much more effective than writing long, well-thought out letters.

petition signed and emails sent

Brandontru wrote:Impeding on someone else whom wants to make money off of an investment they made is kind of un American.

Protecting public land is very much an American idea...

Brandontru wrote:This is like one of those Goonies moments........ coming from a small town where a good portion of forest were eventually plowed and developed. Over the years things got somewhat depressing. Then reality tends to sink in. This development does not sound like such a terrible thing. When it is all said and done the only thing that really matters to the devel oper is money, I hope that our efforts will have some effect, yet fear that the inevitable will ensue. All I ask is that if the land does in fact get developed, then look at some of the good communities that have brilliantly intermitten themselves within the landscape. Just because were are climbers does not make us any more special than any one else. Impeding on someone else whom wants to make money off of an investment they made is kind of un American. Even if its not Fair. Fuck it.

Everything about the development is a terrible thing. You are correct when you stated that the prick only cares about money. His only real desire is to get the BLM to do a land swap for something that is easier and cheaper to develop.

I believe that this has been his plan the entire time. The development costs for this parcel are going to be through the roof. The remediation costs alone will make the project unrealistic for at least a decade based on current housing pricing.

The only hope that we have as Redrock supporters is that it will be 10+ years before the project makes economical sense. Maybe in that time more can be done to get the BLM to intercede.

Make no mistake about it, there will be zero effort to blend the development into the landscape. It will be high density with 7 to 13 lots per acre. I'm guessing the development costs will be $60,000 to $80,000 per lot so high density will be the only option.

Thanks for posting sample letters. Tom Mulholland, I am using a version of your letter, I hope you don't mind! Thanks!
Angela

Regarding the Rhodes Development near Red Rock Canyon

Dear ,

Red Rock Canyon is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the United States, and it is a nightmare to learn that this world-class area is threatened by high density development. This will irreparably damage the aesthetic that attracts tourists, hikers, and climbers throughout the US and world-wide!

There are many other options for development in and near Las Vegas that would not affect this pristine wilderness area. Red Rock Canyon is one of the best places for US citizens to experience nature, and spoiling it will severly detract from Las Vegas tourism. It is an area beloved by hundreds of thousands of people, throughout the US and world-wide!

Angela P. Presson

Eric and Lucie wrote:Great letter, Andy. For those of you who find it hard to write your own, there is now an alternative: the Access Fund has established an action page for Red Rocks with a fully automated e-mailer. All you have to do is sign and enter some contact info, and poof, e-mails are out. USE IT. accessfund.org/c.tmL5KhNWLr…

Thanks for sharing!!

Tyson Anderson wrote: Protecting public land is very much an American idea...

+1

Why should we lay down and let big developers ruin any area that a large group of poeple care deeply about? This goes much further than the Las Vegas area alone... people wordlwide are familiar with the beauty of Red Rock and should not allow it.

I'm tensely waiting for Aug 17th to see if we were heard.

Hey Brandontru..... You ever heard of the term "oxygen thief" ? That's you. Go kill yourself.