Rural recreation: State park anchors northwest community

Longtime Nevadan Terri Robertson has been visiting Floyd Lamb State Park since it was a distant oasis northwest of the rooftops of Las Vegas. Recent Bay Area transplants Bill and Betsy Donovan began visiting the park with their three dogs last year, after moving into their home abutting the former ranch and archaeological site.

Both parties are among many who say the state-run park on the northern edge of Las Vegas city limits is their favorite because of its natural beauty and the respite it offers from urban life.

"It's the reason why we bought this house," Betsy Donovan said. "We really aren't city people and that's why we moved out here. When we came to Las Vegas, we said `We want green, we want some open space.'"

Despite the approach of housing developments all the way to its gates, the historic park has maintained an idyllic quality. As one of the few rural parks in the valley, the wide lawns, natural springs stocked with fish, lurking wildlife, dusty trails and aging ruins of former inhabitants appeal to a great many Las Vegans, both longtimers and newcomers, according to Ellis Greene of the Southern Nevada Regional Trails Partnership.

Several Las Vegas residents would like to make sure it stays that way.

Area residents and regular park users gathered recently to rally support to keep the park "rural." Greene, one of the organizers, said participants were concerned that portions of the park might be converted to other purposes, such as ball fields or additional development.

"There's a lot of us who are interested in keeping those green areas in the park just like they are," Greene said.

The source of their concern is a plan by the state that was confirmed by the governor's office in September. Gov. Kenny Guinn said state and city of Las Vegas personnel are in negotiations to transfer the park to city control.

Or rather, back to city control. The park was owned by Las Vegas until a fiscal crisis in 1977 forced a transfer to the state.

Floyd Lamb State Park, once known as Tule Springs, has a distinguished history that has deteriorated from local lore over the years, along with its facilities. For eons, the site's four springs have sustained life in the area, including wildlife and indigenous people.

The springs were once part of a private ranch, then a dude ranch for many years, and at one time featured housing for couples seeking to obtain Nevada residency so they could exploit the state's once-liberal divorce laws. Over the years, the park has seen a number of special attractions come and go, including a small zoo, hay-cart rides and horseback riding. A few, such as skeet shooting and fishing, are still available.

The park is also home to a state Division of Forestry nursery, which sells plants to the public.

Today, the park is somewhat run-down. The most recent improvement project is a multiuser trailhead funded through the Southern Nevada Regional Trails Partnership. Major capital expenditures have been nonexistent for years.

Nevertheless, Floyd Lamb is one of the most popular destinations in the state park system, drawing an estimated 180,000 to 200,000 visitors per year. Only world-famous Lake Tahoe and Valley of Fire draw more.

Greg Bortolin, press secretary for Gov. Guinn, said it is the state that now faces a budget shortfall, and that the transfer to Las Vegas ownership makes sense: The city wants park acreage and the state has no funds for the park. Floyd Lamb is the only park in the state system proposed for disposal.

It is one of two located within the Las Vegas Valley, the other being Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Park, just north of downtown Las Vegas.

Wayne Perock, administrator for state parks, said Guinn "wishes to give (the park) as a gift to Las Vegas." The park belongs in local hands, according to Perock, because its significance is a local one, rather than a statewide interest such as Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, which was the site of the first permanent settlement for the state's largest city.

"The big draw at Floyd Lamb is its wide lawns, urban fishing and picnic facilities," Perock said.

The city, he said, could better maintain the park than the state, which he said spends less than $500,000 annually for its upkeep.

Before the transfer plan can take effect, it will have to clear a few hurdles. Most of the park, about 1,400 acres, is on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management. Las Vegas would need approval by the BLM to take over the lease on 1,100 of those acres, which are situated in an undeveloped part of the park. The balance of BLM acreage is already leased to the city.

Also, the Legislature must approve the plan at its next session in early 2003.

At the rally, organizers solicited signatures for three separate petitions: one stating a preference for state control of the park, one for city control, and one stating a preference for keeping the park's rural character either way.

"The results were two people signed the city petition. One person realized he made a mistake and signed the wrong one," said Robertson, who is president of the Tule Springs Preservation Committee. "Everyone else signed the one for the state" and the one to keep the park rural.

Robertson first heard about the city's plans two months ago through word of mouth. She was disappointed that the committee was not consulted regarding the plans, and was especially upset that the park has been such a low priority of the state.

"I find it offensive that they use state parks as a leverage to balance the budget," Robertson said.

Guinn, she said, refused to speak with the committee, but Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman welcomed them. Goodman confirmed that he and Guinn had been discussing the plan for more than two years.

Robertson said rally organizers were not necessarily opposed to a Las Vegas takeover, but many raised doubts about city motives. A meeting with city officials did not assuage those doubts.

"We aren't as concerned about ownership. Our main concern is that BLM acreage be used for a complementary purpose," she said. "We could not get a concrete answer from (city officials) concerning their intentions for that BLM acreage. So we left the meeting feeling uncomfortable about their intention for what would be at that park."

Such doubts go back several years to when former City Councilman Matthew Callister suggested a city takeover of the park to build sports facilities and other more urban amenities.

Lou Godino, vice president of the Horse Council of Nevada, which had several rally participants, said he is adamant that the state should keep the park, despite its poor maintenance. If Las Vegas took control of the park, "I think there will be baseball fields and lights there."

"We want to keep the park rural and we want the state to keep it," Godino said. "These things you can fight and we'll see what happens."

But City Councilman Michael Mack, whose Ward 6 abuts the park, said he favors keeping the park's rural character and, moreover, believes the city is in a better financial position to serve as steward of the dilapidated park.

"We're doing everything we can in our power to protect the character of that rural area, including Floyd Lamb State Park," Mack said. "We're looking at it long term. This could be a 50-year plan for us."

The city is considering an ambitious plan that could lead to a regional park measuring more than 3,000 acres with the addition of surrounding federal land, including 320 acres that has been proposed for an equestrian center.

A meeting for Nov. 13 is expected to present findings from a $250,000 city-commissioned study to create a master plan for parks in the region. Representatives from Clark County, North Las Vegas, the BLM, and various community groups are expected to discuss possible recreation plans for the entire northwestern valley, including interconnecting trails, and other land for a regional park system. Mack said the city can't offer any concrete plans until it gathers more information.

"We don't even know if we want to take the park. We could end up with any number of plans, including a joint maintenance agreement," where the state keeps the park, but the city helps fix it up, Mack said.

One member of the Legislature, Assemblyman Tom Collins, whose district lies a few miles to the south of the park, said neither the city nor the state has dedicated funds to maintain the park, nor come up with a proposal to do so.

He agrees with Mack that Las Vegas could be a better steward, but so could the state.

Collins said it is incorrect to say there is no state money to support the park.

"They spend more money in the north of the state in places where there's not nearly as many visitors," Collins said.

"Why would they spend that much money on a place like Fort Churchill where they draw a few thousand visitors a year, and why is part of Question 1 on the ballot to buy more park land if we can't maintain what we have?"

Question 1 on all Nevada ballots would allocate as much as $200 million for various park, trail and environmental improvement projects statewide, but does not allocate funds for maintenance.

"The state park program is poorly run as far as I'm concerned. It's been neglected for years," he said.

"People want parks in this valley. They want places to go that they can play in. We should be fixing up that park."

The park would be an enormous "windfall" for Las Vegas, according to Collins, whose district includes parts of the city. At more than 2,000 acres, Floyd Lamb State Park is much larger than the entire Las Vegas park inventory combined, which will total about 775 acres with the addition of new facilities later this month.

For nearby residents, it is already one of the city's amenities. As Las Vegas has expanded to its borders, the park has become a rural amenity in a suburban setting. Homeowners who were interviewed all listed the park as a primary factor in their decision to live in the area, both for its recreational value and the environment it provides.

Many homeowners are concerned that the park that drew them to the area would slowly succumb to development. Notices for new subdivisions on park land north of Brent Lane have them wondering how protected the park is.

Houses almost encircle the park already. The residents said they do not oppose growth, but did not want to lose the park itself.

Lisa Sawin rides her bicycle to the park, and said she and her husband, Rick, take their kids there for picnics. She said other facilities in the area serve more urban purposes, such as a skate park and playground two miles away. The main attraction of the area, she said, was Floyd Lamb State Park's rural setting.

"That's the charm of it, that it doesn't have all those bells and whistles like lights and play equipment. That's the soul of it," she said.

"That's pretty sacred land there. We don't have much open space land in this town and it would be nice to preserve something special like this."

Fellow bicyclist Michael Gross, who lives down the street from the Sawins, said the state should keep the land, and keep it rural.

"I think there's enough `city park' land where you can play basketball, or you can play tennis. I'd like to see more parks with natural settings," said Gross, who works in the construction industry.

Collins said he would support a transfer to the city under the right conditions.

"Residents don't care if Orange County, California, owns the park, as long as it stays rural," Collins said.

He suggests deed restrictions and conditions to ensure the park does not change drastically under city governance, something the State Parks Department also endorses.

"Their (Las Vegas') history is pretty poor if you look at Nature Park," Collins said, referring to an undeveloped patch of Mesquite forest that the city turned into a golf course near Pecos and Mojave roads. "If that's the example, we don't need a golf course at Floyd Lamb State Park.

"I'm not sure the city of Las Vegas wants to maintain that park the way it is. I'm not sure long-term the city is committed to that sort of `passive use.'"

Collins said Las Vegas needs to present a plan before the state turns the park over to the city.

"We should tie their hands, and if we don't have the money and they don't have the money to maintain it, the park will just stay like it is, kind of run-down, but fun," Collins said.S A T U R D A Y , N O V E M B E R 2 , 2 0 0 2

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