Mark Your Calendar: Project GREEN's Make a Difference Day Cleanup on 10/22

October 22 is National Make a Difference Day. And if you'd like to make a difference locally (especially if you're in Henderson), Project GREEN would really appreciate you joining them for a local clean up project at the Pittman Wash Legacy Learning Trail, just east of Pecos and between Windmill and Wigwam. Local volunteers will be removing trash, repairing vandalized signs, and continuing to make the Pittman Wash trail system the envy of Southern Nevada by keeping it naturally beautiful.







We did plenty this year to save Pittman Wash by stopping the full concretization of it at the UPRR trestle. Now we need to preserve it by keeping the wash and trails clean and safe for all to enjoy. Please join us on the 22nd to make a difference and keep a great community treasure.

Henderson & Project GREEN Reach Agreement on Pittman Wash

I know it's been a while since we last talked about this, but a big development has finally reached the forefront. A deal has been made on the immediate future of Pittman Wash in Henderson.

The city of Henderson and a group of residents and environmentalists have come to an agreement over how to control erosion caused by storm runoff flowing through the Pittman Wash.

The agreed-upon solution will be more environmentally friendly than the original plan but will add about $800,000 to the initial $4.5 million price tag. [...]

The new plan calls for construction of an arch culvert, which will function similarly as the concrete channel but will be built into the wash’s north bank and covered with dirt, rocks and natural vegetation.

The arch culvert will allow for the wash to be returned closer to its original state, while still reducing erosion, city engineer Scott Fiedler said.

The culvert, however, will cost about $800,000 more and must be engineered and then approved by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, which would fund the project. That could delay the start of construction by up to nine months.

“We think this option is beneficial to all concerned,” Fiedler said. “(But) this option would be more expensive to construct.”

So this is where we've landed. And while questions remain over how much immediate damage this construction will cause to Pittman Wash, this arch culvert so far looks to be far less damaging over the long term than either Henderson Public Works' original concretization plans or Project GREEN's articulated concrete block (ACB) alternative. And over time, the new plants will mature and the scenery will improve. And even more importantly, one of the last natural springs in the entire valley now has at least a fighting chance of survival.



Even with this compromise, there's no guarantee that a view like this will remain. Again, we'll have to see how extensive the construction is and how much of a footprint this culvert will ultimately have. And remember, Clark County Flood Control still has to give its final approval before the funds are allocated and the city begins construction.

But at least with this solution, the conversation is being moved toward conservation. As much of Pittman Wash has been preserved in its natural state over the years, Henderson residents have come to appreciate the natural beauty of the wash and the rare bit of respite it provides in what's otherwise the great concrete jungle that most of Clark County has become. And as the initial plans for concretizing the wash were slowly becoming public, residents spoke out as they realized what would happen if the wash were to be eaten up by that concrete jungle. Thanks to residents standing up and speaking out, Henderson has drawn a line in the sand on concretizing the wash (no pun intended?) and local environmental activists now have a stronger chance of getting Flood Control to remove any more concretization of Pittman Wash from the countywide master plan (which will soon need to be revised).

This has been a long and tough journey, but this is what progress looks like.

One Wash, One Spring, One Big Deal

So Pittman Wash is turning out to be one big f*cking deal. Why? The neighbors love it, the wildlife live in it, and the City of Henderson may now be realizing the city is better off preserving it.

As summer has progressed, it feels like we've been witnessing a critical mass forming. Project GREEN has been speaking up, and local residents have been paying attention. And this has made the real difference here.

We're finally seeing progress as both the City of Henderson Public Works Department and Clark County Regional Flood Control District are seriously considering better alternatives to concretization. Believe it or not, there truly are other options available that can secure the bluffs abutting the wash while still preserving the glorious natural beauty that makes Pittman Wash so special and so unique.

Pittman Wash is one of only six natural riparian habitats left in Clark County, and the spring flowing at the railroad trestle is one of the only ones left in the entire valley. Take a look for yourself.



Now think about where else we can see something like this. And think of what would happen if this were replaced by concrete. Think of what would happen if we start to see this unique stretch of wilderness in the desert vanish away.

This is why it's critical to keep the calls and emails coming. Please thank our Henderson City Council members for considering alternatives to full concretization.

Mayor Andy Hafen: andy.hafen@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Gerri Schroder (Ward 1): gerri.schroder@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Debra March (Ward 2): debra.march@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Kathleen Boutin (Ward 3): kathleen.boutin@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Sam Bateman (Ward 4): sam.bateman@cityofhenderson.com

And please ask Clark County Regional Flood Control members to support alternatives to concretizing Pittman Wash. In particular, make sure to thank Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani for her efforts to ensure Regional Flood Control looks at alternatives that are less environmentally intrusive.

Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani (District E- Paradise/Las Vegas): ccdiste@clarkcountynv.gov

Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown (District C- Las Vegas): ccdistc@clarkcountynv.gov

Las Vegas City Council Member Steve Ross: Email Contact Form

North Las Vegas City Council Member Robert Eliason: Email Contact Form

Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler: Email Contact Form

This is just too big of a deal to lose. We need to preserve and protect Pittman Wash so we can continue to experience the wondrous beauty of the Mojave Desert in which we live.

(And by the way, many thanks to Project GREEN for last night's nature walk exploring the spring at the center of all this controversy. As you can see, the spring can explain for itself why this is such a big deal.)

So Pittman Wash Really Does Matter to the Locals

What do you call this?



According to City of Henderson Public Works, it's apparently a big nuisance.

"Some of it is just ground water. The channel has eroded down to the ground water level," says Robert Herr, the Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Henderson.

He says that erosion is coming dangerously close to sewer lines and has the potential to cause serious damage to the channel in the event of a hundred year flood.

"We have done analysis of different alternatives and they just don't pan out," says Herr.

Take another look at that video. Does that look like "just ground water" to you? Or does it look like a stream that some city engineers want to simply pave over?









I guess that's why so many locals turned out at last night's hearing.

"I think they're probably very surprised that we're all here," says neighbor September Ventura, speaking to the turnout.

Residents are concerned that the current stream that runs through the wash will be paved over and much of the vegetation removed.

"I'm very concerned about the habitat. I love the quail and the bunnies and all the other birds," says neighbor Pat Roberts. "I don't want to see another ugly concrete channel."

I was one of them. I paid attention to what city engineers were saying. I listened as they were building their case for concretization.

I then asked them one important question, a question they would continue to be asked all evening. "Have you considered the alternatives?" Interestingly enough, the only options they ever considered were a trapezoidal concrete channel and a rectangular concrete channel. So all along, the only options they've cared to look at are concrete and even more concrete.

Never mind that articulated concrete blocks may be cheaper and allow for the reintroduction of more native flora. Never mind that gabion upgrades may also be much cheaper and more efficient. And never mind that in Arizona, both Maricopa and Pima Counties have long managed to balance needed flood control with environmental responsibility and sensitivity to neighborhood needs for open space.

That's really all that local residents were asking the City of Henderson last night. We live in Green Valley, we regularly use Pittman Wash, and we don't want to see this great community resource vanish in a sea of concrete.

Last night, hundreds turned out on a warm Wednesday night to speak out. It's clearly not to late to make one's voice heard on this issue.

Mayor Andy Hafen: andy.hafen@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Gerri Schroder (Ward 1): gerri.schroder@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Debra March (Ward 2): debra.march@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Kathleen Boutin (Ward 3): kathleen.boutin@cityofhenderson.com

Council Member Sam Bateman (Ward 4): sam.bateman@cityofhenderson.com

And "like" Project GREEN on Facebook for continued updates on Pittman Wash and what we can do to save one of the last natural riparian habitats in all of Clark County.

Why Pittman Wash Matters

At first glance, the end of the Pittman Wash Trail in Henderson may not look all that special... But look closer.





And listen to the sounds below.





These are some of the unique sights and sounds to be found with the stunning flora and fauna of Pittman Wash. But if plans to concretize the wash are finally passed, get used to seeing something like this instead:



I have a confession to make. I live right along the Pittman Wash Trail. I love being able to see this every day.



And frankly, I don't want to lose this as my "extended backyard". And I know I'm not the only one here in the neighborhood who feels this way.

Remember, the proposed project from the Arroyo Grande trailhead (between Santiago and American Pacific) to the railroad trestles is just the first phase of what some city engineers envision as the concretization of the entire wash. It may be this stretch today, then my stretch of the wash tomorrow!

Also remember that Pittman Wash is one of the last six remaining natural riparian habitats left in all of Clark County. What Las Vegas previously ripped out and paved over, it can never reclaim. Why would Henderson want to repeat the past mistakes of Las Vegas and Clark County in destroying natural springs and oases?

So please contact Henderson's City Council members and ask them (politely) to reconsider plans to concretize Pittman Wash, starting with the creek near Arroyo Grande. So far, they have been willing to stop and study this some more. We need to encourage them to continue to do so, and to schedule public hearings so local residents can speak about what we want to see at the wash.

This is such a stunning natural treasure right in the heart of Green Valley. It would be a horrific tragedy to lose it forever.

Pittman Wash Story Reaches News 3 Las Vegas

In case you wanted a quick refresher on what's happening at the wash, you can also check my story from yesterday.

We'll Pave Paradise... For What?

I'm very blessed to have something awfully special right in my backyard. Want to take a peek?





This is Pittman Wash, a natural riparian habitat filled with native flora and fauna (especially those lovely birds!), and it's one of only six natural washes left in all of Clark County! So this is truly something to be treasured...







But unfortunately, the City of Henderson has been considering plans to replace much of the "natural landscaping" with concrete. No really, read for yourself!

Henderson's plan to turn a section of the Pittman Wash into a concrete flood channel has raised the concern of the volunteer group that maintains the trails and natural areas within the wash.

Henderson Public Works officials and project contractors recently met with the group, Project GREEN: Friends of the Pittman Wash, armed with maps, information, a conciliatory tone and an olive branch, but the conservation group remained skeptical and confused. [...]

The Regional Flood Control District included the $5.1 million project in its 2008 Master Plan Update at the request of the city's Public Works Department, and funded it last month.

However, the project appears to fly in the face of previous city master plans, feasibility studies and federal and state funding agreements that all dictate the entire wash is to be restored and revegetated to its natural state.

While the Friends are charged with maintaining all of the wash in its natural condition, the city exercises its control of the wash from Arroyo Grande to Pecos Road under three departments - Public Works for flood control, Utility Services for maintenance of an in-the-wash sewer line and its towering manholes, and Parks and Recreation for recreational and trails purposes.

Here's the deal. City engineers claim that concretizing at least a portion of the wash will help solve erosion problems, but concrete will actually INCREASE the velocity of the water (since replacing soil and plants with just concrete will allow the water to travel more quickly), leading to further erosion down the wash! Concretizing the wash really seems to make no sense, especially considering it conflicts with the city's intended mission to preserve Pittman Wash in its natural state. In fact, a possible easier solution to erosion may simply be to plant more native vegetation to help control water flow.

In addition, this proposed project may cause much more trouble for Henderson than it seems to be worth.

Under a five-phase proposal that the city's Public Works Department made to the Nevada Division of State Lands, the Friends were awarded nearly $300,000 of conservation bond money in December 2004 for projects in areas including the area of the wash where the concrete channel would be built.

The grant money came out of the $200 million so-called Question 1 bond funds that voters approved statewide in 2000.

Also, the Friends indirectly received $11.4 million in Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act funds in February 2006 for the Arroyo Grande and Pittman Urban Watershed Recreational Trails, Phase II project.

Both applications stressed that the goal of the Friends project is "...to restore Pittman Wash to a natural habitat and construct trails for public use and benefit."

The city could be liable for repayment of the $11.4 million, since the Department of Interior financial agreement states, "This Agreement is subject to enforcement if the recipient fails to comply with any terms of this Agreement and may be terminated in whole or in part."

Now Clark County may be on the hook for this initial $5.1 million project to concretize the channel between Arroyo Grande and the railroad crossing (and potentially start a process of concretizing more and more stretches of the wash), but Henderson may end up being liable for far more money if the city is found in violation of the agreement it made with the state to preserve Pittman Wash as natural open space.

Perhaps this is now starting to get the city council's attention. Apparently at the most recent Henderson City Council meeting this week, Mayor Andy Hafen suggested more public hearings... And even a walk with the city council along the Pittman Wash Trail! Our city council now seems to be willing to ask more questions on the necessity of this project and learn why we the residents of Green Valley are worried about losing one of the last open stretches of nature left in not just Henderson, but really all of Greater Las Vegas.





When I was at the Pittman Wash trailhead at Arroyo Grande yesterday morning, I was surrounded by birds. They were chirping away, and they were clearly enjoying the natural springs. But if this portion of the wash is concretized as proposed, the springs vanish and the birds will likely become homeless (or at least be forced to move elsewhere).

There were also plenty of walkers, runners, and bikers enjoying the trail. We like to use this trail precisely because of the scenery, and because of the natural cooling from the vegetation. But when vegetation is removed and replaced with concrete, the "natural cooling mechanism" from the plants is removed. And instead of all that pretty scenery, we instead have a prime target for graffiti.

Los Angeles realized this, and that's why LA has slowly been replacing much of the old concrete channel that was The LA River with natural soil and vegetation. They recognized that instead of being a constant graffiti target and neighborhood liability, it can become a community asset just by restoring the river to its original natural setting.

That's why I'm perplexed by this proposal to concretize Pittman Wash. Why would we want to do precisely what LA, New York, and other cities are moving AWAY from? Shouldn't we preserve something we can be proud of? Hopefully, the Henderson City Council will recognize this as they engage in more dialogue with the community.