New Way Forward

Over the years, we've become quite familiar with talk of massive renewable energy projects. We have all this space in the desert. And we want to build up our renewable sector. So full steam ahead?

Over the years, some environmentalists have urged caution, even as other major environmental groups have pushed for more large scale renewable energy projects. Clearly, the "green on green warfare" was quite odd. And it was ultimately counterproductive to both goals of renewable development and open space preservation. So California figured out a new way forward.

These differing views created an uncomfortable "green vs. green" debate, [the Natural Resources Defense Council's Carl] Zichella says. "I think it has been tough. It's been personally painful. We are very good at stopping things, [and] we aren't very good at building things," he says.

In the end, environmental groups negotiated with the Ivanpah project and others one by one to set aside nature preserves in the desert. Learning from this, the state is trying to head off future conflicts with a new plan. The idea is to divvy up the desert into renewable energy zones and zones that are off-limits.

Karen Douglas of the California Energy Commission says it's unusual to see all sides working together.

"There is never any perfect consensus," Douglas says. "But we've got an opportunity with this partnership to put in place what we really think of as the 'greenprint' that will help us conserve our desert resources."

Nevada has begun applying this standard as well, along with other Western states. There has to be a balance of preserving open space and building a renewable future. Especially with climate change already underway, there's not much time left to act.

Unless we invest more in renewable energy development soon, use of coal power will skyrocket. And that’s pretty much the death knell for our climate.

If we can figure out how to balance conservation and development, we can figure out how to make it work overall. Again, we don't have much time left. What are we waiting for? There's a new way forward. We should try it.

Make a Difference Day @ Pittman Wash

Last Saturday, Project GREEN members, Henderson neighbors, UNLV volunteers, and more came over to help keep Pittman Wash beautiful. The volunteers repaired signs, restored walking trails, removed trash, and brushed off dirt under the bridge. After a rough year of vandalism, flooding, and plenty of wear & tear, the Legacy Learning Trail (which is right around the corner from my home!) got some much needed TLC.







Believe it or not, Project GREEN does more than just lobby the City of Henderson to stop proposed parking lots and concrete channels in the wash (though this is always important and badly needed!). Project GREEN also pitches helping hands to help with the day to day maintenance of the wash, especially in the trails going into the wash. And for all of us who live along Pittman Wash, we can't ever be grateful enough for the work they do.

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.

What About Gold Butte?

So how about that Gold Butte? Wait... Where??!! Come on, you don't know Gold Butte? It's an amazing stretch of colorful land, flora, and fauna just south of Mesquite along I-15. And sadly, it's being torn to shreds as we speak.



Gold Butte is situated between our rapidly expanding greater metropolis of Las Vegas and the rapidly expanding cities of Mesquite and St. George, Utah. Development is starting to encroach on the north side. Visitors come from all around to ride ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), often off road and cutting into the vegetation. Vandals take chunks out of ancient Native American petroglyphs, and often replace them with nasty graffiti.

Now, more than ever, Gold Butte needs to be protected. Today, the Clark County Commission will decide whether to support a resolution urging Congress to designate Gold Butte as a National Conservation Area (NCA) and official federally protected Wilderness.

The Clark County Commission could decide today whether to support federal efforts to preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of Nevada wilderness.

It’s a proposal that has proponents jubilant over the possibility of protecting fragile land and opponents angry over potentially losing treasured hunting and four-wheeling territory. [...]

Of the proposed 345,000-acre Gold Butte National Conservation Area, 132,000 acres would be designated as wilderness. Typically only foot access is allowed into federal wilderness areas. [...]

The massive chunk of land is mostly isolated from Las Vegas by Lake Mead. But growth in Mesquite, on the northern boundary of the area, has put pressure on the land.

More people have spilled into the area and damaged it by off-roading on hillsides and shooting, including at some of the ancient petroglyphs, Terri Robertson said.

Robertson is one of the 300 members of Friends of Gold Butte who supports the county resolution asking for a federal conservation area designation. She knows the area well, having taken her first trips into Gold Butte with her father, who was born in Mesquite in 1902.

The conservation-area moniker would put the land on the same footing for federal funding as national parks, she said. “And we need a park ranger out there full-time.”

This is why we need to speak out in support of Gold Butte. Reno & Its Discontents' blogger-superstar Tacy Viselli has written a Care2 page in support of Gold Butte, highlighting what we can do to help save it. Friends of Nevada Wilderness also have more on what we can do to help.

The Las Vegas Poppy. The endangered Desert Tortoise. Artifacts from ancient civilization. Sandstone cliffs. These are just a few of the many treasures we can find at Gold Butte. However, action must be taken soon before we lose it forever.