PUBLIC MEETINGS SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS PARK WILDERNESS MANAGEMENT PLAN
BOULDER CITY, Nev. - The National Park Service is holding three public meetings March 18, 19 and 21 to present preliminary alternatives and climbing management options for wilderness areas at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The meetings will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the following locations:
March 18, Mohave Community College, Room 2, 3400 Arizona 95, Bullhead City, Ariz.
March 19, Boulder City Library, 701 Adams Blvd., Boulder City, Nev.
March 21, James Gibson Library, 100 W Lake Mead Pkwy., Henderson, Nev.
The National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management revised the wilderness management plan / environmental impact statement to address concerns expressed by American Indian tribes and climbers regarding the use of the Spirit Mountain and Bridge Canyon wilderness areas.
Under alternative A, no action would be taken. The agencies would continue to provide minimal management of the eight wilderness areas as has been the case since the wilderness areas were established in 2002. The agencies would not change access to or within the wilderness areas and dispersed access would continue.
Under alternative B, improved access and additional day and overnight use opportunities would be available at most of the wilderness areas, particularly Bridge Canyon, Spirit Mountain and Pinto Valley, and about 25 miles of routes would be designated in wilderness areas.
Under alternative C, new trailheads would be established at several wilderness boundaries; about 44 miles of routes would be designated in wilderness areas. Dispersed use would continue to be encouraged, while the establishment of maintenance of official routes would concentrate use in some areas.
In both alternatives B and C, resource management would primarily focus on restoration of disturbed areas, long-term inventory and monitoring, and mitigation of disturbances by people where appropriate.
Also under consideration are climbing management options, such as using removable anchors; prohibiting new, intensively bolted routes; prohibiting power drills and applying setbacks from cultural resources.
The document will be available at all meetings and is available for review online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=16820. Comments may be submitted via the website. Written comments should be mailed to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Wilderness Management Plan, National Park Service, Denver Service Center, c/o Greg Jarvis, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colo. 80225. Comments must be received by April 12, 2013.
- NPS -
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
