BOULDER CITY, Nevada -The National Park Service at Lake Mead National Recreation Area is proposing to re-landscape the headquarters office located at 601 Nevada Way in Boulder City. The public is invited to participate in the process by reviewing and providing comments to the draft plans.
The purpose of the project is to reduce water consumption. The office currently uses in excess of two million gallons of water per year to irrigate the existing landscape. Under the current proposal, water usage would be reduced by 25 percent for the first couple of years and by 50 to 60 percent in subsequent years after the vegetation has become established.
The headquarters building was designed and built in 1951-1953. The building is a contributing element to the Boulder City Historic District which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Early photos of the headquarters building show that a grass lawn was established around the building and elm trees were planted in the Boulder City right-of-way between the sidewalk and the street. At some point three ash trees and nine pecan trees were added to the landscaping in the rear and on the side of the building, shrubs were added in front of the building, and the city removed the elm trees and grass in their right-of-way and put in palm trees.
This project would remove the three ash trees, the nine pecan trees and the lawn between the headquarters building and the parking area out to the intersection of Wyoming Street and Avenue B. The original lawn and plantings in front of the headquarters facing Nevada Highway and Wyoming Street would be maintained.
The design concept for the proposed renovated landscaping is to use indigenous trees and plantings with the intent of making the area more closely resemble the landscape of the park. Species proposed for use include Mesquite, Golden Rabbit Bush, Mohave Aster, Desert Senna-Cassia, Cliff Rose, Apache Plume, Mohave Sage and Bear Grass-Nolina. In addition to the vegetation, plans also call for boulder groupings, ADA-compliant walkways stabilized with decomposed granite, picnic tables and benches.
Comments and recommendations regarding the redesign of landscaping will be accepted through Aug. 13. They may be submitted by U.S. Mail to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Headquarters Landscaping Comments, 601 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV 89005 or online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=59567.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
