Spring Mountains to be safe haven for rare species

Monday, April 13, 1998 | 9:53 a.m.

Federal and state officials were expected to ink a landmark comprehensive agreement today that protects 68 rare and endangered species in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas.

The Spring Mountain Conservation Plan is the first of its kind in the nation, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said.

"We are learning to make the Endangered Species Act work in Nevada," he said.

"The same beauty and diversity that make this extraordinary habitat a 'Great Basin Galapagos' attracts thousands of visitors each week. Our response is not to restrict access to the Spring Mountains, but to create a bold, innovative solution called a conservation agreement."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., were scheduled to join Babbitt and representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Spring Mountain Natural Conservation Area and the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources representatives at the Mt. Charleston Hotel.

Success of the agreement comes from keeping rare species off the endangered list, Babbitt said, referring to reforms President Clinton instituted to preserve species in 1993.

Most conservation agreements safeguard a single species, Babbitt said. Of all the plants and animals protected in the Spring Mountains, 25 are found nowhere else in the world.

For Reid, it was the capstone of years of work he has accomplished to preserve the Spring Mountains.

"As someone who grew up in the desert down in Searchlight, I remember being amazed by the alpine scenery the first time I went to the Spring Mountains," Reid said. "Today's children growing up in Las Vegas need to have the same opportunity to experience the mountains that I had. With the record growth we are experiencing in the Valley, it is critical that we all work together to preserve and protect Nevada's special places like Red Rock, the Spring Mountains Recreation Area, and Mt. Charleston. The historic signing of this conservation agreement marks the next step in the process to improve our quality of life in Southern Nevada."

The unique agreement brought together federal, state and local partners, he said.

The conservation agreement will protect unique species threatened or endangered on public as well as private lands.

Official work on the agreement began after a U.S. Forest Service plan was amended in October 1996, said Alan Pinkerton, assistant forest supervisor of the Spring Mountains Natural Recreation Area. The plan improves environment for all of the species so that they will not be listed, Pinkerton said, noting that steelhead salmon and bullhead trout have been listed as threatened in Idaho recently.

In addition to providing a haven for rare and sensitive creatures, the Spring Mountains offer Las Vegas residents and visitors an alpine world for recreation 35 miles from downtown, said Bob Williams, field supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Reno.

The agreement balances the survival of the species with future recreation development in the Spring Mountains, Williams said.

Representatives of Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., The Nature Conservancy, the Smithsonian Institute, UNLV and the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University were also invited to the ceremony at the gateway to the Spring Mountains.

Some of the species saved include the Shasta blue butterfly, the Palmers chipmunk and the plant Clokey's eggvetch.

Once Congress finalizes the agreement, it will become part of Clark County's multispecies plan, under development to protect up to 83 plants, animals, insects, birds, fish and reptiles in the Las Vegas Valley, Williams said.

Pete Morros, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, praised the work between agencies.

"I think it's a case where everybody has found common ground," Morros said.