Future of Big Springs debated at hearing

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.

Saving and restoring the ancient Indian pueblos, plants, animals, pumps and pipes that brought life to Las Vegas with water from Big Springs took the first step in becoming a new chapter in Las Vegas history.

In one of the last of a series of workshops bringing concerned citizens together at the Las Vegas Valley Water District, native Southern Nevadans and newcomers urged planners to preserve the springs site to help educate new residents and children.

Lucchesi-Galati Architects presented four plans that ranged from leaving the Big Springs site bordered by U.S. Highway 95 on the north, Alta Drive on the south and Valley View Boulevard on the west alone to turning it into a theme park.

Both extremes of abandoning the site and building a Disneyland-type center were rejected.

None of the 40 people attending the workshop liked the suggested name Mojave Desert Preserve.

"The site is not typical of the Mojave Desert," said geologist Nick Saines. "Why not call it Big Springs Preserve of Las Vegas?"

Historian Liz Warren said that the name of Las Vegas has been attached to the springs since explorers wrote it down in the 1840s. "It was put on the map in 1844," she said.

Raymond Lucchesi, principal architect, said the Mojave Desert didn't sound right. By asking the community what to do with the 180-acre site, the flexibility allows planners to give Southern Nevada exactly what it wants. "We are here to find out what is important and what should be preserved," he said.

Archaeologist Greg Seymour, who has excavated the site, said the National Historical Register has listed it as the Las Vegas Springs site since 1978.

Everyone agreed that whatever the site looks like in 2005, the year Las Vegas celebrates its 100th birthday, the unique oasis forming an island in a sea of concrete needs to keep its native flavor.

Environmental planner Kim Zukovsky, who has worked on the project for the water district since 1994, said there are cottonwood forests, mesquite bushes, coyotes and kit foxes as well as 93 bird species inhabiting the site. The Las Vegas bearpaw poppy and the desert pocket mouse are unique to that site alone, she said.

"We're too quick to dismiss the creosote and the yucca plants," said native Las Vegan Eric Christensen. "You want to honor what's here and respect that."

To tell the very complicated story of the birthplace of Las Vegas, a place that did not start in a Strip casino, needs patience, suggested State Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas. "Take your time," he said.

"I would like to see it as a jewel of the area," Bill Johnson, president of the Nevada Archaeological Association, said. "How many residents get to see the root?"

Whether the site will one day attract busloads of tourists and more than 500 school children a day will not be decided for about three years, as community hearings continue. A report based on remarks gathered in the workshops is due Feb. 1.

"The thread that runs through each of these resources is the water," Lucchesi said. "Today's culture and how it decides what to do with the site is as important as previous peoples."

The water district is not using ratepayers' money to build and preserve Big Springs. Instead, the Mojave Desert Preserve Foundation has been formed to raise funding and attract preservation grants.