Letter: Preserve area’s wilderness for next generation

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001 | 8:37 a.m.

I have just relocated here to Las Vegas and am gladly surprised to find out that there is more to this place than blinding neon lights, ubiquitous slot machines and cheap buffets.

What intrigued me is the vast outdoor recreation potential around the valley. Aside from Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Mount Charleston, places like the Muddy and McCullough Mountains have likewise caught my wanderlust fancy.

But it is quite behooving to note that the potential of these areas as added attractions of Clark County has not been tapped, and that some of the few folks who do know about these areas have turned them into their personal playground where they unscrupulously drive four-wheel drive vehicles over sensitive terrain and flora.

On top of this, they have turned certain parts into target ranges and have indiscriminately transformed the land into dumping grounds of household refuse.

Yet the real problem I discovered about these areas is the fact that they are not protected from possible urban development despite their intrinsic wilderness potential. In light of this, I hope measures will be adopted by the powers that be to protect and preserve these places.

I plan to stay here in Southern Nevada for a long time and am bent on raising my kids to embrace all things wonderful about this valley. Hopefully whenever I tell my son and/or daughter about the fascinating rock formations and desert wildlife in the Muddy and McCullough Mountains in the future, I will not be discussing these in the past tense.

DINO FULGENCIO