Letter: Save wilds in Southern Nevada

Friday, April 5, 2002 | 9:22 a.m.

Driving around town the past week I saw a couple of billboards that boldly display the text -- Protect Nevada Wilderness -- with a picture of majestic rock formations in the background.

At first I didn't pay much attention to it, but it struck me as something we should seriously consider, given the rapid growth of Las Vegas and development's imminent encroachment in areas such as Red Rock Canyon and the McCullough Mountains.

In Southern Nevada, the only designated wilderness area is Mount Charleston. Valley of Fire, Red Rock and similar "wild" places in Clark County do not get the same protection and hence, can very well be an afterthought in the ongoing onslaught of development in the valley. With the prospect of Yucca Mountain as the nuclear waste dump of America, it is quite disconcerting that such would be the legacy we would be leaving to future generations of Nevadans because we have taken our surrounding natural environment for granted.

As such, I ask our present crop of congressional representatives what measures they are considering to tame the course of development and preserve wilderness lands in Southern Nevada. I know Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign as well as Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jim Gibbons are busy with the fight to stop the Yucca Mountain Project.

But I sincerely believe that if no piece of legislation is adopted to protect the Silver State's natural landscapes, then we ourselves are to blame for government and a good portion of America thinking Nevada is a wasteland.

DINO FULGENCIO