Columnist Susan Snyder: Thousands of acres, and issues

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 5:44 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4082.

Cottonwoods turn gold in autumn here.

Finches peep and dart among branches of the decades-old trees perched among the ponds at Floyd Lamb State Park.

Ducks tuck their heads under wing and snooze in the sun while sleek black coots duck under the water's surface in search of a late breakfast.

In the distance, buzzing saws, thap-thapping nail guns and beeping backhoes forge development's din.

It's not so distant, really. Silverstone Ranch golf course is clearly discernible looking southeast from the banks of the park's southernmost pond. It forms a grass-green carpet in a sea of the tile roofs and stucco that's taming so much of our Wild West.

What's next for this park land that has watched humans' comings and goings for 13,000 years? About 100 people seeking such answers showed up at Centennial High School Wednesday night, hoping to get some idea of what Las Vegas officials would do with Lamb if they acquired it from the state.

City and county officials, however, unveiled a wider picture and their hopes for creating a master plan for about 5,000 acres of city, county, state and federal open land in the valley's northwest corner.

Seven maps from seven different agencies showing seven different views of the area under scrutiny showed just how complicated this process is going to be.

During the three-hour open house residents studied maps and perused information tables staffed by local trail-user groups, conservationists and land-managing agencies. Each had a different idea of what's best for open space in an urban setting.

"We'd like to have an integrated plan so that these things are all coordinated," Alan O'Neill, of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation, said.

He stood next to Dick Birger, who manages the Desert National Wildlife Range. This largest of the federal wildlife refuges outside of Alaska sits just northwest of Lamb State Park and abuts the patchwork area included in the development plan.

A corridor buffer would provide a swath of open land between homes and the refuge, Birger said. But someone would have to patrol it for vandalism and dumping. Homes built to the edge would curb those challenges, but could make public access sticky.

An interesting dilemma. But what about Lamb's 2,000 acres? City officials have promised the character of 60-acre portion enjoyed by residents for almost 100 years will not be altered for soccer fields and urban amenities.

City officials say they have set aside $250,000 for improvements, such as an equestrian park. But general upkeep, utility bills and well taxes top $200,000 annually, Steve Santee, park supervisor, said.

"We have 40 acres of turf that other (state) parks don't have," Santee said. "Irrigation is 70 percent of the electric bill."

This park's spring-fed land has provided refuge for prehistoric hunters seeking subsistence, people seeking six weeks residency for a divorce and residents seeking peace or a few bluegill.

Worlds away from backhoes and planning boards, Canada geese rest and cottonwoods turn in autumn. Their gold leaves tumble lightly on cool breezes that whisper to all who listen.

Let us be.