Letter: Gold Butte near Mesquite should also be protected

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

Reading Launce Rake's April 15 article concerning Sloan Canyon, "People's litter turns thing of beauty into ugly mess," immediately made me think of the similarities we have in the Gold Butte area. Aside from dumping, the area is also experiencing vandalism and rapid loss of cultural resources, off-highway vehicle damage from all-terrain vehicle riders straying from the roads and the spread of noxious weeds and destruction of river riparian by trespass cattle grazing.

The city of Mesquite is growing at a fast pace; allocation of Bureau of Land Management lands to the city and the sale of 3,500 acres north in Lincoln County will turn our community into a large city soon enough.

It would be wonderful if our local government and congressional delegation had the foresight to protect the Gold Butte area. Designation of a National Conservation Area and a mix of Wilderness would allow the BLM to properly manage the region. A visitor center, similar to the one at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, would be an educational tool for our local and rural schoolchildren. Education and the mix of motorized and primitive recreational opportunities would be a "win-win" situation for Gold Butte, residents, future residents and visitors alike.

NANCY HALL Mesquite