Letter: Freeway tortoise art is appreciated

Thursday, July 14, 2005 | 9:07 a.m.

I commend the Nevada Transportation Department for commissioning the desert tortoise sculptures that will occupy the vacant land adjacent to various freeways in Clark County. The sculptures will add beauty and character to the land and provide a much-needed diversion from the endless, monotonous freeway structures spanning the Las Vegas Valley.

The desert tortoise is indigenous to Nevada. The tortoise is symbolic of the hardiness and ruggedness required to survive the harshness and rigors of our desert terrain. And with persistent, record-breaking building and development in Las Vegas, the Transportation Department's wonderfully realistic sculptures may be all that's left of the ancient and remarkable desert tortoise, as man continues to encroach upon its habitat.

Through its sculptures, the Transportation Department is paying tribute to our natural heritage. It is providing locals and tourists with something unusual and interesting to see alongside the stark and repetitious asphalt and concrete freeways. The desert tortoise sculptures are an aesthetic improvement to our mundane and overdeveloped surroundings. The Transportation Department has made a worthwhile investment.

SUSAN FONG BRATTAIN