Leaders from all levels of government and representatives from several Southern Nevada citizen, environmental and business groups gathered recently for a first-of-its kind summit to focus on the future of Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

Clark County Commissioner Chip Maxfield, U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Intermountain Regional Forester Jack Troyer and the Outside Las Vegas Foundation organized the event to discuss a variety of issues and planning efforts under way to preserve the Spring Mountains as a recreational and scenic resource for years to come.

“Mount Charleston is one of the most special and unique places in Southern Nevada, but until now it probably was our most overlooked natural resource,” said Commissioner Maxfield, who conceived the idea for the summit. “The area faces many man-made and natural threats that we need to work together as a community to solve. This summit marks a turning point in finally giving the mountain the time and attention it deserves.”

The event, called “Focus on the Forest: A Mount Charleston Summit,” was held on Feb. 22 and drew about 250 invited guests from dozens of government agencies, organizations and community groups including the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, the Nevada Division of Forestry, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Mount Charleston residents and representatives from the town of Pahrump. Nevada U.S. Senator John Ensign also attended the summit. Nevada’s Congressional delegation has supported similar summits for Lake Tahoe and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

“Mount Charleston and the entire Spring Mountains National Recreation Area are Nevada treasures that need to be protected and preserved for future generations,” Senator Reid said. “Fire, litter and a lack of public facilities are all challenges that are placing enormous stress on the area in the wake of Southern Nevada’s unprecedented growth. The purpose of today’s summit is to bring representatives from a variety of community of interests together under one roof to discuss these issues, look at what’s already being done to address some of the concerns and figure out where we need to work together to plug any holes at the local, state and federal levels.”

Located about 45 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, Mount Charleston is the centerpiece of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. A true oasis within the region’s vast Mojave Desert, the area is home to the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest and at least 25 species of plants and animals that exist no other place in the world. State Routes 157 and 156, which lead from U.S. 95 to Kyle and Lee canyons, serve as gateways to the recreation area for hiking, picnicking, snow play, camping and horseback riding. Mount Charleston attracts about 2 million visitors a year.

The four-hour summit was divided into panel discussions focusing on four key areas: recreation, transportation, fire management and species management. Summit organizers are seeking input from the public about the future of Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountain area. Presentations from the summit are posted on a special Forest Service website. A link to the site is posted on the front page of www.accessclarkcounty.com.  The site features an email address so the public can ask questions or send comments to the Forest Service.

“Our biggest challenge in managing the area is to balance the needs of different recreational users with the conservation of species endemic to the Spring Mountain National Recreation area,” Intermountain Regional Forester Troyer said.  “For years budget limitations only allowed us to maintain existing facilities, not add new accommodations which are much needed due to the growth occurring in the Las Vegas Valley. We now have a number of plans in the works to make improvements on the mountain thanks in part to our partners who care about the national recreation area and the opportunities afforded through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.”

Renderings unveiled at the summit showed extensive plans for Middle Kyle Canyon, located east of the Mount Charleston Hotel. The area includes an abandoned golf course site among 128 acres of land that the Forest Service purchased in February 2004 for $15.9 million with Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act funding. The U.S. Department of Interior has approved about $27 million more in funding for the Forest Service to build a recreation facility, parking garage and trails on the acreage. The Forest Service also has requested funding to improve campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, restrooms and other public facilities elsewhere on the mountain.

Mount Charleston residents were instrumental in bringing several topics discussed at the summit to the forefront of community discussion. Kyle and Lee canyons have a population of about 900 full-time residents. In February 2004, Clark County’s Mount Charleston Town Advisory board created the Visitors Impact Task Force.  The task force identified and documented several challenges, including the lack of adequate restroom facilities, parking, signage, snow play areas and litter problems. The possibility of forest fire also poses a threat to visitors and residents due to concerns about evacuation procedures and limited access routes on and off the mountain.

“I have been concerned for years about the impact our population explosion is having on Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountains,” said Thalia Dondero, chair of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation and a long-time resident of Southern Nevada.  “The Mount Charleston Summit was a wonderful forum for addressing these issues and possible solutions. What is ultimately developed on the mountain should be something that makes all of us proud and will be viewed years from now as an important cultural contribution to Southern Nevada.”