Red Rock threatened by development

Bump.

Bump. Write a letter and send it via the interwebs.

As Axl Rose once screamed: It's So Easy!

Emails sent.

Bump

This subject has turned my stomach. Not only because of the problem at hand. But mainly because of the utterly lame and sad showing of support. At the last two major meetings in Blue Diamond I've seen only a handful of climbers. A handful. And they were all from Blue Diamond. NONE from anywhere else. For People who aren't up to speed with what is going on I'll break it down real quick and dirty. Jim Rhodes and Gypsum Resources (Major Construction Company) has owned the property for ten or so years and is restricted to a zoning plan which consists of 2 acre parcels per home. Meaning he can only build roughly 1200 to 1500 homes the way the land is zoned. Which is not lucrative for what he wants to do.

Last year the company submitted their official concept plan for rezoning and permission to build 3 houses per parcel. This is for over 2,500 acres of land which sits adjacent to Red Rock and right across from Blue Diamond. This adds up to around 7,000 homes. So say an average of 3 humans per home, not to mention multiple roads ripping through the mountain, hospitals, schools, soccer fields, in and out burgers, and every other bullshit scenario you see in summerlin, right on top of Red Rock Canyon. In way and I mean WAY light numbers, there will be at least over 35,000 people up there trampling your desert to shit. Imagine the light, air and noise pollution you'll get to hear and see while you thrutch your way up Crimosn Chrysillis or Cat in the Hat people ( joke ).... Seriously though, if this shit goes down then we all might as well go to the gym.

So you say you care about Red Rock?? Then show the fuck up at the next meeting which will be the last one to stand up and speak out about how you are against this project. Or you can sit here on the interweb like a spineless twit and type away your feelings for no one to hear. Your choice people. I am truly disgusted by this as I hope many of you are as well. Spread the word. Send the links to your friends and family. This is your last chance. If you care then you will be there. Period.

saveredrock.com

August 17,
9:00 a.m. Wednesday,
Clark County Government Building, Commission Chambers

chad umbel wrote:Seriously though, if this shit goes down then we all might as well go to the gym.

Talk about being overly dramatic. Although I'd rather not see this development go through, the hyperbole is entertaining. I'd still rather climb at Red Rock than a gym!

It's called sarcasm Frank. So will you be there on the 17th??

Chad, it's a six-hour drive that I don't want to make. Hope it goes well for you (and all Red Rock climbers). It really is a special area.

Just sent Senator Reid an email expressing my disapproval of the housing development. Hopefully everyone else on this website can take the time to do the same?

chad umbel wrote:So you say you care about Red Rock?? Then show the fuck up at the next meeting which will be the last one to stand up and speak out about how you are against this project. Or you can sit here on the interweb like a spineless twit and type away your feelings for no one to hear.

I appreciate your zeal, but you have to recognize that the Vegas climbing community is rather small, compared to the annual number of climbers who visit the area. Berating us for not going to the meeting rings especially hollow, since its a 12-13 hour drive for me, an approximately 30 hour drive for at least one other poster.

That's not to say that we don't care, its that the show of support you demand (physical presence) is a technical impossibility. Anyway, a flood of emails is gonna be a lot more useful than a bunch of asses in seats.

I expect that this development bid will fail based entirely on the economic argument posted by John Wilder (compounded by the added expense of patrolling such an area, especially if nobody actually moves in. Logistically speaking, it looks like a money pit that Vegas would do well to avoid), and also that our efforts as climbers will be largely forgotten when next it becomes an issue (which is to say, after the next election cycle). So while I will send my email off, I will also say that Friends of Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area really needs to work on either existing or making sure that its members keep the heat on the next time this comes around.

So what you are all saying is that development OUTSIDE the park will alter your experience INSIDE the park. This is illogical and counterintuitive. Some houses outside are unlikely to alter you climbing experience. As for tourism revenue, do you guys really think that the climbing community at red rock is even a fraction of a drop in the bucket that is the Las Vegas tourism machine? Climbers are the one of if not the largest user group of the state park and climbing in the park is in no way threatened by this development. I don't see anyone raising a fuss about the gypsum mine right outside the park. Does this somehow make the climbing at red rocks worse? Also, take a quick look at the housing market in the greater Vegas area. Oh by the way lets not mention skilled jobs created or maintained by developing a housing community. I take climbing seriously, but there are things in life that should be taken much more seriously than your view when you go rock climbing. I love climbing and I would be one of the first people to by up a parcel. If you all want to seriously prevent this from happening buy the land just like Clinton did to stop a gold mine from being developed outside Yellowstone National Park. Words are wind. DO something instead of talking about how someone should stop those dirty rotten land developers.

Brian I meant climbers from Vegas or boulder city or anywhere within an hour or so drive man. I can understand people outside the state won't make it. Chris, have YOU checked out the housing market lately. Obviously not. But another 7,000 empty homes would help that one out eh?? I could see the only good thing coming out of this would be jobs. But do you honestly think that destroying thousands of acres of desert and wildlife, is worth a few hundred jobs?? As far as the gypsum plant goes...u cant even see it from anywhere in the park bud. Maybe a bit from the top of velvet. It also doesn't do anything except manufacture board. No more blasting or mining. So no, it's not a big deal. You don't think it will effect the park, it's wildlife or the climbing?? Are you serious? Dude that comment is so dumb that it doesn't even deserve an answer. Or maybe you just like smog filled air, car alarms, lawnmowers, or stadium lights when you climb on rezzy arête. Hell you wouldn't even need a headlamp. But that'd probly suit a guy like yourself considering you'd be one of the first "climbers" to buy a parcel.... I also take climbing seriously but not as serious as I do when filthy humans want to build right on top of our public land. It's hardly just about the climbing Chris. Talk about being selfish...

Signed the petition and will work on a nice e-mail. I've never climbed in the area, but hope to one day. I'm supporting the principle, if development begins here, where will it end? I can't make it out to the meeting simply based on proximity, being east coast and all.

Signed the petition and will send out some emails tomorrow. The city is already too close and having it even closer would be horrible.

I hate the argument on behalf of developers that says if you don't like it by the land from them. At what point does common decency and personal responsibility for actions affecting our natural resources come into play?

Chad: thanks for pushing this issue. I totally share your disgust with the general apathy of our community regarding this threat. I would hope to see hundreds or thousands of climbers e-mailing officials, asking their friends to do the same, and posting here to continue to create awareness.

Instead, we are at 61 posts in 4 days...

BTW, this apathy is not limited to climbers and environmental issues. I was at a rally last week in Boulder (a town of 100,000 that describes itself as progressive...) about social security and we were perhaps 25 people! Made me want to puke.
This passive attitude is what is allowing the powerful/vocal minorities, i.e. the super-rich & corporations, and the extremists such as the religious right to take this country in any direction they like, unchallenged.
We have to start waking up and standing up for what we believe in or we will continue to get crushed by those who are motivated only by greed (and there are plenty of those).

I do think though that in this case, lack of information has a lot to do with it, and that's where I am concentrating my efforts. I've been aware of this issue for the last several years; every time I talked to climbers at Red Rocks, I told them about this development threat and 99% of the time they had NO idea. How about a poster campaign in the local gyms and climbing shops to get started?

On a different note: the more I think about this, the more I wonder why noone has ever mentioned the BLM and its potential role. Clearly, the first priority right now is to put pressure on the county to turn down Rhodes' application, but in the long run, preserving this area is going to require a change in ownership of the BD hill. It's unlikely that organizations like the Nature Conservancy could step in (as they have for Indian Creek for example) given the probable cost of land this close to Vegas. This leaves the Feds. An outright purchase in not too likely in the current economic and political climate, but a land swap sounds entirely realistic. I've asked locals again and again whether that option had been considered (i.e, whether the BLM has been involved so far, contacted, or put pressure on) and never got an answer...

But for now, back to the immediate action (in that order):
1. write e-mails to Clark county commissioners; see page 1 of this thread for contact info
2. tell you friends to do the same
3. sign the petition
4. send e-mails to congressmen and the BLM; again see page 1 of this thread for contact info
5. if you live reasonably close to Vegas, be at the Clark County zoning commission meeting on August 17, and either speak or wear/carry evidence of your position on the issue.

so John, do you think that putting pressure on the BLM would be a wise approach?

Here's another map, based on Tyson Anderson's Google Map overlay.
If this doesn't make it look ominous to you, I don't know what will.

Map of proposed development on Blue Diamond Hill (please view full size for the full impact)

bump

Copied below is a letter I've just put together in an attempt to summarize the situation for the unaware. I started e-mailing this letter to friends, acquaintances, and climbing groups/clubs all over. Feel free to copy/modify it and send it to the climbers you know. Note that I've borrowed freely from other posts on this site.
Eric.

----------------------------------------------------

Fellow Climbers:

If you love Red Rocks, please read on.

If you've ever climbed at Red Rocks (who hasn't?), you understand how real the development pressure to this unique area has been in the last many years. The Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin has now reached the very edge of the conservation area. Some of us remember the days (only 15 years ago) when it was a long semi-rural drive from the edge of town to Red Rocks. But at least for now, development has stopped from that direction and is still relatively far and largely out of sight from the cliffs and canyons we love.

That is about to change.

If local developer Jim Rhodes gets his way, the entire Blue Diamond Hill (the massive hill at the center of the RR cirque, that forms the foreground of the view from anywhere at Red Rocks, and the backdrop to the BLM campground, and is currently completely undeveloped) will become a brand new town of 5,000+ homes and about 15,000 residents, complete with shopping malls, schools, etc. An official plan has recently been submitted to the county by the developers: it effectively puts a brand new mid-size city right in the middle of the conservation area.

map of proposed development
The distance between the escarpment and the closest modern developments will drop from the current 10 miles to less than 3.5 miles. This translates to an increase in the light and noise pollution by a factor of more than 8, not even accounting for the buffer effect played by the currently undeveloped hill! If this plan goes forward, you may not even need a headlamp anymore for those early morning approaches to Resolution Arete!

For more details about the history of this situation, please see the first two references below.

On August 17 at 9AM, the Clark County Zoning Commission will meet to approve/disapprove this plan.

Opposition to the plan (www.saveredrock.com) has to date remained localized around the small town of Blue Diamond and local Las Vegas newspapers, largely due to a lack of information among the larger community.

Because climbers are uniquely attached to this area, I believe they are the most likely group to stand up for its preservation. For the last few weeks, some of us have been trying to spread the word within the climbing community. A public outcry to the officials involved, particularly if coming from the entire nation, may have a good chance of changing the outcome and saving this unique area.

Here’s what you can do (in order of decreasing urgency, but remember, the key decision will be made on August 17, so there are only a few days to act):
1. Call or write e-mails to Clark county commissioners:
Do this now, and certainly before August 15! See contact information below.
2. Ask your friends to do the same: please forward this e-mail to all your friends!
3. Sign the petition
4. Send e-mails to congressmen and the BLM
5. If you live reasonably close to Vegas, be at the Clark County zoning commission meeting on August 17, and either speak up or wear/carry evidence of your position on the issue.

Please ACT!
On behalf of the future of Red Rocks: thank you!

APPENDICES

Contact Information:

Clark county commissioners:
All commissioners can be reached by phone at: (702) 455-3500
All commissioners can receive faxes at: (702) 455-3271
Clark County Commissioners, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89155
Steve Sisolak, District A, ccdista@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Tom Collins, District B, ccdistb@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Larry Brown, District C, ccdistc@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Lawrence Weekly, District D, ccdistd@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Chris Giunchigliani, District E, ccdiste@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Susan Brager, District F, ccdistf@ClarkCountyNV.gov
Mary Beth Scow, District G, ccdistg@ClarkCountyNV.gov

BLM Southern Nevada District Office:
Mary Jo Rugwell, District Manager,
4701 North Torrey Pines Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89130
Phone: 702-515-5000
Fax: 702-515-5023
Email: lvfoweb@blm.gov

NV Congressmen/women: (even if you don't live in NV, it doesn't mean you shouldn't contact them)
Senator Harry Reid (D- NV), 202-224-3542, reid.senate.gov/contact/ind…
Senator Dean Heller (R- NV), 202-224-6244, heller.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm
Representative Shelley Berkley (D-01), 202-225-5965, shelley.berkley@mail.house.gov
Representative Joe Heck (R-03), 202-225-3252, heck.house.gov/contact-me/e…

Upcoming Clark County Zoning Commission meeting:
August 17 (Wednesday), 9:00 a.m.,
Clark County Government Building, Commission Chambers
Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV.

Suggested key points for use in e-mails to officials:
• Red Rocks is a National Conservation Area, of considerable interest to all Americans and foreign tourists, with a unique oasis-like flora and fauna and amazing scenery.
• Red Rocks is a world-renowned climbing area, visited each year by thousands of climbers from the US and abroad. Those climbers spend their time and money at Red Rocks because of its unique beauty and undeveloped character.
• Contrary to biased assertions in the developer’s plan, the proposed development is in plain unobstructed view from most of the hiking and climbing locales in the Red Rocks NRA. The top of the Blue Diamond hill is in fact the most immediately scenic feature from these places.
• There are plenty of remaining areas available for development in the Las Vegas valley. The Red Rock Canyon NRA is a unique resource to the people of Las Vegas and visitors from all over and it must be preserved

References and Links:
“Rhodes submits revisedplan for developing Blue Diamond Hill,” By Scott Wyland, Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 7, 2011. lvrj.com/news/rhodes-submit…

“Jim Rhodes is Coming: his homes will rise in Red Rock, but how sprawling is the developer's secret plan?” by Jason Whited, Las Vegas City Life, February 24, 2011, lasvegascitylife.com/articl…

The developer’s plan, ironically titled “Gypsum Reclamation Concept Plan”, Gypsum Resources, LLC, June 29, 2011, reviewjournal.com/media/dow…

Website of the local action group: saveredrock.com

Mountainproject.com thread about the issue: mountainproject.com/v/red-r…

SuperTopo.com thread: supertopo.com/climbers-foru…

Great! Is there any chance they could e-mail me this flyer? I would like to post it locally.

Thank you all for spreading the knowledge about this proposed plan and the impacts it will have on the RRCNCA and surrounding area. This is ugly stuff. I've sent email messages to all the Clark County commissioners and NV senators. I've also shared Eric and Lucie's message with many of my friends.