This month’s utility mailer had an interesting piece by Jill Craig (BC’s Environmental Compliance Coordinator) about some cool new improvements that will be happening in Bootleg Canyon, including the installation of seven sculptures that will showcase native wildlife.
I saw that the final statue designs would be selected at last night’s city council meeting, so I went and got the scoop, including the initial (rough) sketches.
Here are the renderings of the Gila Monster, Greater Roadrunner, Desert Tortoise, Scorpion, Jackrabbit, Mohave Green Rattlesnake and there wasn’t a sketch of the Devil Horned Lizard, but I used my MAD artistic skills to make my own (I know you’ll appreciate that one most of all)!
I left the size markings in the photos so you can see how huge these things are going to be — that snake is 12-feet wide. 12 FEET!
They’ll be made of concrete (created by Universal Precast Concrete) and there will also be interpretive signage installed with them so visitors can explore and learn about these animals living in Bootleg Canyon.
As you can see on the map at the top, there will be an asphalt pathway running through the area and observation/picnic areas.
This whole area is along the River Mountain Loop Trail — pretty much where Yucca Street ends (above the Animal Shelter).
Funding for the project is from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and representatives from the National Park Service and the Nevada Department of Wildlife helped to develop the plan for this interpretive area, which will hopefully be complete by November of 2015.
I MOST enjoy that the kids from Boulder City’s Safekey program provided input on which animals they would like to see represented and that they preferred “creepy-crawly” over “cute”. Well, I’d say the public has SPOKEN!
