This is pretty exciting, even though this is in the very early phases of consideration, so we thought it was worth the share. In an area adjacent to the border of Boulder City, there is a proposal that will be working its way through the ‘powers that be’ at local, state and national levels, to create the Spirit Mountain (Avi Kwa Ame) National Monument.
Last week, a group of folks who are spearheading this issue came out to Boulder City, and took a flyover along with Mayor, Kiernan McManus, and Jill Lagan, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, to give them a birds eye view of the area (a map is below) and it’s key geological and biological natural landscapes.
A presentation of the proposed Briefing Document you can see HERE, will soon be made before City Council. That document is a pretty cool read, for those interested but suffice it to say, the proposed area is believed to be of cultural and ecological significance, worthy of the designation of a National Monument.
What does that mean, you ask? A National Monument is, “a historic site or geographical area set aside by a national government and maintained for public use.” From the briefing document:
The Monument would conserve the natural, cultural, visual and recreational resources and values of this special piece of the East Mojave Desert in Nevada for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Monument would protect an expanse of relatively intact East Mojave Desert ecosystem in Nevada that provides continuity to the other parts of the East Mojave Desert ecosystem already protected on the California side. The Monument creates an essential corridor that connects the Mojave National Preserve, Castle Mountains National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument and Dead Mountain Wilderness Area in California with Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. This will serve as a contiguous block of habitat of sufficient quality and quantity to promote the survival, growth, re-production, and maintenance of viable populations of Mojave Desert flora and fauna.
Mind you, this process will take YEARS to complete, and the organizers are just getting started. But this is something that could be really interesting to watch as this develops. National Monuments are highly visited and protected public lands, and personally, we’re kind of excited that Boulder City could be at the gateway of a new one.
In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful scenery above, and we’ll keep you posted as things develop over time!
