Considering its reputation as a builder's paradise, a place where urban planning is an oxymoron and development patterns are dictated primarily by money and influence, Southern Nevada has done a surprisingly good job of keeping bulldozers away from its natural treasures.

The Las Vegas Valley is surrounded by federally protected lands: Lake Mead National Recreation Area to the east, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area to the south, Desert National Wildlife Range to the north and, to the west, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, aka Mount Charleston.

Within these public areas, hiking, camping, fishing and climbing take rare and refreshing precedence over the private sector's desire to pave, pound and produce. It is possible within each of these areas to experience a genuine escape from the relentless racket of urban living.

But for every advocate of maintaining the beauty and tranquility of these protected lands, there is somebody intent on making a dollar -- or perhaps millions of dollars -- by exploiting historical loopholes in the federal mission.

Recently, the owner of Bonnie Springs Ranch/Old Nevada, a petting zoo and mock Old West town within Red Rock Canyon, announced plans to partner with longtime local developer Randy Black Jr. to turn 34 acres near the ranch into a 17-home subdivision. Alan Levinson extolled the virtues of his development, arguing that the spacious home sites he envisions are no longer available in Las Vegas, where cracker boxes are crammed onto tiny lots.

Levinson's plan has encountered almost no opposition, partly because he did not require Clark County Commission approval of a zoning change to go forward. But the unconscionable absence of environmental voices on this issue should not be construed to mean Levinson's development will somehow be a pleasant addition to Red Rock.

On the contrary, erecting 17 sprawling mansions in Red Rock Canyon can only be negative for what environmentalists and political leaders alike have called the crown jewel of the Mojave Desert. The wonders of Red Rock -- an international mecca for rock climbers -- are already imperiled by the thousands of people who crowd onto its roads and trails every weekend. Careless visitors have sparked several wildfires lately by tossing cigarette butts into the brush.

The canyon also has been degraded by the growing traffic coursing through its midst. The too-high 60 mph speed limit on state Route 159 is routinely ignored by thrill-seekers and impatient commuters using the two-lane highway as a shortcut to avoid sometimes-brutal traffic jams on Blue Diamond Road and Interstate 15. An off-duty Las Vegas police officer bicycling in Red Rock was killed last month when a tractor-trailer rig ran him over.

While Levinson has the legal right to proceed, there is another option: buying the 34 acres from him and adding it to the conservation area.

This is not a new concept. The Nature Conservancy, one of the nation's most respected environmental groups, does this kind of thing all the time. Ecologically sensitive lands all over the world at risk of being developed are purchased by the nonprofit group and preserved.

In Nevada, we have another option: the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. This 1998 law allows the federal government to auction public lands within the Las Vegas Valley for development, then use the proceeds to acquire sensitive lands elsewhere in the state and protect them. Money also is allocated to improve public recreation facilities.

Because the auctions have been drawing deep-pocketed bidders for choice parcels in Las Vegas, the government has collected a boatload of money to spend on conservation. A federal committee recently established priorities for spending a whopping $1.1 billion to acquire sensitive lands and improve recreation. A fair chunk of this money would go to buy properties on Lake Tahoe.

Shifting private holdings on Lake Tahoe into the public domain is a worthy task, but so is protecting Red Rock Canyon from the development pressures we endure every day in Las Vegas. The federal government should offer Levinson a a fair market price for his 34 acres (and perhaps buy the rest of Bonnie Springs Ranch as well, considering his announced plans to close it down). Levinson's acceptance would serve the best interests of Red Rock and the many people who cherish its natural attributes.

The Bonnie Springs development is a harbinger of the challenges Southern Nevada will encounter as developable parcels dwindle in the Las Vegas Valley. Just last week, a proposal surfaced to build a hotel, restaurant and nightclub in Lee Canyon within the Spring Mountains.

Mount Charleston residents and activists are concerned because of the additional traffic and visual blight such a resort would bring to the sparsely populated area, as well as its impact on water and police and fire services.

The more the valley grows, the more important these public lands become to provide a respite from the stresses of city living. They also offer a haven for wildlife fleeing urban sprawl and preserve archaeological marvels such as American Indian petroglyphs. Robert Maichle, a Las Vegas resident and Spring Mountains volunteer, eloquently explained to a local reporter why he opposed more development in the recreation area: "This is the safety valve for all the people in the pressure cooker down below."

Geoff Schumacher is the director of community publications for Stephens Media Group and the author of "Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas." Contact him at gschumacher@stephensmedia.com.