BLM will manage off-road rec area

A rugged patch of desert teeming with the caterwaul of three-wheelers on weekends threatened to become a political battlefield.

But Clark County officials have come to a truce with off-road enthusiasts about how to manage Nellis Dunes, a 10,000-acre expanse of dirt and rocks near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The county is backing off its original plan to take charge of the entire dunes and, instead, will develop motorcycle tracks and user-friendly courses on 1,000 acres along Las Vegas Boulevard south of Apex.

The Bureau of Land Management, which owns the dunes, will continue to oversee the open area where off-roaders ride unrestricted. That was good news for a large contingent of local riders.

"It is our last open, unrestricted land," said Maryetta Bowman, a member of the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts, or SNORE.

The county has a troubled history in managing areas for off-road riding, Bowman said. For that reason, she and other people in the sport are relieved that BLM will manage the dunes' open area.

She praised Clark County for changing its position.

The next task is to submit a bill to Congress requesting the land be transferred to the county and that the entire dunes become a designated recreational site, said Michael Popp, senior county planner.

Right now, the dunes are unprotected, leaving the land open to be sold and developed.

The new arrangement doesn't affect the county's plans for creating a venue for sanctioned races and courses for varying skill levels, he said. It simply leaves the bulk of the dunes with the agency that off-roaders prefer.

A BLM representative said riders can expect the open area to stay the same.

"We're not proposing any change in management from the existing land-use plan," said Robert Wandel, BLM's recreation program manager.

However, Commissioner Tom Collins said he would like to ensure that the dunes are safe for riding, and that ambulances have adequate roads to carry out the injured.

When the county gets control of the land, it can request money from BLM land sales to improve the park, Collins said. Safety and solid infrastructure, he said, become crucial as the population grows.

"There are a lot more people out there stirring it up," Collins said.

SNORE is working to get the county's air-quality department to sign off on events at the dunes, said Don Wall, the group's president.

They've submitted a dust-suppression plan describing how they'll use water trucks to wet down the dirt and how they aim to install a semi-natural hard surface, Wall said. They also have research showing that area winds tend to blow north into the mountains, away from neighborhoods.

Still, Wall said he is pleased with the county's new arrangement with BLM.

"I'm just impatient," he said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.