City Council votes to annex Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary land

The 9.3-acre property that is home to the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary has finally become part of the city of Las Vegas, but only after a contentious process that took months to complete.

On Wednesday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a measure to annex the land, a move sanctuary operators say will help them redevelop the northwest Las Vegas neighborhood attraction that is home to thousands of birds and other exotic animals.

The approval, made after little discussion, followed months of public bickering between current and ousted members of the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary board of directors.

As recently as two weeks ago, Ward 6 Councilman Steve Ross, whose district surrounds the Gilcrease property, sought to postpone the annexation until he could speak in person with William Gilcrease, the reclusive 92-year-old founder of the sanctuary that bears his name.

"I did clear up that confusion for myself and visited Mr. Gilcrease," said Ross, who said he was comfortable that Gilcrease did, indeed, want the land annexed.

For decades the sanctuary has been a fixture in the northwest part of Las Vegas. Founded by Gilcrease and his late brother, Ted Gilcrease, it represents a small slice of a Gilcrease-owned farming empire that in the middle of the last century was as big as 1,500 acres.

Visitors to the sanctuary make a small donation and can walk through row after row of several acres of cages, pens and ponds that are home to macaws, cockatoos, parrots, parakeets, ducks, geese, swans, ostriches, emus, goats, miniature horses, donkeys and tortoises, among other creatures that Gilcrease collected over the years.

The sanctuary operates separately from Gilcrease Orchard, a popular pick-and-pay farm also founded by the brothers but controlled by a separate board.

Sanctuary board members Helen Mortensen, a longtime community activist and conservationist, and Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, attended in support of the annexation.

Opponents of the annexation didn't show up for the vote Wednesday, including ousted board President Ellie Ahern.

She had attended previous meetings and alleged Gilcrease could be forced off the property by higher taxes if it were annexed.

Afterward annexation supporters had little to say about the vote.

"We have worked a long time to get to this point," board member Jessica Pigula said.

The board is embroiled in another lawsuit filed in June by Ahern and Sue Newman, who was also on the board.

Ahern was voted onto the board in April and was elected board president in May, after lobbying for the positions with promises of financial contributions to the sanctuary, other board members said.

But just 10 days after Ahern was elected president, she was ousted in a vote her lawsuit alleges violated the organization's bylaws, according to the complaint.

She opposed the annexation, alleging it would be damaging to Gilcrease's ability to stay on the property.

Ahern also said current sanctuary officials weren't authorized to sign off on annexation paperwork.

The doubts sown by Ahern prompted several delays and a meeting between Gilcrease and Ross, who wanted assurance the founder was in favor of the plan.

Ross said Gilcrease, whose attorney, Diana Foley, did not return calls, was in a wheelchair but otherwise in good condition.

"He certainly had his wits about himself," Ross said. "He is excited to see the sanctuary morph into something bigger and better."

The annexation will make it easier for the sanctuary to tie into city water and sewer services. It will allow operators to work closely with the city planning department to make long-awaited upgrades.

Plans are in the works to overhaul the entire property, starting with the parking lot, facade and entryway.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.