Showdown over red tape at Red Rock

They weren't all happy campers Wednesday at Red Rock Canyon's open house on proposed changes to permits for group hikes, athletic competitions and other events at the popular park west of Las Vegas.

Some, such as mountaineer club member Harlan Stockman, said they wanted more details.

"This document is frightening," he said. "This needs to be clarified."

A few, such as Markus Coster, questioned the paperwork.

"What's driving this? Because it's not legally mandated," he said. "I think the problem is many of the specifics just aren't known."

One proposal, put out for public comment until March 9 by Bureau of Land Management officials, calls for allowing 10 permits per year for organized group hikes. The maximum number of participants that would be allowed per event is 50 per group "divided into sections of 15 with 20 minute spacing between sections."

"What we want you to do today is ask, 'Are these numbers too high? Are these numbers too low? Are they all right?' " BLM outdoor recreation planner Lee Kirk said at the meeting, which drew 75 people.

The open house was the first of two presentations at the national conservation area's visitor center. The BLM has put out two environmental assessments -- one for the core area and one for Cottonwood Valley, a mountain bike area -- for comment. The proposed changes to permits stem from a resource management plan finalized about five years ago.

Some at the meeting wondered about the BLM's logic behind resource protection. In one case for example, the presumed impact from 50 horses was considered equal to that of 12 hikers on a given day, on a given trail.

One veteran rock climber at the park said any improvement in the Special Recreation Permit process is welcome.

"The process was fundamentally broken," said Randy Marsh. "Anything they do to improve that is a step in the right direction. This is bureaucracy. Two layers of complexity."

In many cases, groups can police their own hikes by limiting 15 people on certain trails to avoid having to get a special recreation permit, said Robbie McAboy, manager of the national conservation area.

In some cases, a letter of agreement will suffice.

"It can take up to 180 days to process one permit," she noted.

Wearing a "Walk A Mile" T-shirt, Alan Gegax, chief of the Las Vegas Hiking and Outdoors Meetup, said the BLM staff has been "incredibly helpful with our group."

"I know there are a lot of fears in here that they're trying to stop us from hiking," Gegax said. "It seems like they're generally in agreement with us. They want us to hike out there."

Red Rock Canyon attracts more than 1 million visitors a year. Its popularity has BLM staff juggling many issues to satisfy all users ranging from hunters in the high country to hikers and bikers on established trails.

There also are other groups and events that require permits, depending on the size of the group and whether the use is commercial, competitive or organized.

"Organized" means the group is neither commercial nor competitive. And, as one slide in the show put it: "A group is loosely defined as more than one person in a recreation activity or event."

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.