LETTER: Avi Kwa Ame monument is a land grab

Ken Freeman Henderson

2 years ago

Native American petroglyphs line the rock walls along the canyon bottom in Hiko Springs within ... — Native American petroglyphs line the rock walls along the canyon bottom in Hiko Springs within the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument site. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

As an owner of property inside the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, I have skin in this game. The region is currently covered as an “area of critical environmental concern” (ACEC). The Eldorado/Paiute ACEC has more than 325,000 acres that are protected from any development and managed to protect desert tortoise habitat. The Avi Kwa Ame is too big and its designation will hurt the ones who live in the area by reducing public access. The locals do not want the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, and it is not needed.