Summerlin digs up Earth Day celebration

For the fifth consecutive year, Summerlin will host the Las Vegas Valley's biggest Earth Day celebration, Summerlin Earthfaire.

Scheduled for April 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Summerlin Centre Community Park, on Town Center Drive between West Charleston Boulevard and West Sahara Avenue, Summerlin Earthfaire is a free public event.

This year's festival features more than 50 environmental exhibitors and is sponsored by Summerlin, along with support from Republic Services, Mix 94.1, KTNV TV-13, The News, Cox Communications, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and Boston Cleaners.

Participating environmental groups will provide information about their respective organizations as well as tips on recycling, energy savings and interactive environmental education.

"More than 50 environmental groups have signed up to participate this year," said Nikki Liesse, director of marketing for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin and event organizer. "Summerlin Earthfaire continues to grow in popularity every year with exhibitors lining the field at Summerlin Centre Community Park. We've got so much planned this year, we've created an auxiliary parking lot directly across the street within a short walking distance of the park. We are extremely pleased that so many groups are interested in helping us mark and celebrate Earth Day in Southern Nevada."

Exhibitors include the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, Conservation District of Southern Nevada, Friends of Red Rock Canyon, City of Las Vegas Environmental Division, Nellis Air Force Base Environmental Management Office, The Tortoise Group, Outside Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Water Authority, The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club, National Wild Horse Association, Nevada Rock Art Foundation and many others.

The Nature Conservancy, which has participated in Summerlin Earthfaire since inception, will once again host an information booth at the event. According to Kathryn Landreth, Nevada state director, the Nevada office of The Nature Conservancy has a long history in the state that intersects with the beginning of Summerlin.

"Nearly 20 years ago when Summerlin was in its initial planning phase, The Nature Conservancy partnered with Summa Corp. -- predecessor to The Howard Hughes Corp., to facilitate an exchange with the Bureau of Land Management. This exchange added more than 5,000 acres to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and created a buffer zone to protect Red Rock Canyon from future development," Landreth said.

"This $25 million transaction was one of the largest ever completed by The Conservancy in the West, and thanks to the generosity of The Howard Hughes Corp., resulted in a savings to taxpayers of more than $1 million."

Today, The Nature Conservancy is working in Nevada to protect such environmentally sensitive areas as the Amargosa River, Carson River Project, Muddy River/Meadows Valley Wash and Truckee River. Recent successes include a financial partnership with the Clark County Commission and Clark County Desert Conservation program for the restoration and conservation of the Upper Muddy River, as well as a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the BLM for the restoration and preservation of the Upper Las Vegas Wash Eglington Preserve.

"These are projects that the general public probably knows very little about," Landreth said.

"Summerlin Earthfaire gives us an opportunity to share not only successes, but our current projects with those in the valley who have a strong interest in the environment."

According to Liesse, additional special event attractions include environmentally oriented activities for kids presented by Mad Science, a science-based educational firm that provides instruction to children in a hands-on learning environment; hands-on planting demonstrations by The UNLV Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners; children's art created from recycled materials presented by Roz Knight from City of the World; pet adoption by the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and an exhibit featuring live wild horses from the National Wild Horse Association.

"Summerlin has a long-standing history as an environmentally friendly community that began even before development commenced," said Tom Warden, senior vice president of government and community relations for The Howard Hughes Corp.

In 1987, three years before development began, Hughes made its first land exchange with the BLM to preserve and protect the area around Red Rock Canyon. This land swap contributed to the creation of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area as it exists today.

A second land exchange in 2002 added another 1,000-plus acres of sensitive high ground into the conservation area and set aside more than 1,200 acres for a future county trails park.

According to Warden, Summerlin was the first major community to use low water-use landscapes and is often credited with helping change the once negative perception of desert landscaping.

"Summerlin was also the first to use low-light-pollution street lighting, natural drainage preservation and is committed to smart and sustainable growth via a land plan that creates and maintains an environment where residents can live, work, shop and play all within their own community," he said.

"We feel a responsibility to help promote earth-friendly messages and are excited about the popularity of this event," Liesse said. "We invite the entire valley to join us in celebrating Earth Day and to learn more about how we can all be better citizens of the environment."

Summerlin began to take shape in 1990. Located along the western rim of the Las Vegas valley, Summerlin encompasses 22,500 acres with about 9,000 acres still remaining to accommodate future growth within the master plan, including the community's urban core of Summerlin Centre.

The community is currently home to more than 95,000 residents. Amenities include more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin trail system, nine golf courses, a dozen houses of worship, shopping centers, and medical and cultural facilities, business parks, 22 public and private schools and more than 100 actively selling floor plans.

Single-family homes to townhomes, condominiums and lofts are available.

For more information on Summerlin, visit summerlin.com or call 888-898-5015.