Valley of Fire photo exhibit at Las Vegas Springs Preserve through April 30 (CityLife)

Photographer Nicholas Price divines the Valley of Fire

Anyone who has ever visited Valley of Fire State Park, located 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas, understands the strange power the red sandstone formations, which have existed since the age of dinosaurs, might have upon the imaginations of artists.

Walking among the shattered walls of ancient dunes, one feels transported to another planet — Mars, perhaps — where the sudden appearance of an alien robot or a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex would be shocking, maybe, but not entirely surprising. After all, Valley of Fire simmers with cosmic majesty, making the Strip look puny and forced by comparison.

Read the complete story at Las Vegas CityLife.

Nevada’s state parks forge new environmental partnership

“Leave No Trace” expert urges more responsible outdoor stewardship

CARSON CITY, Nev.—The eyes of committed conservationists see no difference between the front country and the backcountry.

A longstanding effort to increase environmental awareness has been to teach backcountry outdoor ethics. Specifically, the creed has been to “leave no trace” in remote areas.

The problem: Most visitors visit the front country—urban parks, established campgrounds, open space trails and the like. This is according Allen Newberry, chief of operations and maintenance for the Nevada Division of State Parks.

Newberry has been involved with the Leave No Trace program, which originated with the U.S. Forest Service in the 1960s, since the early 1970s, when he taught outdoor ethics to Boy Scouts at Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada.

Valley of Fire State Park opens new camp sites Dec. 17

 

OVERTON, Nev.–On Monday, December 17, 2007, Valley of Fire State Park will open a new addition to the park’s Atlatl Rock Campground.

Twenty-two RV camp sites with hookups for power and water will be opened, adding to the existing 19 vehicle and three tent campsites at the Atlatl Rock Campground. A new restroom with coin-operated showers and an RV dump station were also installed for visitor convenience.

“This project is another example of all the good things that have come from Question 1 Bond funds,” said State Parks Administrator David Morrow. “It is only 1 out of 25 more projects utilizing the 27 million in funds we have available.”

The new RV hookups will make visiting the park more comfortable during the extreme temperatures of both the summer and winter months and will help reduce the need to run noisy generators. The new camp sites will also allow more visitors to enjoy the park during the busy fall and spring seasons. The cost for these new sites with hookups is $24 per night.

Contact Park Supervisor Jim Hammons at 702-397-2088 for more information.

Free Bike to State Parks Weekend

The Nevada Division of State Parks will admit, free of charge, bicyclists who ride into any Nevada State Park the weekend of May 19-20, 2007, in celebration of National Bike Month.

Nevada State Parks include Lake Tahoe-Nevada (which includes the Spooner Backcountry), Valley of Fire, Spring Mountain Ranch, Lahontan, Floyd Lamb, Cathedral Gorge and Kershaw-Ryan.