Tule Springs preservation proposal advances in Congress

A proposal to grant special status to thousands of acres containing prehistoric artifacts north of Las Vegas advanced in Congress on Thursday. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill that would designate a Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument on 22,650 acres. The action was taken by voice vote as the Senate panel met for the final time in the 2013 session. The bill advances to the Senate floor in January, while a companion bill still awaits action in the House. Besides adding a new feature to the national park system, the sweeping bill also would redraw the federal land map in parts of the Las Vegas Valley. It would expand conservation areas of Red Rock Canyon by 1,530 acres, release 9,700 acres along Sunrise Mountain that had been tied up in wilderness studies, convey 645 acres of federal land to North Las Vegas for development, and turn over 660 acres to the city of Las Vegas for the same. The measure also would deliver 1,211 acres of federal land at Nellis Dunes to Clark County to create a park for off-road vehicle users, and set aside 1,886 acres to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a new campus in North Las Vegas...more