Crashing the party

THE SPRINGS PRESERVE -- A COLLECTION OF MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND GARDENS on Valley View Boulevard near U.S. 95 -- celebrated its grand opening in true Las Vegas style.

There was mood-setting music. Kite "artists" put on an aerial display. And the media descended on the event in droves, jostling for position near the entrance.

But those crotchety old liberals at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada crashed the party.

A week before the June 8 grand opening, PLAN put out a news release condemning the Springs Preserve. It called the preserve "The Museum for What Used to Be Here" and said the Las Vegas Valley Water District is using the preserve to promote its water-mining ambitions.

"Sorry to ruin the party," said Launce Rake, PLAN's communications director. "The Springs Preserve has gotten an enormous amount of fawning media coverage, but the truth is it's a $250 million public-relations fig leaf for an agency that is committed to destroying the environment of our neighbors. That kind of environmental record does not speak well to sustainability, and they say the preserve is all about sustainability."

The news release said the leaders of the Water District and its sister agency, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, are dedicated to mining rural groundwater to fuel growth in Las Vegas and its suburbs. Despite the warnings of scientists, ranchers and conservationists about lasting environmental impacts, said the release, the leaders are pushing forward with the plan.

The plan, the release continued, will cost billions of dollars and impact areas of Nevada, Utah and California.

"The preserve, ostensibly, touts the environmental record of the Water District and the Water Authority," said Rake. "That's the whole point of it. They say it encourages a sustainable lifestyle. The problem with that is they are the last agencies in the world that could speak credibly about sustainability. They represent the growth and development lobby - and they do so very effectively.

"But there's no question their mission statement is about hooking new developments up with water. That's what they do."

The release also said, according to Water District figures, 51 percent of the funding for the Springs Preserve comes from customers of the Water District. Another 21 percent comes from the sale of federal land in Clark County.

And yet, said Rake, local adults are charged $14.95 for admission.

"If we had spent $250 million on a park that was accessible to everybody, including low-income folks, we would be a lot happier," said Rake. "PLAN is a conservation group, but we're also about economic justice. What's the justice in building a park that only rich people can afford to go to?"

Jesse Davis, the Springs Preserve's manager of marketing and public relations, said he's aware of the news release. But, said Davis, he doesn't give it any credence.

"I don't have a specific response to the press release you're referring to," said Davis. "But I can tell you, in general, that if that organization has that sort of position on this project, it's a bit uninformed. It doesn't know the full benefits of what this offers to the community."

Davis said he didn't want to address the "inaccuracies" in the release individually. They, he said, don't warrant a response.

"I have no specific thoughts about the release," said Davis, "other than we would invite anyone from PLAN to come out and actually take a look at the final product and then have them formulate their opinion based on what's actually offered here."

Scott Huntley, public information manager of the Water District and the Water Authority, also thought the release was off-base. Huntley said he doesn't see any connection between the preserve and the Water District's search for groundwater.

"The Springs Preserve and what to do with that site has been discussed for more than a decade, which is a lot longer than the issue of development has been discussed," said Huntley. "That has just come about in the last five years. It's kind of difficult to make that connection when one preceded the other by a long period of time. But that's their [PLAN's] opinion and they're welcome to it."

Added Springs Preserve Curator Jay Nichols, "This project started 10 years ago as a way to give back to the community on the part of the Water District and to use this 180-acre property to produce a public venue that could be enjoyed by everyone at a relatively low price. I don't think there are many things you can do around here for $14.95. We entertain the public. We help educate them about green building and sustainable lifestyles. I think it's all a very small price to pay for the amount of information we're distributing."

Nonetheless, PLAN remains resolute.

"I think that if the Water District had spent that $250 million on water conservation, we would be in much better shape right now," said Rake. "If the Water District had spent $250 million on researching alternative water supplies, we would be in a better situation. I don't believe that spending that money on a PR effort was a good investment. We could've done more for water conservation."

Matt O'Brien is CityLife's news editor. He can be reached at 871-6780 ext. 350 or mobrien@lvcitylife.com.