MKC Framework Plan 2005.pdf

U.S. Forest Service

Middle Kyle Canyon F r a m e w o r k P l a n

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Spring Mountains NRA 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89130 mkcfp@fs.fed.us http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf 702/515-5400 702/515-5499 fax

August 2005

Middle Kyle Canyon F r a m e w o r k P l a n

U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

4701 North Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NV 89130

Prepared by:

Shapins Associates

1818 16th St.

Boulder, CO 80302

Contents i

Contents

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S-1 Chapter 1: Introduction

Purpose and Need Chapter 2: Planning Process Overview

Analysis Plan Options Public Involvement and Plan Option Development

Chapter 3: Existing Conditions Overall NRA Middle Kyle Canyon Future Pressures/Opportunities

Chapter 4: Qualities and Issues Summary Discussion of Qualities and Issues

Chapter 5: Vision, Goals and Use Program Vision Goals to Achieve Vision Use Program

Chapter 6: Plan Options Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Chapter 7: Phasing and Costs Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Chapter 8: Summary of Potential Outcomes Physical and Biological Environment Land Use, Cultural, Social, and Economic Environment Public Parks and Recreation Lands Infrastructure and Easements LEED Considerations

Appendices Appendix A: References Appendix B: Species of Concern Appendix C: 2004 Information Meetings Participants Appendix D: Cost Details Appendix E: Notes

Summary

S-2

S Summary

This document presents a framework plan for Middle Kyle Canyon, within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (Spring Mountains NRA) near Las Vegas, Nevada. The plan focuses on options for managing approximately 2,500 acres of National Forest System lands to provide new opportunities for recreation, environmental education, and additional fire protection and maintenance/operations facilities. The goal is to select a preferred option that will direct the area's land-use decisions and facility development over the next 15 years. Development of the options required careful study of the area's resources, issues, and opportunities to address both current conditions and future growth in Las Vegas.

Kyle Canyon has a rich diversity of natural and scenic resources, and many of its recreation facilities are currently located in areas with sensitive plants and wildlife, that receive large numbers of visitors.

Public Involvement

Throughout the planning process, the planning team has solicited input from the public. Public involvement ensured that interested and affected individuals, organizations, agencies and governmental entities were consulted and provided opportunities to participate. Public involvement has served the following functions:

• Obtained public input on key issues.

• Informed the public about Middle Kyle

Canyon and the Spring Mountains NRA (through newsletters, public meetings, presentations and a website).

• Provided help in shaping management directions for Middle Kyle Canyon.

• Built support for the plan.

Kyle Canyon’s Resources

Middle Kyle Canyon is located at the transition from the hot and arid Mojave desert and the more lush ponderosa and bristlecone pine forests of the Spring Mountains NRA.

Map of Project Area

Workshop Attendees Exploring Kyle Canyon

S-3

S In many ways, Middle Kyle Canyon is an ideal location to meet recreation demand from nearby Las Vegas. It is easily accessible, has a 10-15 degree temperature difference from Las Vegas (rarely exceeding 90 degrees F), has few sensitive ecological areas, contains many disturbed and relatively flat sites for developing recreation facilities, and provides reasonable opportunities for utility connections.

Furthermore, its topographic variation makes for interesting and varied recreation experiences, and has many opportunities for interpreting the Spring Mountains’ natural and cultural history. Equestrians, Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) users and mountain bikers currently use the area, a good indicator of its appropriateness for a more intensive recreation location.

Goals

The planning team formulated many goals for the project based on an overall project vision and in response to the qualities and issues of the area. Detailed qualities and issues are presented in Chapter 4, and the goals and vision are presented more fully in Chapter 5.

Socioeconomics Provide a development that financially supports itself, and will meet the needs of many types of people in ways that protect the environment and private property.

Natural Resources Restore and protect sensitive natural resources and native vegetation.

Cultural Understand and take care of Middle Kyle Canyon’s significant cultural resources, paying special attention to Southern Paiute traditions and needs in the area.

Visitor Experience and Uses

Provide a group of recreation settings based on Middle Kyle Canyon’s special natural and cultural resources, and manage the site for an appropriate number of visitors.

Transportation Provide a transportation system that allows easy site access, eliminates confusion and is economical, safe and efficient.

Education and Interpretation Promote visitor understanding and appreciation of Middle Kyle Canyon through education and interpretation that reflects the unique identity of the Forest Service.

Partnerships Maintain and create new partnerships that are synergistic and produce solutions.

Administrative Facilities Construct administrative and emergency response facilities that can be highly responsive, and are ecologically and fiscally sustainable.

Vision

Middle Kyle Canyon is a place that is enjoyable, easy to navigate for all people, and provides a safe environment to form wonderful memories in a natural outdoor setting. Partnerships are used to promote pride, understanding, appreciation and protection of the site’s unique environmental and historic resources, and Southern Paiute stories.

S-4

S Description of Options

Three options were developed for Middle Kyle Canyon, each based on a different model for future visitor use and resource conservation. They focus on “what” resource conditions and visitor activities are appropriate, rather than on details concerning “how” recommendations should be achieved. The project team developed these options to explore different ways of improving and managing Middle Kyle Canyon and its resources for increased public use.

The overall philosophy for facility placement and recreation use would be to build on already-disturbed areas first, protect areas with rare or sensitive animal or plant species, safeguard significant cultural sites, and restore disturbed sites that are not going to be used for facilities.

A small “Village” would consist of several uses that benefit from close proximity to one another. Convenient and frequent mass transit service from the Village to key recreation locations would ease traffic congestion.

Facilities outside the Village would include recreation uses better suited to rural or primitive settings, such as picnic areas, campgrounds, and a variety of trails.

Expanded administrative facilities would allow the Forest Service to provide better emergency response service, and close coordination with local entities.

Option 1: Balance Recreation/Education with Environmental/Economic Sustainability (Preferred Option) This preferred option would provide a broad range of recreation and environmental education opportunities while preserving the Canyon’s key natural and cultural resources. Recreation related facilities that produce revenue would be provided to help ensure long-term operation and maintenance costs are met. Of the three options it would provide the most comprehensive program—allowing people to choose from a wide variety of experiences, ranging from very active and communal to quiet and contemplative.

Village The center of activity would be a small “Village” overlooking the adjacent “Valley” of Kyle Canyon and the Mt. Charleston Wilderness. The selected site and adjacent valley are currently disturbed and ideal for revitalization.

Facilities would include:

• Medium sized visitor center with a book and gift shop

• Large and small amphitheater

• Environmentally-based shops

• Shop selling picnic/camp supplies

• Food vendors

• Artist-in-residence studio

• Small indoor multi-use space

• Group picnic sites

• Green “commons” area

Adjacent Kyle Canyon Valley facilities would include:

• Array of hiking trails

• Sledding hill (for the few times adequate snow exists)

• Children’s fishing pond

• Natural outdoor classrooms

• Restored natural areas on the Rim

View From South Rim Into Kyle Canyon

S-5

S

Transportation The Village would provide a range of transportation facilities, including alternative transportation solutions that help alleviate traffic congestion. They include:

• Express buses from Las Vegas

• Circulator buses to upper canyons

• Separated bike/hike path and equestrian path along S.H. 157 from intersection of I-95/157 to Village

• Surface/garage parking

• Upper canyon’s parking lots closed during high season(s)

Recreation Facilities Recreation facilities outside the Village would allow users to experience the area from a multitude of different levels and viewpoints. Facilities would include:

• Picnic sites for groups, extended families and individual families

• Camp sites for tents or RVs, individual or group

• Equestrian trails/campground

• Horse-rental concession

• North rim trail (would link picnic and camp sites to Village and canyon bottom trail)

• Canyon-bottom trail

• Range of mountain bike trails

• OHV trailhead

• Historic ranger station rehabilitated for public use

Protection and Restoration This option would provide moderate restoration in the area south of the Village, and careful management of endemic plants:

• Stabilize and revegetate disturbed slopes

• Redesign channelized wash in certain places to allow return of some natural stream processes

• Revegetate previous golf-course areas with native plant species

• Reconfigure/enhance ponds to encourage endemic butterflies and other local wildlife

• Work with Southern Paiutes for indigenous plant management

Near Harris Springs Road, Looking East Towards Las Vegas

Hiking Within Slot Canyon

S-6

S

Administrative Facilities A new administrative area for the Forest Service would be developed with:

• Multi-agency fire complex

• Two helicopter landing pads

• Maintenance area

• Research center

• Office space for concessionaires

• Employee and volunteer housing

• RV/trailer sites

Option 2: Resource Conservation with Focus on Education

This option focuses on conserving and restoring Middle Kyle Canyon’s natural resources with only limited recreation facilities provided in already-disturbed areas. Small buildings and outdoor spaces that support environmental education activities are emphasized.

Village Visitor facilities would be centered around a small Village complex, which would include:

• Visitor contact station/bookstore

• Individual and group picnic sites

• Individual RV and tent camping

• Walk-in campground for tents

• Simple pedestrian trail system

Transportation This option would stress transit over driving:

• Express buses from Las Vegas

• Frequent circulator buses

• Upper canyon’s parking lots closed during high season(s)

• Parking lot kept small at Village

Recreation Facilities Opportunities for recreation outside the Village would include:

• Group campsite

• Canyon-bottom trail

• Equestrian trails/trailhead

• Off Highway Vehicle trailhead

• Historic ranger station adapted for education and research

Protection and Restoration This option would provide extensive environmental restoration:

• Channelized streambed restored

• Many trails removed, and slopes and turf areas rehabilitated

• Recreation use limited in Valley to better protect endemic plants

• Work with Southern Paiutes for indigenous plant management

Administrative Facilities A small administrative area would be established at an existing disturbed area:

• Multi-agency fire station

• Maintenance area

• Small employee housing area

Bicycling at Fletcher View Campground

Equestrians Currently Use Parking Area Near Proposed Village Site

S-7

S Option 3: Emphasize Economic Sustainability

Option 3 emphasizes recreation and education uses that generate revenue, to ensure that long-term operations and maintenance costs and unforeseen expenses are met. Development would focus on concession facilities, event spaces and trails that support concession rentals. Educational programs and facilities would be kept small-scale to minimize on-going costs.

Village The Village would have:

• Small visitor center with large bookstore and shop

• Spaces for community and small convention events

• Restaurant and other food concessions

• Retail and outdoor equipment shops

• Small paved hiking trail system

• Unpaved bike loop

Transportation Visitors would have convenient year-round automobile access:

• Parking at Village in large surface lots and garage

• Ski area and/or others asked to subsidize circulator buses

Recreation Facilities Outside of the Village, facilities would consist of:

• Extensive picnic/campgrounds with trail connector to Village

• Meeting center and lodge

• Horse rentals and equestrian facilities similar to Option 1

• Canyon-bottom trail

• Off Highway Vehicle trailhead

• Historic ranger station adapted for cabin rentals

Protection and Restoration Restoration efforts would be limited to areas that would become costly to repair if not tended to in the short-term.

Administrative Facilities An administrative area would be developed the same as Option 1.

Next Steps

The Forest Service will use the framework plan as a base for a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliant document.

During the development of this document, additional public meetings will be held and environmental impacts of the preferred plan will be evaluated.

Hiking Within Kyle Canyon c h a p t e r 1 Introduction

The Middle Kyle Canyon Framework Plan identifies options and new opportunities for conservation, recreation, environmental education, and fire protection for approximately 2,500 acres of National Forest System lands located in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (Spring Mountains NRA). The plan is the product of a preliminary planning phase, which will be followed by production of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliant document. The focus of this preliminary phase was gathering information and analyzing a range of potential land use options. These uses include resource protection, recreation and administrative facility development needs, and environmental education opportunities.

This phase also included selecting a preferred option that will be considered in detail during the NEPA process.

Located about 45 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, Kyle Canyon is one of the most accessible and developed areas of the Spring Mountains NRA, receiving approximately two million visitors annually. Its upper reaches are a true oasis of ponderosa and bristlecone pines within the region’s vast Mojave Desert, and are home to many of Spring Mountains NRA’s 23 plant and animal species of concern—which exist no other place in the world. State Routes 157 and 156, which lead from U.S. 95 to Kyle and Lee canyons, serve as gateways to the recreation area for hiking, picnicking, winter recreation, rock climbing, camping and horseback riding.

Included in Middle Kyle Canyon is 128-acre of disturbed land—an abandoned golf course that the Forest Service purchased in February 2004. This land provides an outstanding opportunity for the Forest Service to create a diversity of recreation facilities and reduce recreation pressure on upper Kyle Canyon.

Purpose and Need

The purpose of the framework plan is to establish the vision, goals and objectives for Middle Kyle Canyon and determine the location of appropriate uses and facilities and the general size and relationship of those uses. The framework plan is needed in order to reduce recreation pressure on ecologically sensitive areas—known as biodiversity hotspots—of upper Kyle Canyon. These hotspots contain plants and animals found nowhere else, and are referenced by the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) as areas to avoid.

Figure 1: Map of Project Area

Many Las Vegas residents visit upper Kyle Canyon each year seeking to escape summer heat and enjoy winter recreation.

Their use is putting stress on the hotspots, as well as the upper canyon’s limited recreation resources. These resources cannot be expanded because of the MSHCP, and visitors competing to use current resources cause traffic problems, trample sensitive resources, and—when recreational facilities are full—visitors recreate on private property within the Mt. Charleston residential community. These will become even greater issues in the future because the population of Las Vegas—and especially the area around the intersection of U.S. 95 and S.R. 157—is growing rapidly.

Middle Kyle Canyon represents an excellent opportunity to move some visitor use out of upper Kyle Canyon. Its varied topography, somewhat cooler temperatures than Las Vegas, and interesting scenery could provide an exceptional recreation destination for Las Vegas residents and tourists alike, while helping to educate them about the upper area’s ecological sensitivity.

It could also provide a transportation staging area—essentially acting like a large trailhead—that would minimize traffic entering the narrow and windy roads of the upper area and create a quieter more Forest Service-like experience in that area.

The plan’s intended outcomes are to:

• Provide a framework for development and conservation for the next 15 to 20 years.

• Determine appropriate uses, locations, scale and relationships for facilities.

• Reduce pressure on highly sensitive resource areas in the upper canyons.

• Conserve sensitive natural and cultural resources.

• Address increased recreation use due to growth in nearby Las Vegas.

The Spring Mountains are a "Sky Island" Within the Mojave Desert c h a p t e r 2 Planning Process

Overview

Planning Process Overview

Analysis

The area was analyzed at three scales in order to create a plan that addresses the needs of locals, stakeholders, regional visitors, the Southern Paiute Nation, and tourists. However, the focus of the plan is Middle Kyle Canyon, a five mile stretch along S.H. 157 with about 2,500 acres beginning near Harris Springs Road on the east and ending at Fletcher View Campground on the west. Central to the plan is the former golf course known as the “Nel Property,” a disturbed area at the center of the site that was analyzed in more detail. This work helped the team to determine appropriate uses for the area, and place them in the most suitable locations to accommodate user needs while saving sensitive resources.

The region’s recreation areas, natural and cultural resources and visitor facilities (both existing and proposed) were also looked at spatially, meaning their location within the region, and how they complement one another. This helped the Forest Service understand how Kyle Canyon fits both physically and culturally with other resources in the area. The area analyzed included the Las Vegas Valley, the Spring Mountains, the Sheep Mountains, Lake Mead, and Pahrump.

A more local scale—Kyle, Lee, and Deer Creek canyons from US 95 to the high mountains—allowed consideration of opportunities for moving current uses out of congested areas and sensitive areas to more appropriate locations.

Planning work began with an inventory and analysis of natural, cultural and recreation resources to gain a solid base of data from which to work. Maps were developed at several scales, from regional to site-level, to help understand issues that affect the project site. Meetings were then held with a diversity of community and government representatives to understand needs, expectations, and ongoing efforts relevant to this planning effort. This information was then synthesized, and used to develop a vision, goals, and appropriate uses for Middle Kyle Canyon.

Planning Process Overview

Inventory and Analysis Vision, Goals and Program

July - Oct. 2004

Options Developed and Presented to Spring Mountains NRA Staff

Nov. 2004 - Jan. 2005

Options Presented in Public Meetings and Impacts Studied

Feb. - Mar. 2005

Framework Plan Finalized and Reviewed by Washington Office

Apr. - June 2005

National Environmental Policy Act Compliant Document Produced

Begins July 2005

Site Design and ImplementationFuture Phase

Figure 2: Planning Process and Schedule

Information Gathering Meetings Members of the project planning team met with many community, local government/ public agency representatives and Southern Paiute tribe members about Middle Kyle Canyon to help understand the area’s special qualities and issues. Key characteristics emerged from these meetings, which are described in Chapter 4. After these meetings, the first newsletter was distributed. This newsletter summarized the project and its timeline.

Vision and Goals Workshop Using the qualities and issues that emerged from the analysis and information gathering phase, the Forest Service held a planning team workshop to develop ideas to establish a vision and goals for Middle Kyle Canyon. Appropriate uses for the area were also defined. Included in this and all key workshops were transportation representatives, Outside Las Vegas Foundation, Shapins Associates personnel, and Forest Service personnel representing a diversity of resource management and recreation areas.

Plan Options

Next, three draft planning options were developed that illustrated different ways of meeting the vision and goals. They represent different ways to manage the area in relation to public use, facility development, plants and wildlife, cultural resources, operations, and maintenance.

These options were then shown to the public to further understand their needs and desires. Based on resource impacts and public feedback, a preferred option was developed and the framework plan drafted.

The final framework plan will be evaluated through the NEPA process. This process will include further public involvement and impact analysis, and once complete the plan will form the basis for constructing area facilities and restoring disturbed areas.

Furthermore, a proposal for the visitor center contained in the framework plan will be sent to the Forest Service’s Washington Office for review.

Public Involvement and Plan Option Development

Public involvement for the framework plan involved many types of meetings and communication methods in order to reach a broad range of public agency representatives, technical specialists, and citizens. Input collected from the public was then used to develop and refine several plan options, from which one preferred option was selected. Public outreach and team planning workshop efforts included:

• Information gathering meetings with public agencies, public interest groups and interested individuals.

• Workshop with Southern Paiute tribes.

• Workshops to develop plan vision, goals and options.

• Presentation of draft preferred option at the Mt. Charleston Summit.

• Planning review group workshops.

• Public open house.

• Publicized comment period.

• Planning newsletters.

• Informational website.

Southern Paiute Workshop

Field Trip with Area Technical Specialists this event to raise awareness of the planning effort and solicit feedback and comments.

The Summit drew about 200 invited guests from dozens of government agencies, organizations and community groups, including U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), U.S. Senator John Ensign (R-NV), the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, the Nevada Division of Forestry, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Mount Charleston residents, representatives from the town of Pahrump, and other entities.

At this meeting, the Public Open House was announced, and Planning Update Newsletter two was distributed. This newsletter contained a description of all the options and a comment sheet.

The public comment period, which began on February 22, 2005 and ended April 9, 2005, was announced at this meeting.

Planning Review Group On March 29, 2005, the three development options were presented to a Planning Review Group. This group consisted of more than 20 community and local government representatives.

Public Open House The Public Open House was held on March 29, 2005, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Spring Mountains NRA main office. It was intended for members of the public to review the options, ask questions and give feedback. This meeting was publicized through press releases, at the Mt.

Charleston Summit, on the Mt. Charleston Summit’s website and local news stations announcements. More than 100 people attended this event and gave meaningful input. Many of the attendees supported the draft preferred option.

Exhibits were arranged so the public could move around the space at their own pace and receive individual attention from planning team members. The Planning Update Newsletter two was distributed, and feedback questionnaires were available.

Plan Option Development Workshops Following development of the vision, goals, and appropriate types of public and administrative uses, the planning team developed four plan options for recreation and management of Middle Kyle Canyon.

These options illustrated differing ways to protect the area’s natural and cultural resources while developing the site for diverse recreational uses. These options were further refined through several additional workshops, and a draft preferred option selected. These were then presented to the entire Spring Mountains NRA staff to obtain input and comments on the plans.

Mt. Charleston Summit “Focus on the Forest: A Mount Charleston Summit,” was held on February 22, 2005, to discuss a variety of issues and planning efforts under way to conserve the Spring Mountains NRA. The draft-preferred option for Middle Kyle Canyon was presented at

Mt. Charleston Summit

Public Open House

Informational Website An information website was developed late in the project process, to keep the public informed of the latest Framework Plan developments. This website contains a description of the project; reports, documents and newsletters created during the project; and descriptions and graphics for each of the three options. This website will continue to be updated throughout development of the NEPA document.

This website is located at http://www.fs.fed.

us/r4/htnf/projects/smnra/middle_kyle_ canyon_framework/home.shtml.

Comments and Option Revisions A comment period beginning on February 22, 2005 and ending April 9, 2005 was publicized, and over 35 questionnaires were received. They were summarized, and a workshop was held to revise the options, including the draft preferred option, based on all feedback.

These revised options were then synthesized into the framework plan, which was re-presented to the Planning Review Group for comments.

Planning Review Group Second Look The Planning Review Group and Forest Service staff reviewed the draft framework plan to ensure accuracy.

Newsletters Three newsletters were sent to a mailing list with over 500 people and made available upon request. The first newsletter, mailed August, 2004, described the Spring Mountains NRA, the framework plan, and its purpose and process. The second newsletter, mailed February, 2005, described the three draft options, summarized the project’s qualities and issues, and its vision and goals. This newsletter also announced the Public Open House and comment period. The third newsletter, mailed July, 2005, described the final draft preferred option, summarized public comments, and described the next steps for the framework plan.

Covers from the Three Newsletters c h a p t e r 3 Existing

Conditions

Existing Conditions

Overall NRA

Encompassing 316,00 acres, the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (Spring Mountains NRA) is the third largest NRA in the National Forest System.

Located just 30 minutes northwest of Las Vegas, the fastest growing urban area in the country, the Spring Mountains NRA hosts approximately 2 million visitors per year.

Surrounded by the nation’s driest desert— the Mojave—Spring Mountains NRA contains the highest mountain in the Las Vegas area, and the third highest peak in Nevada. As a result of its wide range in elevation, Spring Mountains NRA contains a corresponding range of life zones—five of the six life zones found in North America can be experienced here. Precipitation in the Spring Mountains varies from four inches at its low elevations (about 4,000) to 28 inches or more at 11,000 feet.

Temperatures 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Las Vegas draw people to Spring Mountains NRA’s upper canyon reaches in the summer, and the only snow for miles around attracts large numbers of desert dwellers in the winter. Developed recreation facilities such as a small visitor information center, trails, campgrounds, picnic areas, and a ski area are located primarily in the upper reaches of the three developed canyons: Kyle, Deer Creek, and Lee.

There are 3 congressionally designated wilderness areas within the Spring Mountains NRA, totaling 79,500 acres —La Madre Mountain (19,400 acres), Mt.

Charleston (55,300 acres), and Rainbow Mountain (4,800 acres). These areas provide a quiet and more contemplative experience near urban Las Vegas.

The Spring Mountains NRA has a wealth of heritage resources that represent human habitation of the area for the last 13,000- 15,000 years.

Mummy Mountain is a Recognizable Feature of the Spring Mountains NRA

Purposes and Legislation Spring Mountains NRA was established in 1993 by a special act of Congress, Public Law 103- 63, as one of 38 National Recreation Areas in the United States. Its main purposes are:

1. To conserve the scenic, scientific, historic, cultural, natural, wilderness, watershed, riparian, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, and other values contributing to public enjoyment and biological diversity in the Spring Mountains of Nevada;

2. To ensure appropriate conservation and management of natural and recreation resources in the Spring Mountains;

3. To provide for the development of public recreation opportunities in the Spring Mountains for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

The 1998 Spring Mountains NRA General Management Plan identifies the following emphasis areas:

1. The conservation of scenic, scientific, historic, cultural, and other values contributing to public enjoyment;

2. The conservation of fish and wildlife populations and habitat, including the use of prescribed fire to improve or maintain habitat;

3. The protection of watersheds, and the maintenance of free-flowing streams, and the quality of ground and surface water in accordance with applicable law;

4. Public outdoor recreation benefits, including, but not limited to hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, rock climbing and nature study;

5. Provide Wilderness Areas as designated by Congress;

6. Management and use of natural resources in manner compatible with the purposes for which the Recreation Area was established.

These purposes and legislation represent two sometimes competing goals:

conservation of natural resources and the provision of recreation opportunities.

Interpretive Plan Integration The Middle Kyle Canyon planning team coordinated with Interpretive Arts Unlimited!, the group preparing an interpretive plan for the overall Spring Mountains NRA. That plan provides a “broad conceptual framework for developing an integrated network of interpretive, education and information opportunities throughout the Spring Mountains NRA.” Coordinating the Framework Plan with work conducted for the interpretive plan ensure that themes identified by that plan are incorporated into the vision and goals for Middle Kyle Canyon. The following themes were identified in the interpretive plan:

Crossroads: The Spring Mountain Range is a crossroads—geologically and culturally.

Cool Place to Play: The Spring Mountains offer dramatic climatic relief to the 1.6 million residents of Las Vegas.

Contrast, Transitions and Extremes: The Spring Mountains NRA offers dramatic contrast from the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip. Biological diversity is seen in its amazing array of distinct life zones—from high desert to alpine peaks.

Foundation Written in Stone: The Spring Mountains NRA offers spectacular views of the landforms created by geological processes over time.

The Source: The Spring Mountain Range watershed is the largest contributor to the Las Vegas aquifer. The mountains are also the Southern Paiute Place of Creation—their “Holy Land.”

Biological Hotspot: Because of climatic isolation, the Spring Mountains are home to plants and animals not found anywhere else in the world.

High Desert at the Base of the Spring Mountains

Spring Near the Cold Creek Settlement

Pondeosa and Bristlecone Pine Forests Comprise the Upper Reaches of the Spring Mountains

Regional Public Lands Context Spring Mountains NRA is just one of many public lands surrounding the Las Vegas area. Four federal land management agencies—the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)—manage more than 7 million acres of public land surrounding Las Vegas. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NPS), Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (BLM), and the Desert Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) offer a wide range of large-scale recreation opportunities. Many of these sites also offer, or will offer, visitor centers and expanded education programs that interpret the region’s natural and cultural history.

“Sky Island” and Endemics The Spring Mountains are an isolated “sky island,” meaning a mountain range isolated from others by large areas of dry desert. As the area warmed during the Pleistocene era, animal and plant species became isolated from each other as they retreated with a shrinking high elevation habitat and were constrained from regional movement by the surrounding now-arid land.

These isolated plants and animals continued to evolve, and now the Spring Mountains NRA is home to a high number of species found nowhere else. Currently, 57 of these species have been recorded. Building visitor awareness of this unique quality is vital for protecting these species and the NRA’s biological hot spots.

Geology The Spring Mountains are composed primarily of limestone and dolomite filled with the fossils of corals and other marine organisms that inhabited the floor of prehistoric seas. Over millions of years, tremendous geologic pressures compressed skeletons and shells into rock and uplifted the sea floor until the Spring Mountain Range towered 9,000 feet over the Las Vegas valley.

Creeks and washes in the Spring Mountains flow infrequently primarily due to the limestone and dolomite that compose most of the range. It is highly fractured and contains numerous cavities due to dissolution of the limestone. Most of the water that falls on the range percolates through this porous and fractured rock, and flows in the subsurface through these interconnected cavities. Some of this water discharges through the numerous springs throughout the range.

Southern Paiute Meanings The Spring Mountains are considered the Creation Place of the Southern Paiute Nation and the mountains are the center of the tribe’s cosmology—the single most important place to the tribe’s members.

Because it is their Creation Place, the

Wetlands Park

Red Rock Canyon NCA

Lake Mead

NRA

Mentzelia are Common in the Spring Mountains

Ila Bullets, a Southern Paiute, Visits the Slot Canyon

Angel Peak

Red Rock

Canyon

Nat ional

Conservat ion

Area

Deser t

Nat iona l

Wild l i fe

Range

Las

Vegas

Las Vegas

Pa iute Indian

Reser vat ion

Nel Property

Project Area

Charleston Peak

11,918’

Griffith Peak

U.S. 95

B el tw ay

E x pa ns io n

(P ro po se d

Ky le Canyon

Telephone Can yon

Lu ck y St rik e

C an yo n

D ee r C re ek Ca ny on

Le e

Canyo n

Tr ai l C an yo n

Views to Desert NW R

M t.

C ha rle st on Vi ew s and Nevada Test Site

S R

S R

S R

Har ris

Springs Road

Kyle Visitor Center & Maintenance Facility

(5 CCC Cabins) 532

MIDDLE KYLE CANYON - FRAMEWORK PLAN

Spring Mountain National Recreation Area SHAPINS

ASSOCIATES

PLANNING URBAN DESIGN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

NORTH

S c a l e A p p r o x i m a t e 0 1 2 Miles

Local Context - Existing Conditions: Natural & Cultural Resources

Legend

Transportation

Land Ownership Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (USFS) National Conservation Area

(BLM)

Bureau of Land Mangement

Private Land

Wilderness Area National Wildlife Range

(USF&WS)

Paiute Indian Reservation

Framework Plan Project Boundary

Landmarks/Environmental Mountan Peaks

Environmental Hot Spots

Springs Streams

Major View Areas

Primary Highway Proposed Primary Highway Secondary Highway (Paved) Improved Road (Paved) Improved Road (Gravel)

Southern Paiutes are especially attached to the mountains and the mountains to them.

This is a birth-right connection transferred from generation to generation, and comes with rights, responsibilities and obligations to properly use the Spring Mountains and their natural resources to achieve balance in individuals, communities, and the world.

The high peaks of the range are a major source of power or energy—known as puha to the Southern Paiutes—which enlivens everything in and around them such that air, water, rocks, minerals, topographic features, plants, animals, and humans work together to maintain balance in the world.

These elements have the power to act, and if treated improperly could either hurt the offending person/entity or choose to leave.

Southern Paiutes believe energy travels along interconnected pathways in the landscape, and where they cross are places with special purposes composed of the different elements of the universe. These places include those used for acquiring energy, rites-of-passage, shaman power, healing, maintaining the balance of the world, stopping over on the way to and from powerful landscapes, and creating synergy.

Paiute people travel on the pathways physically across the land, mentally in a dream state, and spiritually after death. The final portion of the thousand-mile Salt Song trail travels through the Spring Mountains, which is the path to the afterlife traveled by all Southern Paiutes on their way to heaven.

A special place is the slot canyon in Middle Kyle Canyon, which is a stopping over place and ceremonial site for Paiutes journeying to the Spring Mountains.

The Spring Mountains hold many physical and cultural traces from Southern Paiute interactions, including storied rocks, songscapes, and district boundaries.

However, there is not much evidence that members of the Nation lived in the Spring Mountains, because the tribe believed that people should not permanently inhabit places of great power. Therefore, they believe that permanent structures of any kind should not be placed within the mountains.

Today, it is recognized that the physical control of much of Southern Paiute aboriginal lands has been transferred to the United States of America. While the legal ownership has shifted, the moral, spiritual, and cultural stewardship responsibilities for these lands remain as defined by the Creator, in the hands of Southern Paiute people. For the latter reason, the Southern Paiute people would like to remain in a stewardship capacity to advise on moral, spiritual, and cultural matters in the Spring Mountains.

Southern Paiutes Point Out Plants Important to the Tribe

Middle Kyle Canyon

Preferred Recreation Location The close proximity of Kyle Canyon to Las Vegas makes it one of the most accessible recreation areas in the region. Most of its developed campgrounds, picnic areas and trails are currently in the upper canyon area, which receives the majority of Spring Mountains NRA’s visitors. Many of these visitors are seeking to escape summer heat and enjoy winter recreation, and because their use is concentrated in the upper canyons they are putting stress on sensitive ecological areas and limited recreation resources. Because facilities in the upper canyons cannot be expanded, the Spring Mountains NRA must find another location in which to place new facilities that help meet recreation demand while also protecting and conserving the upper canyon’s sensitive resources.

In many ways, Middle Kyle Canyon is an ideal location in which to meet this demand. It is easily accessible, has a 10- 15 degree temperature difference from Las Vegas (rarely exceeding 90 degrees F), has few sensitive ecological areas, contains many disturbed and relatively flat sites for developing recreation facilities, and provides reasonable opportunities for connecting to necessary utilities. Its topographic variation makes for interesting and varied recreation experiences, and could allow for interpretation of the Spring Mountains’ natural history. Equestrians, OHV recreationalists and mountain bikers currently use the area, attesting to its attractiveness for recreation.

Furthermore, because of its milder summer temperatures and minimal winter snowfall, Middle Kyle Canyon could be used virtually year-round for recreation activity.

Natural Resources and Vegetation Zones

Climate Middle Kyle Canyon is excellent for close-to year-round recreation, because it has lower summer temperatures than the nearby Las Vegas Valley, and higher winter temperatures than upper Kyle and Lee canyons. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 90oF, with the hottest days in July. Although freezing temperatures are common in winter, many days have temperatures well above 50oF. The area is semi-arid with average precipitation of 14” per year, much of which is received October through March. On average, only 15 days per year have more than 0.5” precipitation.

Snow is received periodically, but because freezing temperatures are not sustained the snow melts quickly. Wind typically comes from the southwest, ranging from 0 – 32 MPH, averaging 5.6 MPH.

Vegetation and Wildlife Transitioning through Middle Kyle Canyon brings variation in vegetation, wildlife and topography. The lower reaches are open and dominated by desert plants like sagebrush and Joshua trees. The desert plant communities transition at higher elevations

View Toward Charleston Peak from Middle Kyle Canyon

Pinyon/Juniper Forests in Middle Kyle Canyon

D ow n C anyon View s

D ow n C anyon Views

M t.

C ha rle sto n V ie w s

Sp rin g M ou nt ain N

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Red Rock C anyon N

C A

To Las Vegas

To Griff ith Pe ak

Telephone Canyon

Deer C reek Road

Limit of Vegetation Data Limit of Vegetation Data

Harr is

Sp rin gs Ro ad

To Mt. Charleston

To Le e C an yo n

S R

S R

Po wer

L in e Road

Angel Pe ak

R oad

Kyle Canyon Kyle Visitor Center & Maintenance Facility (5 CCC Cabins)

Mt. Charleston Wilderness

Area

Mt. Charleston Wilderness

Area

Nel Property

Hotel/Condos

Angel Peak

Project Site - Existing Conditions: Natural & Cultural Resources

Legend

Transportation/Infrastructure

Secondary Highway (Paved) Improved Road (Paved) Improved Road (Native Surface)

Major Trails

Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (USFS)

Private Land

Disturbed Lands

Pinyon/Juniper

Land Forms

Springs

Desert Washes

Major Rock Outcrops Unique Rock Formation

Canyon Edge (Steep)

High Point

Major View Areas

Streams

Framework Plan Project Boundary Wilderness Area

Coniferous Forest

MIDDLE KYLE CANYON - FRAMEWORK PLAN

Spring Mountain National Recreation Area SHAPINS

ASSOCIATES

PLANNING URBAN DESIGN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Kyle Visitor Center and Maintenance Facility

Vegetation/Land Ownership

Gentle Slopes

High Desert Scrub

Environmental Hotspots

NORTH

Scale Approximate 0 1,000 2,000 Feet to cliffrose, and pinyon-juniper woodlands.

Adjacent to and above the Nel Property, the Canyon contains forests of ponderosa pine and other coniferous trees. Bristlecone pines, limber pines and aspen appear at its highest elevations. The diversity created by this variety of habitats supports a wide variety of fauna, including elk, bighorn sheep, deer, migratory birds, reptiles, and rodents. The higher areas also support endemic butterflies and their host plants.

Much of the bench area south of the Nel Property has historically fallen within the pinyon-juniper woodland ecosystem. A 1927 fire burned much of this area and it is currently populated by cliffrose that is transitioning to pinyon-juniper. A remnant stand of pinyons that did not burn in this fire is located at the center of the bench and provides a reference landscape for what the entire bench would be vegetated with today had the fire not occurred.

Geology Geologically, Middle Kyle Canyon is surrounded by high and steep limestone mountains, at the base of which lies the Kyle Canyon alluvial fan. This fan is made up of six distinct alluvial fan deposits, debris shed off the high Spring Mountains into stream drainages and deposited near the lower reaches of the range. The modern day drainage system has cut down into these earlier alluvial fan deposits, exposing their layering. Unlike alluvial deposits in wetter climates, these have a crudely defined and irregular composition of boulders, cobbles, pebbles and sand deposited by debris flows or mudflows. They involved minor amounts of water relative to the amount of sediment

– just enough to move rock, sand and mud material as a thick, sticky mass.

The slot canyon near Harris Springs Road and the cliffs at the former Nel property are an example of “Calcrete”—a portion of the Kyle Canyon alluvial fan that was heavily cemented with calcium carbonate derived from the Spring Mountains’ limestone rocks. Calcrete is more resistant to erosion than sediments that underlie or surround it, creating sometimes lone landforms that have had surrounding material completely eroded away.

The large amount of debris in the Kyle Canyon alluvial fan dwarfs the volume of material currently being eroded from the mountains. This is probably due to climate change, as analysis of fossil plant material indicates that precipitation in Southern Nevada was probably much greater during the Pleistocene Epoch (Ice Age) than at present.

Cultural Resources Historic Structures Traces of CCC and WPA achievements are visible in areas around Las Vegas, such as the Forest Service’s Administration Area in Kyle Canyon, the Camp Lee facility in Lee Canyon, and remnant facilities such as bridges, roads, and trails throughout the area. The CCC-built Ranger Station east of Fletcher View Campground is currently being used for fire and maintenance operations, and has been altered somewhat from its historic appearance.

Southern Paiute Resources In general, the entirety of the Spring Mountains is sacred to the Southern Paiute Nation and any addition of facilities to the mountains is inappropriate to them.

Specifically within Middle Kyle Canyon, the slot canyon near Harris Springs Road is a stopping place for tribal members on pilgrimage to the mountains and also a ceremonial place. Currently the slot shows signs of graffiti and paintball games, people leave trash there regularly, and Off Highway Vehicles and equestrians ride through the site. Some members of the tribe would like the area to be cleaned up, recreation limited to hiking and interpretation, and vehicle access moved away from the site.

Some of the edible and medicinal plants valued by the Souther Paiutes in Middle Kyle Canyon are: Indian tea (Ephedra viridis), Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), Palmer’s Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri), Golden Cholla (Opuntia echinocarpa), Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata), Joshua Tree

Juniper

Yucca

Mormon Tea

Cliffrose (Purshia stansburiana), Beavertrail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris), Desert Four o’clock (Mirabilis froebelii), Bristly Fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata), Blue Elderberry (Sambucuc cerulea), Single leaf Piñon Pine (Pinus monophylla), Prince’s Plume (Stanleya pinnata), and Desert Trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum ssp inflatum).

Visual Resources Significant views exist within Middle Kyle Canyon, including views to Charleston Peak, Fletcher Peak and Griffith Peak from much of the site. To the east, visitors to the lower portions of Middle Kyle Canyon can see La Madre Mountain and Las Vegas.

Many of the views are those of primitive environments unmarred by development because of the Mt. Charleston Wilderness Area that is adjacent to the upper part of Middle Kyle Canyon.

Recreational Uses The road loop completed by State Highways 157 (Kyle Canyon), 158 (Deer Creek Road) and 156 (Lee Canyon), contains many camping, picnicking, hiking, equestrian and mountain bike recreation facilities. Lee

Canyon and upper Kyle Canyon are also used heavily for “snow play” in the winter, which means that visitors generally park alongside the road and sled on adjacent hillsides. All of these facilities are located in the upper canyon areas where biological hotspots are found.

Developed recreation facilities in these areas consist of 4 individual picnic areas, 2 group picnic areas, 5 developed campgrounds with individual sites, 4 dispersed camp areas, 1 developed group campground, and 13 trails/trailheads. In addition, the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort in Lee Canyon offers alpine skiing to Las Vegas Residents.

Within Kyle Canyon, where facilities are most overused, Cathedral Rock picnic area has 72 individual sites and 2 group sites, Fletcher View campground has 13 sites that accommodate RV campers (with hookups), and Kyle Canyon campground provides 25 sites that accommodate RV and tent campers (without hookups). A popular group RV campground—Kyle RV—was recently closed due to biological hotspot issues. These picnic and campsites have historically been well-used, with the campgrounds operating at 40 to 60 percent capacity, and the picnic area operating at 75 percent capacity. These are high numbers indeed, considering that capacity calculations take into account weekdays, when many of their potential users are working.

Two trailheads provide access to the North and South Loop trails and Trail Canyon—…