Loans to Help Rid Residents of Their Lawns

SEPTEMBER 2, 2008 LOOKING IN ON: THE ENVIRONMENT: Loans to help rid residents of their lawns By Phoebe Sweet The federal government is the race, which found that racers LAS VEGAS SUN considering endangered or would damage the toad’s habitat. threatened species status for the Today is the fi rst day Henderson toad. “Off-road vehicles wreak havoc residents can apply for low- on fragile desert ecosystems and interest loans to help cover the After the Center for Biological wildlife,” said Rob Mrowka, a costs of replacing grass with desert Diversity asked the Bureau of conservation advocate with the landscaping. Land Management to examine center. “While changes to this the potential effect on the delicate year’s race afford a short reprieve The Southern Nevada Water toad, organizers of the 12th annual for the Amargosa toad, this doesn’t Authority, of which Henderson is TSCO Vegas to Reno race were solve the broader problem of off- a member, pays $1.50 per square forced to cut almost 100 miles road vehicles destroying Nevada’s foot to homeowners who tear up from the race and change the route fragile deserts at an alarming their grass through its Water Smart to protect the amphibian. rate.” Landscapes rebate program. But the water authority estimates up to Amargosa toads live along a In February, the center petitioned 30 percent of residential applicants 10-mile stretch of the Amargosa the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdraw from the program before River and interconnected spring to list the toad as threatened or completing it, often because they systems in the Oasis Valley and endangered. can’t afford new landscaping. adjacent desert uplands around Beatty, about 40 miles northwest The center says the main threat So, Henderson will lend up to of Pahrump. to the toad is habitat destruction $5,000 at 3 percent interest for from development and recreation, seven years to a limited number The race, which featured 1,000 including unrestricted off-road of residents who participate in the racers and brought 5,000 people vehicle use and high-speed racing water authority’s lawn conversion to rural Nevada, was changed to events such as the Vegas to Reno effort. 456 miles in length, and began race. north of Beatty. Interested? Call Henderson “Deserts heal slowly, and damage Neighborhood Services at 267- Casey Folks, director of the Best from one off-road vehicle can 2000 and ask for the Turf Removal in the Desert Racing Association, take decades or even centuries Program. said although a BLM biologist to recover,” Mrowka said. “So found there would be no impact on we intend to continue to actively ••• the toad, he agreed to change the participate in planning and race, at cost of about $8,500. The Amargosa toad shortened an environmental analysis of future, similar races on Nevada’s public off-road race through Nevada last The center had challenged the lands.” month. BLM’s environmental analysis of ••• Reid’s offi ce said the senator sent Sen. John Ensign and Reps. Shelley a letter to the NRC on Thursday Berkley, Jon Porter and Dean More than 4,000 Nevadans have outlining the petitioners’ objections Heller echoed Reid’s comments answered a call from Nevada’s to Yucca. in statements Thursday. congressional delegation to sign a petition asking the Nuclear “It’s time for the NRC to listen to “We will not stand for a nuclear Regulatory Commission to scrap the collective voice of Nevada: waste dump in our back yard,” plans for a nuclear waste repository The proposed Yucca Mountain Ensign said in his statement. at Yucca Mountain, according to dump is wrong and we will not Sen. Harry Reid’s offi ce. accept it,” Reid said in a statement. “The time has come for the DOE “Thousands of Nevadans signed to ... accept the fact that Yucca Members of the delegation said onto our petition to send this Mountain is dead.” in a statement the application is loud and clear message, one that “fatally fl awed and incomplete, shows we stand together in fi rm and insuffi cient to proceed any opposition.” farther.”.

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