Las Vegas is more than gaming and entertainment!  One of the most popular and beautiful natural resources in the Las Vegas area is Lake Meade National Recreation Area.  Home to Hoover Dam, Lake Meade offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the west.

Black Canyon

Black Canyon is an 11 mile stretch of the Colorado River, and his one of the most stunning parts of Lake Meade.  Visitors can rent kayaks or canoes at Willow Beach Marina, while they enjoy the wildlife, beautiful scenery and historic sites.  It’s sometimes hard to believe that you can be just 20 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, in this quiet, tranquil lake.

Nature Lovers Delight!

From the boat launch area, you might see all types of ducks, birds, blue herons, which are elegant burds with a wingspan of 5 to 6 feet.  This area is also home to bighorn sheep, who love the rocky and steep canyon walls, and herds of these creatures can be seen from the lake. 

Less than one mile from where your trip started, on the Arizona side of the Colorado River, you will see the historic river gauger’s house site.  From the river,  you can see the stone retaining walls and cliffs.  As you wind up the trail to the historic site, you will see the foundation of the river gauger’s house.  It was constructed by the U.S. Geoogic Survey in the 1920’s.  That is part of the history that visitors find intriguing about Lake Meade National Park.  This guaging system was used prior to and during the construction of the Boulder Dam, which is now known as Hoover Dam.  And Hoover Dam offers guided tours that are one of the top tourist destinations in Las Vegas and southern Nevada.

Las Vegas does offer some beautiful scenery, as well as a great place for water sports and relaxation.  And in only a few weeks, one can be boating on Lake Meade and skiing at Lee Canyon all in the same weekend.  How perfect of a climate do we have in southern Nevada?  If you would like more information about other tourist attractions or recreational activities, visit us at www.lasvegasproperties.com.

Las Vegas history has been captured at The Springs Preserve.  This unique historic museum, named an “ORI-GEN EXPERIENCE,” is really a great addition to the Las Vegas valley for both residents and visitors.  On my first visit, I was really impressed with the  geological and biological history of the Las Vegas Valley and the Mojave Desert.  The Springs Preserve was designed as an interpretive focal point for history; it is comprised of 3 galleries featuring more than 75 exhibits, an indoor theatre and traveling exhibit space.  Exhibits and displays illustrate the history of the Las Vegas Valley from early American cultures to Anglo-European settlers. 

Springs Preserve Gardens

The eight-acre botanical Gardens at the Springs Preserve features a variety of desert landscapes and demonstrate native and non-native desert plant life with hands-on-activities and interpretive stations.  I have lived in the deserts of Nevada and Arizona for more than 20 years and still found desert plants that I have never seen before! 

Live Exhibits

Among the special features at the Springs Preserve are the Sustainability Gallery,  the Desert Living Center, Design Lab and Resource Library, Gardens & trails, Dr. Green Thumb, an Outdoor Arena for concerts and special events, Gift Shop and Wolfgang Puck Cafe.  The ORI-GEN Experience also features the Natural Mojave, People Of The Big Springs, Special Exhibits and Live Exhibits that show a variety of native mammals, reptiles and invertebrates, and how they adapted to survive the Mojave Desert.

Where Did Las Vegas Start?

The introductory video shown at the Springs Preserve is one of the best videos I have seen.  It explains and shows the beauty of the origin of the desert and Las Vegas over a period of millions of years.  Don’t miss this historical museum when visiting Las Vegas!  For more information, you can call Las Vegas Properties at 1-888-876-8383.  You can find more details at The Springs Preserve website.  This museum is a great attraction for Las Vegas, where you can find more than gambling and entertainment.  This is part of the continuous cultural growth of Las Vegas and we are all really excited about that!

Las Vegas is more than entertainment, gambling and mega-resorts!  This week’s National Clean Energy Summitt was an exciting and interesting event.  The conference was organized by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and hosted speakers including T. Boone Pickens, President Clinton, governors from several states and energy experts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  More than 750 people attended to learn about the challenge of reducing America’s reliance on oil, gas and coal by tapping solar, wind and geothermal energy.  The details of the conference can be found in the press release by the National News Service.

Las Vegas Solar Facility

One of the most interesting aspects of this conference was the discussion by Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association.  Resch predicted that the Senate Bill 3335 will pass in September;  this bill would allow for tax credits for solar, wind and geothermal power.  Resch pointed to the Ausra solar equipment manufacturing facility that opened in Las Vegas in June, with a 130,000 square foot robotic assembly plant and 25 workers.  This is an example of an industry that should realize incentives for “paving the way to an energy revolution.” 

Jon Wellinghoff, Nevada’s first consumer advocate and a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, offered a three-step energy plan at the conference.  The plan includes the government establishing short-term less-costly solutions to consumers, such as solar penales located on customers’ premises.  The second step involves steps being taken to enable renewable energy development, including proposed financial incentives for building advanced transmission line systems around the country.  Third, the government should, according to Wellinghoff, take steps to electrify auto and truck transportation, including plug-in hybrids and electric battery vehicles.

The federal commissioner suggested that the government require its car fleets run on electric, provide tax breaks for electric cars, establish higher fuel efficiency standards and give loan guarantees for auto makers to retool their factories for electric vehicles.

Las Vegas Bank of America

Jim Thoma, senior vice president and manager of energy services at Bank of America, says the bank is already participating.  The bank arranged $2,5 million in low-interest loans for the Las Vegas Valley Water District to use in building parking shades at the Springs Preserve with solar power panels.  The debt bears low interest because the bank gets tax credits from making the loans, which is a “win-win” for both companies. 

Nevada could also export solar power and geothermal power, which comes from hot udnerground water, to utilities in surrounding states.  Lenders and investors are becoming more interested in renewable energy projects, according to Thoma, with significant growth in the ventural capital market for  the renewal energy sector.  This conference is exciting for Las Vegas and Nevada, in terms of both energy conservation and potential new business growth for southern Nevada.

What Do You Think?

If you have any opinions or thoughts about the ideas presented at the Las Vegas conference, please share them with us on this blog!  For any additional information about the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, or other Las Vegas news, contact Las Vegas Properties at 1-888-876-8383 or email terrilvp@cox.net.