News & Views of Las Vegas

LAKE MEADE NATIONAL RECREATION

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.  Read the rest of this entry

Las Vegas History Museum

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!  Read the rest of this entry

National Clean Energy Summitt

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.

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