On Saturday October 1, the city of Henderson’s Parks and Recreation Department sponsored a substantial celebration recognizing National Trails Day at the Henderson Pavilion. Complete with expert talks, raffles, and a photography contest the ephemeral tent city hosted thousands of interested visitors.
Many organizations were present: the Outside Las Vegas Foundation, REI, Project GREEN, UNLV’s Public Lands Institute, the American Lung Association, a local Boy Scout troop, and numerous representatives of local State and National Parks. Each and every tent offered multiple informational pamphlets. Many had displays relevant to their organization such as coyote skins, big horn sheep horns, maps of newly completed trails, replica animal scat, eggshells from multiple bird species, and some simulated tar at the American Lung Association’s tent. There were also a good number that offered souvenirs such as reusable grocery bags, bumper stickers, coupons – which were all eagerly consumed by the visitors.
Hiking-oriented organizations were plentiful. The Outside Las Vegas Foundation was an important sponsor and was spotlighting their efforts to “help southern Nevadans discover a sense of place outside Las Vegas,” with the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. Proposed in January 2010, this is a movement, “to encourage Nevada’s children to participate in outdoor recreational activities, engage in lifelong learning adventures, and become stewards of the environment.” There were more individually-organized tents, such as Hike Las Vegas that had a few diehard fans of Branch Whitney’s guided hikes offering books for sale. There was also a very friendly “video mountaineer,” Peter Wagenleitner that offers video of his trail hiking experiences both on DVD and online at TrailVista.com.
The celebration had a central stage where event organizers and expert speakers tried to direct and inform the masses through a sound system that did not carry to all reaches of the shantytown. There was even a separate equestrian area where horse owners could find information on proper trail riding equipment and preparation. Complete with a live – and friendly – trail horse as well as prepared saddles that offered much excitement to children new to the equestrian field.
The scheduled events of a family fun walk and expert talks were well-intentioned; however the public remained largely engaged in perusing the tents of information. Announcements of raffle winners did reach visitors’ ears, as well as the celebration of the completion of the River Mountains Loop Trail – a long awaited feat. Plans for a new ambitious and exciting trail to circumnavigate the Las Vegas Valley were declared. This trail – to be called the Vegas Valley Rim Trail – would cover about 113 miles and will likely require more than a decade to complete.
There appeared to be limitless individual informational packets and brochures handed out, easily overwhelming the visitors. However, any such bewildered patrons can navigate the Outside Las Vegas Foundation website and discover local outdoor recreational opportunities.
Henderson’s National Trails Day celebration was well attended with over 3,000 visitors. It certainly succeeded in grabbing the interest of many residents and directing it onto the recreational opportunities available in the surrounding lands.
Comments