Hidden Valley Regional
Park
By: Laura Carman
In 1968, under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, our
civic leaders saw fit to preserve these 480 acres of beautiful open spaces as a
regional park. Nestled against the backdrop of the Virginia Foothills
Range, Hidden Valley Regional Park has provided much enjoyment to residents and
visitors alike with its pristine terrain and breathtaking views.
This regional park represents, according to a park planner,
“one of the only public holdings in the Virginia Range. Any encroachment
into this area would degrade our only open space resource in that area.”
Thousands of visitors each year enjoy picnicking, jogging,
hiking, playing soccer and biking through sagebrush-filled and sometimes rough
landscape of these wide open spaces. According to Washoe County Parks
Department, last year alone saw 106,596 visitors to this park, an increase
of 13.2%.
Currently, the public process is underway to determine what
type of improvements people would like to see at the southern end of the
regional park. Park construction tax collected from homes built in the
Hidden Valley area, roughly just under $500,000, will be utilized toward those
improvements: i.e. entrance, small parking lot, restroom facility, small play
area and picnic site.
Also, the Washoe County Parks Department in January started
its process for a state recreational trail grant so that a trail system can be
implemented in this regional park. A trail system would certainly enhance
the natural beauty of this park that is so typical of our Nevada natural
heritage.
While planning for this trail system and park improvement
is under way, however, it is important to note that it is moving forward despite
the fact that in 1997 and 2001, this regional park was one of the proposed sites
for the “Tahoe-Pyramid Link”, a major connector of Sparks to the southern
portion of the Truckee Meadows. As we understand the situation, this
proposal may resurface as the Regional Transportation Commission updates its
2030 Transportation Plan.
It is important to note that on August 14, 2001, the Board
of County Commissioners unanimously voted in policy guidelines that would
jumpstart an environmental impact study if a roadway were proposed through a
regional park. This would delay construction of the roadway but not
prevent it.
What may indeed preserve this regional park is citizen
involvement.
Please voice your concerns whenever possible at
crucial meetings of the Regional Transportation Commission and Citizen
Steering Committee; e-mail your concerns to
infor@rtc2030update.com; or write to: RTC Planning Dept. 600 Sutro,
Reno, NV 89512.
Our quality of life, here in the Truckee Meadows, depends
on it.
Wild Horses
by: Jean Carr
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There are approximately 45,000 wild horses roaming ten western states
and more than half that number may be found in Nevada alone. It is
believed that as many as 100,000 mustangs roamed Nevada in 1910, when
there were more horses than people in the state. Over the years this
number has decreased until today only 24,000 remain. These wild horses
are an integral part of Nevada's history and provide much of the fabric
of the state's rich heritage. Some 100 of horses live in the Virginia
Hills east of Hidden Valley and each year they migrate to the lower
elevations in October and remain until April. These beautiful creatures
can be seen on the hillsides east of Hidden Valley as well as in the
hills just south. It is rare that they can be seen so close to a large
urban area. |
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