Friday, December 18, 2009

Clark County Shutters Its parks!

These are terrible economic times to say the least. Government agencies from coast to coast are scrambling to keep their parks open. Some agencies have become quite resourceful while others have thrown the towel in or worse. I can understand why Clark County wants to shutter up some of its county parks from Jan 1 to March 1. However, the move to gate parking lots along with closing restrooms and suspending services is not a wise move. Many of these parks are popular year round winter hiking-biking-and running spots and while in essence the parks themselves are still open to pedestrian use, how will users access them? I can see all kinds of problems from park users parking dangerously on road shoulders to trespassing on adjacent private property. The people of Clark County need access to these parks to stay fit and connected with nature during the dark and dreary winter months. Surely the parks department can unlock the gates and enlist volunteer patrols to keep an eye on things to make sure that the parks are still being respected in the absence of any formal operations. I hate to see a pedestrian hit by a car on a busy road or a heated argument with a property owner whose driveway has been blocked due to this action. And of course I believe fully that the people should have access to their parks.

(photo- a popular trail to Moulton Falls will be hard to access this winter)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the heads up! I guess I should read the paper more often!