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Opinion

Confessions of a former small-city mayor (Part II)

Eric Lundgaard
Eric Lundgaard
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What are your new year’s resolutions for yourself and/or your family or Boulder City?

In December of 2001, as a member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, I asked the city council of Boulder City to support a wilderness bill proposed by Harry Reid and John Ensign. After all, it was supported by the Democrat as well as the Republican senators of the state of Nevada. How could Boulder City go wrong? How prescient the council was to unanimously support the included resolution. My intent was, after acquiring the Eldorado Valley, to surround Boulder City with the majestic beauty of untrammeled scenic lands for our enjoyment. As usual, Boulder City’s dreams came true when the 506,814-acre Ave Kwa Ame (Spirit Mountain) National Monument was approved by President Biden last year. The Boulder City Council previously had voted unanimously to support the national monument.

Boulder City received twice the anticipated benefit from the Ave Kwa Ame National Monument than it supported the wilderness resolution of 2001. I’ve climbed to the summit of Spirit Mountain where the shaman dream for many Native American tribes.

This designation, for me, is further evidence of the desires of Boulder City to continue to preserve or improve our quality of life. I was committed to quality when I ran for city council.

When I was the mayor, I asked the Bureau of Land Management to declare much of the River Mountains as protected as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern to preserve desert bighorn sheep habitat. After all, the River Mountains are considered to be some of the most beneficial habitat for the sheep. I was happy to see additional improvements in Hemenway Park with a dedication October of 2023. Both County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson, as well as Mayor Joe Hardy mentioned Boulder City’s role as shepherds for the bighorn sheep. The desert bighorn sheep have evidently become quite a tourist attraction for Boulder City.

What are your desires for Boulder City in this new year?

Eric L Lundgaard

President, Aquarian Theosophy Foundation

Former council member and mayor (1985-1997)

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