Court ruling clears obstacles for Shooting Park

"Guess we’ll see what the judge has to say."

That was my parting comment in a February column about a lawsuit filed against the Clark County Shooting Park by a group of northwest valley locals.

The group, now identified as Residents for the Relocation of the Clark County Shooting Park, LLC, is seeking a federal injunction that would halt construction of the park. In his decision released this week, U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd George told all of us exactly what was on his mind.

"Having considered the papers and pleadings, the evidence received from the parties, and the arguments, the court will grant in part and deny in part Clark County’s motion to dismiss, and will deny the resident’s motion for a preliminary injunction," George wrote. "Having reviewed the arguments and evidence, the court finds that the plaintiffs have not met their burden of offering evidence establishing that irreparable harm is likely in the absence of an injunction."

Dismissed were plaintiffs’ claims that Clark County failed to provide adequate notice of its intentions to build the shooting park, that the county improperly zoned the land on which the park is being built, and that noise from the construction and use of the shooting complex will violate the county’s own noise ordinance and therefore would be a nuisance as outlined by Nevada statute.

In the only claim not dismissed outright, the plaintiffs argued that the Bureau of Land Management should have completed an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before the land was conveyed to Clark County and federal funds for the project disbursed. George dismissed the plaintiff’s request for monetary damages in this regard but asked that the Bureau of Land Management complete an EIS as outlined in the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). That process is under way and should be completed by early August.

I asked Don Turner, manager of the shooting park, for his thoughts on the court ruling. He was gracious in his reply: "We appreciate the court’s attention and consideration. We designed the park not to harm the public and to be a good neighbor to the community. This reaffirms those plans."

So where does Turner and the park go from here?

"The court process didn’t slow down our progress. We’re continuing to move forward to a safe opening. We want to get this world-class facility opened in a timely manner," Turner said.

If everything works out, he plans on having an official dedication ceremony in August.

The significance of the court ruling can’t be overstated. Successful passage through the legal process is a giant step forward for the shooting park and for Southern Nevada’s recreational and competitive shooters. It comes at a time when access to public lands, where many of us have spent considerable time plinking or target shooting, is being curtailed. Once the gates open to the Clark County Shooting Park, a decades-long battle for a safe, publicly owned facility finally will be over.

• YOUNG BASS ANGLERS — The Nevada BASS Federation is looking for youthful fishermen to join one of its two new junior bass clubs: the Southern Nevada or Northern Nevada Junior Bucketmouths. Membership is open to youths ages 8 to 17, who actually run the clubs with help from a senior adviser. Here in the south, the Junior Bucketmouths will hold an informational meeting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson.

Club members will compete in tournaments around the state against anglers their own age and have the chance to advance to the Nevada Junior Bassmasters. The winners at that event will advance to the western divisionals, where they will have the chance to win a fully outfitted Triton aluminum bass boat and a college scholarship.

For more information, contact Joe Lescenski at joebrontapesnv.@aol.com.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.