Show C12 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday Aprl 2 2003 Las Vegas cracking down in face M droniit LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steve Swanson looked out onto his lush green golf course and gestured to the rolling fair ways “A lot more's going to have to come out” the Siena Golf Club superintendent said as he stood in a bed of crushed rock that used to be verdant grass ' By next year many Las Vegas golf courses will have to take out some of their turf or let the grass turn brown in order to meet new watering restrictions It’s part of a new tougher stance on conservation in one of the driest cities in the West and a us pre-cio- sign that Las Vegas may finally be getting serious about water waste Golf course officials say they recognize the need to conserve But some say they are being unfairly targeted because water officials can't curtail water use or waste by the biggest offenders: home-owne- rs “It’s a very easy target to say hey look at that big of green thing there” said Stan Spraul general manager of Southern Highlands Golf Club and a director of the Nevada Golf Course Owners Association “If we drop 10 percent of what we use it’s a lot less impact than if homeowners could save 10 percent” Thus far Las Vegas has shown little enthusiasm for restricting water use Officials are still assuring developers water shortages should have no effect on the booming growth of this metro area of 15 million people in the middle of a desert But Lake Mead fed by the Colorado River and the source of southern Nevada’s drinking water has dropped 60 feet in the last two years to its low- est level since 1972 And last year for the first time Las Vegas exceeded its 300000 allotment from the Colorado The valley will likely have to tap into ground-watreserves before the end of the year Homeowners also face new restrictions and new homes soon may not be allowed to have grass in their front yards But water ri)anagers also are going after golf courses some of the most visible users of water even though their actual consumption is far below that of suburban lawns “It absolutely has to be done" said Doug Bennett conservation manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority “Everyone will have to give something It’s not going to be easy” Under the authority’s acre-fe- et er drought plan golf courses would soon be restricted from of using more than 7 acre-fewater a year By January Las Vegas is expected to move into a “drought alert” that will force courses to cut use even more to 57 acre-feof water a year Most golf courses already meet the 7 acre-ferule but some executives say moving of water a year to 57 acre-feisn’t attainable — not if the courses want to keep green it et et et et fairways Many newer courses woe designed as desert courses meaning there sire breaks in turf throughout the course but some of the older courses like Spanish Trails Country Club ll are grass “It’s harder for older facilities that have been here 15 20 35 years that were built under a different concept” said Jesse Thorpe general manager of Spanish Trails “TWenty years ago they weren’t really looking at where the valley would be Sf&SS-- OS wall-to-wa- baste 'mm now” Homeowners use 65 percent of the area's water and of that 75 percent is used outdoors Bennett said Golf courses use only 5 percent of the water Hotels and casinos use 8 percent of the water but most of that — including the showcase fountains on the Strip is recycled Bennett said golf courses aren’t being singled out He rioted homeowners are forbidden from watering outside ' from noon until 7 pm during the summer Under the drought watch and drought alert homeowners and resorts would be assigned specific days when they would be allowed to use water outside “It should really be the start of a huge wake-u- p call” Jane Feldman conservation chair for the local branch of the Sierra Club said of the new drought rules “If it's not we’re doomed" Feldman said Las Vegas should always have had a - AP photo Steve Swanson gotf course superintendent for Siena Qotf Club in Las Vegas shows where he removed turf and replaced it with desert landscaping in preparation for water restrictions to be implemented this summer By next year many Las Vegas golf courses will have to take out some of their precious turf or let the grass turn brown in order to meet new watering restrictions drought plan and curbing water use on golf courses won’t change anything if homeowners don’t start using common sense “It is out of control" she said “It has just been tremendously a huge case of horrible ignorance that led us to this place to begin with” Water officials are offering golf courses rebates of up to $300000 to ease the cost of converting turf Still golf course officials say they won’t be able to fully recoup the money it costs to rip out turf and transition to rocks and desert plants But if they don’t comply with the new restrictions they will pay for it — with water prices of up to six times the normal rate For example a course using 8 acre-feof water a year that doesn’t cut back would pay $177500 a year in surcharges Swanson’s course already falls short of the 7 acre-ferestriction so his crew has taken out six acres of turf and et et will take out at least another four He also plans to start using recycled water as some other courses in Las Vegas do Spraul said Las Vegas should have started thinking about drought restrictions three years ago so courses could have each come up with' a conservation plan Now courses aren’t left with many options and he worries that golfers may go elsewhere where the grass is literally greener Yellowstone Park’s natural wonders unique to world -66 — MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS Wyo ( AP) — For Suzanne Lewis who climbs the mountains of paperwork that appear atop her desk every day Yellowstone National Park might not be the most spiritual place on earth But the park’s superintendent now a full year into her job understands the value of Yellowstone to others even to those who will never set fool inside its boundaries “The letters 1 get about this place arc very personal in nature” Lewis said “There's a great love and respect for this resource It’s amazing how much this place means to some people That alone puts my job in a whole different context” roads to concerns regarding the safe ty “There’s a great love and respect for this resource" - Suzanne Lewis Park superintendent Yellowstone founded in 1872 is among the Park Service's most-visitdestinations Lewis hears from thousands each year and the messages vary from complaints about the quality of the ed of animals “It’s pretty amazing once you realize how many people this place touches” she said “It's an incrcdi- ble feeling to know that millions and millions of people really care about how this place is managed and they all care for different reasons" In any given year 35 million people from countries all over the globe visit Yellowstone They traverse the park’s network of roads hike its trails fish its waters and can often be found gazing at a herd of bison a regal bull elk or watch in amazement as wolves stalk their prey “It's special to so many people” HOT DIGITY DOG! won-dering- ly Lewis aid “not just the people who live here It’s not just our park And to some just knowing it’s there is ' enough” Rich Sinatra a medical recruiter from Cleveland has never visited Yellowstone and admits he might never make the trip west “But it’s good to know it's there” he said “I would hate to think it was susceptible It’s better to think of it as a preserve that will never be touched by the hands of modem man J just like the idea of Yellow- stone” Sinatra said though he has never been to the park he follows die ongoing issues at Yellowstone like the reintroduction of wolves and the continuing battle to regulate winter access to Yellowstone via snowmobile The park is officially designated as an international biosphere preserve thanks in large part to its firm and fauna But there is more to Yellowstone than the natural wonders It is home to the largest satellite branch of the National Library The park's historical archives date back to Yellowstone’s early years when the US Army managed the landscape “This place is special and not just because it's a great place to see elk and bison and grizzly bears” Lewis said “Yellowstone has a wonderful history one that dates back thousands of years” Register Now for SPRING FLY FISHING CUSSES i BEGINNERS CLASSES BASIC OBEDIENCE TRAINING SESSION FOR ONLY S30! 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