Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon
© U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Red Rock Canyon is one of southern Nevada's most beautiful and heavily visited scenic areas.

Size
5,032 acres

Location
Southern Nevada near Las Vegas

Partners
The Howard Hughes Corporation, Bureau of Land Management

What the Conservancy Has Done
In 1988, The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, The Howard Hughes Corporation and The Nature Conservancy formed a strategic partnership to create a 5,032-acre buffer zone around the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, including the site where the Red Rock Visitor Center stands today. By relocating Summerlin, The Howard Hughes Corporation’s 22,500-acre master planned community, from this site to another that was more appropriate for human development, a “win-win” situation was achieved that allowed for continued economic development for the community of Las Vegas, while at the same time protecting a fragile natural desert community.

This $25 million transaction was one of the largest ever completed by the Conservancy in the West and, thanks to the generosity of The Howard Hughes Corporation, resulted in a savings to taxpayers of over $1 million. This partnership still stands as a model of private and public interests working together to balance economic and environmental needs.

By coming together in a spirit of innovation, cooperation and community goodwill, this group ensured that public access into Red Rock Canyon was permanently protected and that residents and visitors alike could enjoy a bounty of recreational opportunities including hiking, biking, and rock-climbing; as well as opportunities to view desert bighorn sheep, numerous bird species, threatened wildflowers, rare insects, and sensitive reptiles such as the Gila monster and desert tortoise—all in their native habitat.