SAVE RED ROCK. 1 day left to get 1,634 signatures. Please help preserve one of the most precious and natural treasures in Southern Nevada, Red Rock Canyon from needless environmental destruction & development.

Hello fellow Imgurians I am pleading for your help. I just recently found out about this current very important issue happening in my backyard.

The Issue:

Developer Gypsum Resources is seeking the Clark County Commissioner's approvals to rezone land from rural to high density so that he can develop a 5,000+ home community on the mountain in the heart of Red Rock. We cannot let this happen!
On Wednesday, February 22nd at 9:00 a.m. is the official date of the meeting that will determine the fate of Red Rock Canyon. I urge you all to please help by signing the petition. It does not matter where you live this is a world wide effort. I am trying to spread this like wild fire. I'm not doing this for up votes. I just want to help save and preserve Red Rock Canyons from unnecessary development.

Help us win this fight! You can:
-Attend the Clark County Commission meeting and wear red to show your support for Red Rock!
-Go to www.saveredrock.com to:
-sign the petition
-call your commissioners 702-455-3500
-donate
-learn more at www.saveredrock.com

•Get to know Red Rock Canyon•

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located is located about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas, easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip and encompasses 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert. The area is visited by more than two million people each year. The conservation area showcases a set of large red rock formations: a set of sandstone peaks and walls called the Keystone Thrust. The walls are up to 3,000 feet (910 m) high, making them a popular hiking and rock climbing destination. The highest point is La Madre Mountain, at 8,154 feet (2,485 m).A one-way loop road also known as The Scenic Drive is 13 miles (21 km) long. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has one developed campground located two miles east of the visitor center.

•Natural Wonders•

The great sandstone cliffs at Red Rock, thousands of feet high, are made up of the Aztec Sandstone. This formation, about 180 – 190 million years old, is comprised of lithified sand dunes that formed in a vast desert that covered a large part of the southwestern United States during the Jurassic time. Lithification is the process of changing unconsolidated sediment into sedimentary rock. Massive cross-bedding, typical of aeolian (wind) deposits, is a result of the shifting wind direction across the Jurassic dune field, and is seen in the Aztec Sandstone rock outcrops.

Red Color

The red color of some of the outcrops of the Aztec Sandstone is due to presence of iron oxide or hematite. Exposure to the elements caused iron minerals to oxidize or “rust,” resulting in red, orange, and brown-colored rocks. Areas where the rock is buff in color may be places where the iron has been leached out by subsurface water, or where the iron oxide was never deposited.

Iron Concretions

Red spots in the Aztec Sandstone are iron concretions, where subsurface water has precipitated iron oxide around a nucleus in the sandstone. These concretions are more resistant to erosion than the surrounding sandstone, and weather into little balls known as Indian or Moqui Marbles.

Limestone

More than 500 million years ago Red Rock Canyon NCA was at the bottom of an ocean basin. Mostly limestone (and dolomite) accumulated in this ocean basin for over 250 million years during the Paleozoic Era. The limestones contain the fossils of sea life that flourished during that time. Thousands of feet of the gray Paleozoic limestones are exposed at LaMadre Mountain to the northwest of the Scenic Loop Drive.

(Picture credit: EddieLluismaPhotography)

•Protecting Endangered Species• The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a gentle reptile which spends much of its life in underground burrows. The burrows are excavated by the animals to escape the harsh summer and winter weather conditions of the desert. Unfortunately, the slow moving reptile is vulnerable to a number of threats which could led to the demise of the species. These concerns lead to a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984 to consider listing the desert tortoise under the Federal Endangered Species Act. After further evaluation and public hearings, the tortoise was permanently listed as threatened on April 2, 1990.

•DINOSAURS!!! "TOP SECRET"•

The tracks of small bipedal (two-footed) therapod (meat-eating) dinosaurs have been found in the Aztec Sandstone at Red Rock Canyon. The small animal tracks made by proto-mammals, early mammals, and arachnids (spiders and scorpions) were also found. Paleontologists at Red Rock are trying to keep the sites secret, at least until they can be cataloged and studied.

Thank you all for taking a look and hopefully signing this petition. If you are ever in Las Vegas please take a visit to Red Rock Canyon. You won't regret your time there.

http://saveredrock.com