Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: October 31, 2000

Contact: Joan Moody (202-208-6416)
Randi Thompson (775-771-0611)

MEDIA ADVISORY

BABBITT SIGNS CLARK COUNTY HABITAT CONSERVATION
PLAN AT RED ROCK CEREMONY

Las Vegas, NV - Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will join county, state, and federal officials and conservation groups tomorrow, November 1, 2000, for a ceremonial signing of the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. The group will also take a tour of Red Rock National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada, and assist in relocating a desert tortoise into its natural habitat.

"The Clark County plan should be held up as a model for the nation in two ways," says Babbitt. "First, it provides measures for the survival and recovery of the desert tortoise and other species; second, it is based on unprecedented consensus among environmental organizations, developers, the ranching and mining communities, recreational enthusiasts, scientists, federal agencies, and local and state governments. This plan proves that conservation and consensus go hand-in-hand."

One of the largest habitat conservation plans in the nation, it will protect more than 78 species and 145,000 acres.

Who: Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt
Rep. Harry Reid (D-NV)(pending Senate business)
Clark County Commissioner Chair Bruce Woodbury Conservation Leaders
BLM, U.S. Forest Service, USFWS, NPS officials

What: Signing of Clark County Multiple Species Conservation Plan

Where: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitors Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Drive west on Charleston to visitors center turnoff (17 miles west of Las Vegas
Boulevard, approximately 6 miles west of Buffalo)

When: 8:30 a.m. walking tour & visit to "Mojave Max," desert tortoise mascot
9:00 - 10 a.m. speakers and signing ceremony
10 a.m. Media Q & A
10:15 Leave Red Rock for Desert Tortoise area
11:00 Arrive Desert tortoise relocation site

Why: Inauguration of one of the nation's largest habitat conservation plans

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