If you're interested in tracking news about Carson City, I recommend checking out News Carson City on a regular basis. Dave Morgan appears to own a police scanner and uses it - and shows up with a camera - on a regular basis. And he's figured out this internet thing, and has streaming video of the stuff he reports on. He also covers city government, and Carson City's ongoing efforts to plan for its future growth.
The topic of Carson City's growth will often turn to open space. Much has been made of this issue, especially in Nevada. For what has made Nevada special, in the eyes of many, is how free access has been to the state's backcountry - that territory which is the property of the federal government but which you, as a citizen of the United States, have a right to use, if only a commonlaw right.
As Nevada grows, more of this land is being gobbled up by the development that must accompany growth. And so it goes in many cases like this, that the backcountry disappears to be replaced by insufficient city parks and such. Carson City has done something unique for Nevada - it has a dedicated source of tax revenue specifically allocated for purchasing open space. News Carson City has done a great job covering aspects of this policy that you don't see reported on by other media.
Bystanders and observers might make something of Carson City's current declining sales & use tax environment. But some business is growing in CC - the business of acquiring private lands for public use.
Now, the city is coming together to determine what to do with its new asset. Other places have the backcountry -- Carson City is soon to have the forecountry and how it approaches usage designations, signage and many other qualities is going to determine how effective it is in using this great resource to its advantage. A lot of what Carson City is preserving is its river corridor.
Carson City includes a huge chunk of the Carson River, but since the city is not oriented toward the river, most people don't know how prominent the river is in the city's geography. All this open space acquisition is thus giving the city what no other city like it has - an opportunity to preserve this natural amenity in its natural state, connected to other natural settings of hills and mountains to the east and west of the city proper.
Carson City may end up demonstrating what is required in parks & rec managers for future growth in other communities. At recent meetings in Carson City, people turned out in support of equestrian and OHV use in the same wilderness areas, and basically advocated for extensive signage and good maps to make sure folks know where they can and can't be for the activity they're pursuing. Attendees have also commented on a need to maintain a healthy, natural flood plain on the river.
In the end, CC's preservation of these lands may lead to growth once more, as people flock to the area seeking an example of a place that has acquired open space, worked hard to preserve historical resources, and worked to turn its downtown around following the arrival of a bypass freeway. These are things that are happening all over, and if Carson City can show us an example for how to do it right, we should heed that example whenever possible. Here's wishing them the best of luck.
News Carson City stories of interest:
Trying to figure out what to do with the Silver Saddle Ranch
Getting the “plain” truth about building too close to the Carson River and a more “common sense” approach to keeping the river health
