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ENLARGE
Douglas County Parks Commissioner Tom Moore looks through paperwork during a Sept. 2 tour of the site proposed for the Willow Bend River Park in Genoa.
In Nevada, as long as a river is navigable by boat, it’s public domain.
“The state of Nevada views rivers as water trails that can be used by the public,” Scott Morgan, Douglas County director of community services, told the parks and recreation commission Sept. 2. “[The view] has not been encouraged by the county.”
Morgan would like to change that. He said the county strategic plan calls for providing public access to the Carson River. Converting three county-owned, river-abutting properties into passive parks could achieve that objective.
“We want to build something that will be sensitive to the operating budget in the future,” Morgan said. “We want to provide access to the river without a lot of big maintenance costs.”
Passive parks are easy to take care of; they’re minimal facilities consisting of vaulted toilets, potable water, trash bins and picnic tables.
The first lot, the proposed 3.7-acre River Bend Park, fronts the East Fork of the Carson River near the intersection of Centerville and Waterloo lanes in Gardnerville.
An attempt in 2005 to improve the location with picnic tables and a swim ming/inner-tubing area was shot down by county commissioners due to concerns of nearby ranchers.
Morgan said the surrounding ranching community worried park-users would wander onto private property and become liabilities. But a state law passed in 2007 indemnifies landowners against anyone who uses a public park to enter private property, Morgan said.
He also said a passive design would provide access but not encourage people to move up and down the river.
“I think we can satisfy the concerns of every property owner adjacent to the area,” he said.
Fenced off from the public, the parcel is currently under appraisal: The county is considering selling it to the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service. Morgan said both agencies would provide public access.
The proposed 7.3-acre Power Dam River Park also fronts the East Fork. The acreage runs along a fast-moving bend below the broken dam near Ruhenstroth. The Nevada Department of Wildlife regularly stocks the location with rainbow trout, and the spot is a popular fishery. Morgan recommended the same kind of passive facilities and some improved parking areas.
The proposed 6.4-acre Willow Bend Park in Genoa fronts the main Carson River north of where the east and west forks converge.
“This would be the most elaborate park,” Morgan said.
The park would include a picnic pavilion, an events area, potable water and sanitation facilities, a parking lot and gravel boat ramp.
Unlike the other sites, the Genoa park would encourage down-river use. The section of the river is a popular destination for rafters and kayakers. At high water flows, rafters put in at Genoa Lane and take out at Cradlebaugh Bridge near Highway 395.
However, two old structures on the parcel would need to be liquidated. Morgan said the buildings are too small for public use and pose flooding problems. One of the structures, a two-story log cabin, could be disassembled and sold.
“We want to clean up this site and prepare it for some kind of future use,” Morgan said.
In October, Morgan will ask county commissioners for an estimated $12,000 to hire a part-time park designer. The parks and recreation commission will be tasked with vetting and refining the conceptual designs produced. Construction of the parks will depend on available funding.
“Everyone knows that in this area, access to the river is somewhat limited,” parks commissioner Tom Moore said. “These parks would provide access for recreational activities and a setting for family events.”
“The state of Nevada views rivers as water trails that can be used by the public,” Scott Morgan, Douglas County director of community services, told the parks and recreation commission Sept. 2. “[The view] has not been encouraged by the county.”
Morgan would like to change that. He said the county strategic plan calls for providing public access to the Carson River. Converting three county-owned, river-abutting properties into passive parks could achieve that objective.
“We want to build something that will be sensitive to the operating budget in the future,” Morgan said. “We want to provide access to the river without a lot of big maintenance costs.”
Passive parks are easy to take care of; they’re minimal facilities consisting of vaulted toilets, potable water, trash bins and picnic tables.
The first lot, the proposed 3.7-acre River Bend Park, fronts the East Fork of the Carson River near the intersection of Centerville and Waterloo lanes in Gardnerville.
An attempt in 2005 to improve the location with picnic tables and a swim ming/inner-tubing area was shot down by county commissioners due to concerns of nearby ranchers.
Morgan said the surrounding ranching community worried park-users would wander onto private property and become liabilities. But a state law passed in 2007 indemnifies landowners against anyone who uses a public park to enter private property, Morgan said.
He also said a passive design would provide access but not encourage people to move up and down the river.
“I think we can satisfy the concerns of every property owner adjacent to the area,” he said.
Fenced off from the public, the parcel is currently under appraisal: The county is considering selling it to the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service. Morgan said both agencies would provide public access.
The proposed 7.3-acre Power Dam River Park also fronts the East Fork. The acreage runs along a fast-moving bend below the broken dam near Ruhenstroth. The Nevada Department of Wildlife regularly stocks the location with rainbow trout, and the spot is a popular fishery. Morgan recommended the same kind of passive facilities and some improved parking areas.
The proposed 6.4-acre Willow Bend Park in Genoa fronts the main Carson River north of where the east and west forks converge.
“This would be the most elaborate park,” Morgan said.
The park would include a picnic pavilion, an events area, potable water and sanitation facilities, a parking lot and gravel boat ramp.
Unlike the other sites, the Genoa park would encourage down-river use. The section of the river is a popular destination for rafters and kayakers. At high water flows, rafters put in at Genoa Lane and take out at Cradlebaugh Bridge near Highway 395.
However, two old structures on the parcel would need to be liquidated. Morgan said the buildings are too small for public use and pose flooding problems. One of the structures, a two-story log cabin, could be disassembled and sold.
“We want to clean up this site and prepare it for some kind of future use,” Morgan said.
In October, Morgan will ask county commissioners for an estimated $12,000 to hire a part-time park designer. The parks and recreation commission will be tasked with vetting and refining the conceptual designs produced. Construction of the parks will depend on available funding.
“Everyone knows that in this area, access to the river is somewhat limited,” parks commissioner Tom Moore said. “These parks would provide access for recreational activities and a setting for family events.”
