Dear Editor,

The Closure of Little Ash is a tremendous loss to our valley, we are saddened that the great resources of the natural springs cannot be enjoyed. We are afraid the only way of teaching our children to swim is by dumping them an Igloo cooler.

I will begin to explain of where we are in the process of getting little Ash reopened. This article is my opinion only and in no way reflects the position of the BLM, State of Nevada or the Lincoln County Commission.

This last Fourth of July celebration, we had a little booth set up trying to explain to the people about the project of Little Ash. We had some favorable interest, but also some misunderstanding. So with that I will attempt to clarify what we have done, and hope to accomplish the on going process of opening the spring again for the people and families to enjoy.

You may or may not know that the BLM has officially closed little Ash for at least two years due to vandalism to the pond itself. But they are willing to work with us on a solution. There has been a group formed to look at options of getting the spring and some of the land mostly north of the spring into the control and ownership of a local group.? The group is called ?Friends of Pahranagat Valley.? The intention is to form a non-profit organization. Once it is formed we plan to work on getting some funds together so we can start the process of re opening Little Ash with more local control. The Committee meets often and has had Assemblyman Oscarson and Senator Goicoechea attend the meetings. They are interested in assisting, and they recognize the importance of the spring to the culture, the valley and the families of this area. The group met last July 22.

Ed Higbe

Lincoln County Commissioner