(Vernon Robison | The Progress) – About 200 people participated in a social-distanced “Peaceful Protest” on Saturday, Dec. 12 on the Mormon Mesa just east of the Moapa Valley.
The protest was coordinated by Moapa Valley resident Lisa Hayes Childs with help from other volunteers involved with the Moapa Valley Save Our Mesa movement. The group has been vocal in its opposition to the Battle Born Solar project, a proposal to build a huge utility-scale solar generating plant on more than 9,000 acres atop the Mormon Mesa.
Assemblywoman Annie Black made a visit to the mesa on Saturday morning to show support for the cause. She pledged her help in bringing the community’s concerns up to other elected officials who could also help.
“I share the concern about the effects on tourism and public health and safety,” Black said. “I think there is a lot of fear about those things and rightfully so.”
“This community has been through a lot in losing a lot of its economic lifeblood of tourism that came with Lake Mead,” Black added. “A lot of that tourism has gone now and the community has had to work hard to build back up visitation in off-road vehicle use. You don’t want to lose what you have left and I can certainly understand that.”
