Silver State Times

WASHINGTON, DC – On june 5, during a tour of Lake Mead, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) was briefed by the Acting Superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mike Gauthier, on the status of the boat ramps and efforts to ensure they remain open as the summer boating season begins. During her visit, it was announced that Lake Mead National Recreation Area will receive $32 million in disaster funding Senator Rosen secured to address the effects that drought is having on recreation at the lake. Senator Rosen also visited the Lake Mead Marina and met with the Director of Operations, Bruce Nelson, to discuss how the drought and boat ramp closures have impacted local businesses.

“Lake Mead is a Nevada treasure and one of the most visited outdoor recreation areas in the nation, bringing in millions of visitors to our state every year,” said Senator Rosen. “When local businesses at Lake Mead reached out to my office with concerns about how boat ramp closures were hurting them, I took action right away to get these ramps reopened and secure the funding needed to keep them open. I was glad to visit the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on June 5 to announce federal funding I’ve been calling for that will ensure the boat ramps remain operable this boating season and in seasons to come. I’ll always fight to support Nevada’s small businesses and outdoor recreation economy.”

“Drought across the southwest has severely impacted our state, and nowhere is this more evident than at Lake Mead,” said Mike Gauthier, Acting Superintendent of Lake Mead Recreation Area. “Senator Rosen has been a champion for the Lake Mead Recreation Area, and thanks to the new funding that she helped secure, we are able to use it efficiently to continue planning for long-term action to mitigate the effects of drought on recreation at the lake.”

“For decades, our family has run and operated the Lake Mead Marina, the Las Vegas Boat Harbor, and many other businesses that depend on the lake. In recent years, we have seen how the ongoing drought has affected boating on the lake – including the closure of boat ramps, which led to a steep decline in visitors and business,” said Bruce Nelson, Director of Operations for Lake Mead Marina. “We reached out to Senator Jacky Rosen’s office for help, and she took on this issue by fighting to reopen the boat ramps, saving the small businesses that depend on them. We are grateful for her efforts to restore tourism and business at Lake Mead.”

Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight to address Southwest drought and reopen Lake Mead’s boat ramps. Rosen has strongly opposed proposals to permanently close boat ramps at Lake Mead, and has urged the National Park Service and the Office of Management and Budget to use federal funds to address extreme drought conditions and avoid permanent boat ramp closures. Rosen also applauded the proposed plan agreed to by Lower Basin States’ which would conserve 3 million acre-feet of water over the next three years to protect the Colorado River system that flows into Lake Mead. 

Original source can be found here.