City of Henderson updating nature trails plan for first time in nearly 20 years

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The City of Henderson wants to hear from residents about its open space and trails plan, which looks at how it protects the area’s natural environment.

This is the first time the plan will be updated since it was created nearly 20 years ago. Henderson’s long-range planner, Alejandra Fazekas, said change is needed as Henderson grows.

“Our first plan was adopted in 2005, so a lot has happened since then. Our population has grown, our boundaries have expanded, and with that, challenges and opportunities have emerged,” Fazekas said.

The city is now looking at how it can protect and conserve natural resources.  There are different ways it plans to tackle this, including making sure development at the city’s edges respects the desert environment, and reducing urban heat island effects. The plan also looks at improving trails, as well as developing entirely new ones.

With the new trails, the city hopes to make it, so more neighborhoods are within a 10-minute walk to a trail. That is where the city’s park planning manager Amie Wojtech steps in.

“It provides outdoor space for them to be able to be able to see, and there’s a mindset of just, health and wellbeing when you’re being outside in the outdoors,” Wojtech said.

The new changes are a joint effort of Wojtech’s and Fazekas’ departments, parks and recreation, and community development.

“It’s a really good partnership between the two departments to see what is being planned and what we can implement in the future,” Wojtech said.

When it comes to costs, it varies on a project-by-project basis, from thousands to millions of dollars. Residents can submit feedback until the end of the month.

If you’d like to share your thoughts, you can take the city’s survey here.

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