A 30-foot fluorescent rock sculpture that draws thousands of visitors in Southern Nevada may find a new home in Washoe County.

Washoe County commissioners voted 4-1 to approve $500,000 to fund the relocation of the “Seven Magic Mountains” art installation to Northern Nevada. The action opens the possibility it will move north, but its next stop has yet to be decided.

The multi-colored sculpture is currently housed in the Mojave Desert, about 10 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip.

Claire Muñoz, vice president of museum advancement and deputy director at the Nevada Museum of Art, told commissioners the sculpture must be moved by the end of 2026 to make way for future development in the area. Clark County is working to expand its aviation footprint in the Ivanpah Valley, just south of Las Vegas.

“The installation is comprised of seven towers of colorful stacked boulders carved from Nevada limestone and stands more than 30 feet high,” she said. “It is an expression of human presence in the landscape and celebrates the rich diversity of Nevada’s residents and visitors alike.”

The colorful display, created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, opened in Southern Nevada in 2016. It was produced by Reno’s Nevada Museum of Art and the Art Production Fund.

The sculpture was initially planned to be on display for two years.

“Due to its popularity and significant international attention that Seven Magic Mountains continues to garner, the artist has expressed a desire to explore opportunities to keep the artwork in the state of Nevada,” Muñoz said.

The display attracts about 1,000 visitors a day, she said. Its permit with the Bureau of Land Management expires in 2026.

“Today, the Nevada Museum of Art is committed to preserving the legacy of Seven Magic Mountains while bringing its cultural and economic benefits to Washoe County,” Muñoz told commissioners during a Tuesday meeting.

Funding for relocating the sculpture will come from dollars received by the county from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The federal dollars would assist the removal, transportation and reinstallation of the artwork in Washoe County. Possible locations in Washoe were not presented at the meeting, and it’s still undetermined as to where it will head next.

The commissioners approved the funding alongside 11 other projects totaling about $3.2 million at Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioner Mike Clark, despite his dissatisfaction with some of the items, including the cost of relocating sculpture, voted in favor. Vice Chair Jeanne Herman opposed the the approval.

The push to preserve a grove of sacred swamp cedar trees and commemorate the site of several massacres perpetrated against Indigenous communities in eastern Nevada reached a new milestone last month. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced legislation to establish Bahsahwahbee National Monument in Congress on July 29. The legislation is a long-awaited accomplishment for the Bahsahwahbee campaign, and brings the sacred landscape one step closer to permanent protection.

With Congress unlikely to act this year, the campaign is calling on President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate the area a national monument. Drawing on his extensive Senate experience, Biden has traditionally awaited the introduction of legislation before using this authority to establish national monuments.

The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Ely Shoshone Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Goshute have been advocating for Bahsahwahbee to become Nevada’s newest National Park Service-managed monument for years. Situated 8 miles north of Great Basin National Park, the soon-to-be Bahsahwahbee National Monument would benefit all Nevadans. Safeguarding public lands not only shields us from the most severe effects of climate change but also preserves the unique characteristics that define our state for future generations.

A poll of 602 Nevadans conducted last year reported that 77 percent of respondents support the tribes’ efforts to designate Bahsahwahbee. In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a resolution supporting the designation, including unanimous bipartisan support in the state Senate. The tribes are asking for the National Park Service to tell their story — a story of deep connection to the land, tragedy and resiliency.

Nevadans have shown how much they value public land and its protection. Nevada has the highest percentage of public land of any state in the nation. Conservation is part of the culture across the state, transcending party lines and rural-urban divides. Nevadans are more likely to support candidates that protect public lands, and invest in national parks and monuments. Nevada is also the ancestral home of 21 federally recognized tribes spanning 28 reservations, with Indigenous people inhabiting the Great Basin since time immemorial. Thanks to recent efforts to expand voting access, issues important to Native communities matter more than ever in determining our elections.

Intact wetlands and forests such those found at Bahsahwahbee continue to sequester carbon and protect climate-cooling biodiversity, fighting climate changes that have led to Reno and Las Vegas being named the two fastest warming cities in the country. This summer is shaping up to be the hottest on record in Nevada. Indigenous communities have known for millennia what others are only starting to reckon with: Land protection and community protection are inextricably linked.

Nevada, holding true to its purple nature, is projected to be one of the key states that will determine the results of the presidential election and if the Democratic majority in the Senate holds. Registered Independents in Nevada now outnumber registered Democrats and registered Republicans. Polls have shown that 72 percent of Nevadans believe that public land protection benefits our economy, and 78 percent of Independent voters (joined by 73 percent of GOP and 80 percent of Democratic Party voters) believe that conservation is important in selecting a candidate to vote for. All the signs point toward public lands and conservation efforts being a deciding factor in how Nevadans vote this November.

Bahsahwahbee becoming Nevada’s newest National Park Service-administered national monument is not narrowly a conservation issue for eastern Nevada, but one that impacts all Nevadans. The ball is in your court, President Biden.

Olivia Tanager is the director for the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club, focusing on Nevada, the Tahoe Basin and the eastern Sierra Nevada. It is a grassroots fueled group that advocates for increased access to renewable energy, public transportation and land, water and wildlife conservation.

The Nevada Independent welcomes informed, cogent rebuttals to opinion pieces such as this. Send them to [email protected].

WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. – Lake Mary on Thursday triumphed 6-3 over Henderson, Nevada during its sixth game of the Little League World Series — meaning the team is now headed to the U.S. Championship.

The Lake Mary All-Stars started strong in the first inning, scoring four runs. However, Nevada rebounded with three runs of their own at the bottom of the inning.

After a scoreless second inning, Lake Mary scored again in the third thanks to a solo home run by JJ Feliciano, putting the scoreboard at 5-3.

Garrett Rohozen sealed the game with another solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, cementing the score at 6-3. This means the team has hit five total home runs throughout the World Series, which is the most of any team this August.

[MEET THE TEAM: Lake Mary All-Stars at the Little League World Series]

News 6′s Justin Warmoth asked the boys whether they’re looking forward to playing Texas again.

“Yes,” they all said.

“Back for revenge,” Teraj Alexander added.

In his first action on the mound at the Little League World Series, Alexander came in relief, allowing just three hits while striking out five Nevada hitters in 3.2 scoreless innings.

“It was a great experience to pitch in front of all these people,” the 12-year-old said. “It just made me super happy and excited.”

It was Lake Mary’s fourth game in as many days and their third win in a row. The resiliency, the fight, the grit – all worth it after the team moved the Southeast placard onto the Championship game. Lake Mary head coach Jonathan Anderson was quick to praise his unflappable team.

“To do what they did in four days and to win all those games and bounce back from that loss to Texas is amazing,” Anderson said. “This is what we’re here to do. This is what we wanted to do. We said it all along that the job is not done. We are where we want to be, and now, we just need to finish the job.”

[STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO]

Last week, Lake Mary was off to a strong start, winning their first two games against Sioux Falls and Puyallup. However, the team was taken down by Texas on Monday night — the first loss of the season for Lake Mary.

The tournament is double elimination, meaning that teams can only lose twice before they’re out of the running. But after Tuesday’s conquest over New York and Wednesday’s win against Hawaii, the Lake Mary All-Stars were still raring to go.

After coming out on top against Nevada, Lake Mary will take part in the U.S. Championship at 3:30 p.m., which will see the team take a second swing at Texas.

As a result, Lake Mary has also become the third team from Central Florida to ever make the U.S. Championship game in the 77-year history of the World Series.

Twenty teams are competing in the Little League World Series: 10 regional champions in the U.S. and 10 international champions from across the world.

U.S. teams:

International teams: