LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — If you’d like to live in a national park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area is offering a new, unique opportunity. They are looking for volunteers to watch over Government Wash. The once-popular campground was shut down a year ago after homeless encampments and crime became rampant.
“This area is not meant to house 300+ residents that are living here,” explained then Chief Ranger of Lake Mead Trouper Snow as we followed along as Government Wash was cleared out last July, rangers notifying holdouts it was time to go.
“Over the past five years, our law enforcement. has responded to well over 1,000 incidents,” Snow revealed. Homeless encampments, along a series of makeshift roads, damaging the fragile ecosystem, were a major problem. The small part of the park was their biggest concern.
“These are stolen vehicles… stripped here, burned out here… Attempted murder last year… Number of incidents drawing away from our ability to patrol the people recreating safely on the lake,” Snow asserted.
Government Wash, iconic for a speedboat sticking up in the air as Lake levels receded, was closed to all vehicle traffic on August 1, 2024, but the closure was always meant to be temporary. Now, after a year-long cleanup with the help of volunteers, thousands of pounds of trash and 80+ illegal fire pits have been removed. Government Wash will reopen as a better site for camping and water access.
Park visitors who plan a visit can expect to be in the company of volunteers. The National Park has put out the call for a Government Wash Primitive Campground Host who will live on site in their own RV. Meanwhile, a Government Wash Support Volunteer will reside in government housing. Both will greet campers and provide them with information about the area and about campground rules, helping the area re-focus on recreation to revitalize and reimagine the once popular camping spot.
The job postings indicate volunteers for Government Wash could start as soon as next month. Here is a link to volunteer opportunities throughout the park.
Lake Mead is the fifth most visited national park site in the country. Last year, the National Park Service announced it will be sending more than $8.5 million over five years to repair damage done by visitors.
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