Las Vegas Is Going All In on Its Water Conservation Plan

Norm Schilling, a local landscaper and co-host of the show “Desert Bloom” on Las Vegas’s NPR affiliate, sees this tension encapsulated in an old walnut tree. Standing in the front yard of one of his customer’s homes in McNeil Estates—where older homes have lush landscapes—he points to a walnut tree flanked by grass. Schilling says its roots still need grass to survive. He worries that new excessive use fees could force residents to rip up healthy, shady trees and replace them with smaller, less mature trees—albeit more drought-resistant ones. Schilling wants the water authority to slow down, preserve existing trees, adjust fees more gradually and phase in change. “Let us nurture the urban forests that we have,” he says. “And let us have a very thoughtful, timely transition.”

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