Willie McCool Regional Park is a 160-acre regional park in

North Las Vegas North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 216,961, with an estimated population of 251,974 in 2019. The city was incorporated on May 1, 19 ...

, Nevada, United States, located next to the

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, a United States National Monument near Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, was established in 2014 to protect Ice Age paleontological discoveries. The monument is administered by the National Park Servic ...

and

Ice Age Fossils State Park Ice Age Fossils State Park is a 315-acre state park in North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, on the northernmost fringe of the metropolitan area. It is located adjacent to the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument near Willie McCool Re ...

. It is the northernmost park of the city park system.

History

The original park was established in 1991. In 2004, it was named after US Navy

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

William Cameron "Willie" McCool, the pilot of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' mission STS-107, in which he and the six other crew members were killed. Vacant land within the park is available for the development of future recreational uses, such as sports fields,

picnic area A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s, and

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

Flying field

The Willie McCool Flying Field is a model airfield for radio-controlled aircraft located within the park. It is accessed with an Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) membership and the $20 annual flying field pass which can be purchased from the North Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Department after obtaining an AMA membership.

Experimental garden

The Master Gardener Orchard is an experimental garden located on the western side of the park, established by the University of Nevada, Reno (NUR) and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) to test water usage and the adaptability of non-native plants in the desert climate of the Las Vegas Valley. CSREES was dissolved in 2009 and the garden is now operated by a group of UNR volunteers known as "Master Gardeners".

References

Parks in Clark County, Nevada {{Nevada-stub