Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission presents awards including new Colleen Beck archaeology prize

The City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission on a May 2025 meeting presented its 2025 preservation awards, including the first Colleen Beck archaeology award, and recognized local advocates and organizations for work conserving Las Vegas history.

The awards program, established by the commission as part of the city’s centennial-era activities, honored Friends of the Fort (accepted on behalf of the organization by board chair Larry Moulton), Nuwu Passats ("the people's garden") at the Springs Preserve (accepted by Springs Preserve general manager Lisa Windham), longtime local preservation advocate Karen Livingston for work at Floyd Lamb Park, and Jonathan Ullman, president and CEO of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, with a career achievement award. The commission also presented an advocacy award to former U.S. senator Richard Bridal for long-term work supporting preservation in Nevada.

The awards program recognizes projects and people across categories that include preservation education, advocacy, bricks-and-mortar rehabilitation, media, legacy business recognition and career achievement. The newly established Colleen Beck archaeology award honors work linking archaeology and architecture and was given this year for the Nuwu Passats project at the Springs Preserve, a collaborative conservation and language-preservation garden developed with guidance from Moapa, Las Vegas and Pahrump Southern Paiute groups.

"This innovative project reveals the historical roots and today's reality of the deep connection between culture, nature, and the languages and cultures of what is now identified as Southern Nevada," Vice Chair Laramie said while presenting the Colleen Beck award for the Springs Preserve garden. The garden's interpretive panels include phonetic spellings and QR codes, the commission said, and the project received funding support identified in meeting remarks from the state of Nevada, the San Manuel tribe and private donors.

Friends of the Fort was recognized for decades of advocacy for the Old Mormon Fort historic site; the commission noted a recent in-depth survey update on the site that has moved through state review and is now pending further federal review. In accepting the award, a representative for Friends of the Fort invited the public to visit the park and its interpretive resources.

Karen Livingston, who has led neighborhood organizing and fundraising for interpretive signage and volunteer tours at the city park known variously as Floyd Lamb Park or Tule Springs, told the commission her work began in 2020 and credited local elected officials and community activists for support. "This would not have been possible without the outpouring of encouragement and support from people within Ward 6 and throughout the entire Las Vegas Valley," Livingston said.

Jonathan Ullman said receiving the career achievement award was "humbling" and thanked museum staff, board members and community partners for supporting the institution’s stewardship and public programs.

The commission noted procedural changes this year that opened nominations to the public and added the Colleen Beck archaeology award. Nomination guidance provided during the meeting asked nominators to submit 200 words or less (the packet also allowed slightly expanded nominations). The commission asked members of the public to send nominations to the city's historic preservation officer, Dr. Seabrent.

The meeting closed the awards portion with a group photo and a reminder that a luncheon followed the meeting.