IN THE OUTDOORS: Gold Butte land bill too limiting - Sports

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Oct. 02, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

IN THE OUTDOORS: Gold Butte land bill too limiting

C. DOUGLAS NIELSEN
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There was a time when the great thing about living in Southern Nevada was its wide-open spaces, most of it on public land. One could travel in just about any direction and find someplace new and interesting to visit or someplace new and inviting to hunt.

Living in the growing city was made tolerable because you always could get away from the crowds by taking a drive into the desert on one of many roads that miners, ranchers and wandering explorers left behind long ago.

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But that's no longer the case. With the Bureau of Land Management's no off-pavement travel closure surrounding the Las Vegas Valley for miles in every direction, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area to the east, the Sloan Canyon Conservation Area to the south, the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area to the west and the Desert Wildlife Refuge and Nellis Bombing Range to the north, Southern Nevadans have been hemmed in like cattle with political fences on all sides. Some days I feel like a calf with his head stuck between strands of barbed wire looking for somewhere else to be.

Now, with the help of U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, things could get worse. On Friday, Berkley introduced H.R. 1732, a piece of legislation that if passed would create the Gold Butte Conservation Area: more than 565 square miles of rules, regulations and travel closures. Included in the legislation is language that would create another 13 new wilderness areas totaling more than 220,300 acres. More than 91,000 acres of that wilderness would fall within the Lake Mead NRA, where public access to the lake's shoreline already significantly is limited to anyone who does not own a boat.

This is in addition to the 45 other Nevada wilderness areas created since 2002 by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Act and the Lincoln County and White Pine County land bills.

For those of us who enjoy hunting quail in Gold Butte's remote setting, this bill could have far-reaching affects. In regard to hunting, fishing and trapping, the bill initially reads, "Nothing in this title affects the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada with respect to fish and wildlife, including hunting, fishing and trapping in the conservation area." This might be enough to make most believe their hunting, fishing or trapping activities won't be curtailed if this bill is passed.

Then a few pages later comes the weasel clause: "The Secretary of Interior may designate, by regulation, areas in which, and establish periods during which, for reasons of public safety, administration, or compliance with applicable laws, no hunting, fishing, or trapping will be permitted in wilderness areas designated or expanded by this title."

This is the same kind of language that has enabled land managers to bypass the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and arbitrarily close public lands to public access. The bill goes on to say, "Except in cases of an emergency, the secretary shall make such designations in consultation with the appropriate agency of the State of Nevada." That "emergency clause" is the loophole that enabled the local BLM manager to close all nonpaved roads on the outskirts of Las Vegas to vehicle travel.

Berkley's bill also addresses the use of motorized vehicles. "... The use of motorized vehicles in the conservation area shall be allowed only on roads and trails designated for use of motor vehicles in the management plan ..." Given the local history of these management plans and their implementation -- the Las Vegas Resource Management Plan, for example -- this clause gives me a warm fuzzy all over. I wonder how long before the roads and trails all would be posted with no-motorized-vehicles signs.

I understand the Gold Butte area has experienced an increase in public use, especially with the open space just outside of Las Vegas off limits to all but the most ardent hikers. And I understand thoughtless visitors are degrading some of the area's cultural resources. And I understand ATVs and other motorized vehicles don't belong on every hill.

But do we have to jump to the wilderness and conservation area designations? Isn't there something in the middle that will allow continued use of the land by people of varied interests while protecting the most significant resources?

If people grow up not knowing the land, they will grow up not loving the land. If they do not love the land, they will not respect the land. If they do not respect the land, they eventually will turn their back on the land.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Bill Young wrote on December 01, 2008 07:05 AM: 11/30/08 I just returned from a wonderful weekend on Gold Butte. My friends and I are getting close to 60 yrs. old, and could not enjoy the desert beauty without the aid of atv's. Sat. we traveled 35 miles thru breathtaking rock formations, plant scenery, and awesome views of Lake Mead. At one point we passed a family of seven on atv's enjoying this great place. I thought to myself, now thats great family time and how I would like to bring my Grandkids out to see this. The only ugly thing around Gold Butte is green post people fences, areas of 40 or 50 white cones, vast plant and animal habitat destroyed by fire, and now trail closure signs. All of this unatural uglyness has been brought to Gold Butte directly or indirectly by enviormentlist. I write this for a number of reasons; (1) I cannot walk 35 miles in a day to enjoy this kind of beauty. (2) I dearly want to give my Grandkids this same experiance. (3) I believe in fighting for what I believe to be right. I think the 25 to 40 % of people that love the freedom of the great outdoors should stand up and fight the 1% who are trying to take it away. When I say fight I don't mean physically. but by organised and legal means. unfortunatly I am not skilled at this type of battle. I have come to the internet to get educated on this subject. I found your article and I am now looking for any organizations that have the same beliefs as I. Please email if you can help. Thank You for the wonderful Article. Bill Young underwasp wrote on October 03, 2008 11:24 AM: in response to SpEd... Do you really think we can have a quality hunt in an ORV playground? - Hunting is not off-limits in wilderness. I love hunting, and the more we can do to keep those who wreck the land out of Gold Butte, the better and more successful our hunting experiences and will be. Dusty wrote on October 02, 2008 03:33 PM: Please tell me why the BLM has closed a majority of the roads to remote peaks and canyons around Las Vegas and yet they allow an open mining gravel pit to strip the entire side of a mountain side at Railroad Pass (on the way to Boulder City and Eldorado Drylake) This slot is a wind funnel and allows the predominant South winds to blow into the LV valley and help clean out the pollution. Unfortunately now that air is FILLED with a ton of dust on any windy day. I invite you to go check it out and videotape this and bring it to the powers that be attention as it is nearly a whiteout on the windy days because of this mine. SpEd Teacher wrote on October 02, 2008 12:58 PM: The bottom line is that it is a way for anti-hunters to keep those of us that love to hunt from our passion. And by the way, Hunter=Environmentalist. And before you hippie, liberal, Erin Neff nut jobs chime in, Poachers are not hunters they are criminals. Sure pass the bill, I would like nothing more than to see a couple of pieces of land in Clark County that some California Socialist wants to put 5 homes per acre on, but keep it open to hunters, and those that ARE good stewards of the land. Sneaky legislation such as this is why we hate our politicians. And by the way, we can allow hunting, and recreational use of the land and still comply with the federal mandates. Mogli wrote on October 02, 2008 12:26 PM: Seriously, how can anyone comment on this thing when they are clueless on the specifics of the bill? And the knee-jerk "environmental whackos" comments are cheap and easy to make, but what do folks like that know about the resources and beauty of Gold Butte? If you want garbage, take a bag and go clean up the mess left behind from the weekend warriors that trash Whitney Pockets every weekend. underwasp wrote on October 02, 2008 12:25 PM: Call me an environmental whacko, but this bill is essential to allow continued development in Clark County. The county needs this bill to legally fulfill its contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan... No conservation, no development. It's common sense. The bill is about much more than where or where you can't drive in Gold Butte (existing roads are remaining open, by the way). This bill is a piece of smart legislation that benefits Clark County economically and saves Gold Butte from total destruction by a handful of selfish and small-minded ORV abusers. My2¢ wrote on October 02, 2008 12:24 PM: Seriously, how can anyone comment on this thing when they are clueless on the specifics of the bill? And the knee-jerk "environmental whackos" comments are cheap and easy to make, but what do folks like that know about the resources and beauty of Gold Butte? If you want garbage, take a bag and go clean up the mess left behind from the weekend warriors that trash Whitney Pockets every weekend. mesquito wrote on October 02, 2008 09:03 AM: Have you read the bill and studied the map? The wilderness areas do not close any designated routes. Continuously, Gold Butte is being compared to Sloan Canyon and Red Rock Canyon. Both these NCA’s are “urban parks” with high visitation surrounded by a million people. Gold Butte NCA is in the back country, and allows for nearly 500 miles of designated routes. Again, no designated routes are closed in the wilderness! Why is it important to have the designation? Future visitation management, facility needs and education. Red Rock was designated 20 years ago. We need to look to the future BH wrote on October 02, 2008 07:43 AM: Where was Tom Collins and the County Commission in this latest fiasco? Asleep at the switch or was another $$$ involved? The Moapa Valley Town Board has an excellent plan for the area in conjunction with other Boards. It is time to show Tom Collins the door. "Tom has stated that the rural residents do not matter in his upcoming election and that the City of North Las Vegas and Las Vegas Voters are stupid and will vote for him without thinking". It is time to make a change for the people of our beautiful County! The Time is Now! P wrote on October 02, 2008 06:17 AM: More garbage and loss of freedom caused by Environmental Whackos.