Proposed Washoe County Lands Bill
As we continue to monitor the discussion surrounding a proposed land bill we will periodically update this webpage as more information becomes available.
Immediately below are a series of bullet points that the NMEC has created in reference to the Washoe Lands bill - you are welcome to use these in your communications with legislators and interested parties.
Further below is a letter that the Coalition had sent to the Washoe County Commission regarding the proposed public lands bill.
Foundational Concept-Bullet Points
February 20, 2018
• We believe that the 15-year evaluation process by the BLM and embodied in the 1991 Record of Decision should be the initial basis for determinations regarding whether Wilderness Study Areas (WSA’s) meet the criteria and qualification for possible Wilderness designation.
• Lands determined in the 1991 Record of Decision to not be qualified for Wilderness designation and recommended to be returned to full multiple-use should be released to multiple-use and not be reconsidered to be potentially classified as “suited for wilderness” in the future.
• In the event that any areas included for designated Wilderness in the language for legislation by Washoe County were not part of the of the areas designated as Wilderness Study Areas, a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be carried out for evaluation of the proposed areas designated for Wilderness.
• With new technology-exploration techniques and identification of potential lands for Critical-Strategic Minerals in current Wilderness Lands, National Monuments, National Conservation Lands, National Wildlife Refuge Lands, those portions should be scaled-back/returned/released for economic development and multiple-use.
• The current wilderness proposal is overweight recommending 495,065 (773 square miles) new acres for wilderness designation. The state of Rhode Island is 1,212 square miles.
• The WSA’s being recommended for wilderness studied by the BLM and in its 1991/2000-2001 Record of Decision most were found to be non-suitable.
• Of the 592,693 acres of WSA’s in Washoe County the BLM found 477,490 acres not suitable.
• We should release the non-suitable WSA acres in Washoe County and re-study the suitable WSA’s for newly identified mineral occurrences and potential lands for exploration and mining before accepting the BLM’s suitable recommendations.
• We are also not exactly sure of the acreage being proposed. The 495K acreage is what is on the FNW map dated 11/1/2017. However, a new map 10/13/17 is showing many additional areas as being eligible for protection. These additional lands include Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (LWC). Are the LWC lands being recommended for wilderness status? Yes two; the Granite-Banjo and Burro Mtn. Can we locate mining claims in these areas? Can we conduct exploration and mining? Can we use the roads and trails?
• The newly proposed wilderness areas will be off limits to mineral location and mining. As such this really is an anti-mining proposal. The wilderness component is not favorable for economic development.
• The proposed wilderness areas will close many roads and curtail traditional and historic access routes. This is contrary to the concept of multiple uses for public lands.
• Washoe County already has 178,807 acres of Wilderness including the High Rock and Mount Rose Wilderness areas, 48,212 acres of Blackrock National Conservation lands and 168,746 acres of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge lands for a total of 395,765 acres of protected lands. Certainly, this is enough protected lands in Washoe County.
• We don’t know what minerals we might need in the future. No one thought much about lithium 20 years ago. Now there is a rush to find new deposits. If we lock up the proposed land in wilderness we lose the opportunity to develop resources in these areas in the future.
• How do we fight fires in the protected lands (Wilderness Areas)?
• You can’t even ride a bike in a Wilderness Area. Not everyone has a horse. Not everyone can hike to all areas in a Wilderness (disabled people).
• Minerals-Energy-Natural Resources should be studied, and their potential determined within all Lands recommended for protection. If the area has potential for economic development, it should not be made Wilderness.
Below are the two regional Washoe County scale maps.
The map on the left is the 11/1/2016 original map showing the proposed wilderness areas that overlap the WSA areas with minimum carve-back of the areas Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
The map on the right is recently updated from 10/13/2017 with additional categories of restricted uses proposed by FNW and other parties.