The other day while I was working at home my daughter came
in and asked if she could have a Popsicle. As the temperatures have reached
triple digits herein Southern Nevada a popsicle can offer a sweet reprieve from
the wicked summer sun. I told her this was no problem and to get one for her
brothers as well. It was only a short
time later that she was back and asked for another popsicle. Normally we only
let the children have one a day but I was hip deep in the middle of my work and
trying to get finished up so out of desperation, I told her that she could have
another. As you can guess, it didn’t take long for her to come back and start
asking for another popsicle. Again, as I was in the middle of my work and
trying to not lose my train of thought I told her yes. It was again but a short
time later that she was coming back and again asking for one more. We
were now at least five popsicles into this game when she came for yet another and
I finally said okay this is the last one.
If she had straight up asked for all five popsicles at one
time I could have easily said no. However spreading out the popsicles over the
course of time and asking while I was already engaged so that her request did
not get a hold of my full attention she was able to attain more than she
normally would have. This is no different than how special interest manipulate
the system to achieve their agenda in public lands management.
Case In Point: Red Rock National Conservation Area (NCA)
Originally designated in 1990 [Public Law 101-621] as 85,557
acre National Conservation Area. It was amended in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Since
its original designation it has increased in size 134% from 85,557 to 199,818
acres. That is a total of 114,261 additional acres in just over 10 years. Red
Rock did not contain any wilderness designations in its enacting legislation. However
in 2002 the La Madre Mountain and Rainbow Wilderness areas were created adding
over 48,000 acres of wilderness to the Red Rock complex. Since Red Rock NCA was
created in 1990 it has also added 77 campground sites, Visitor Centers, Law
enforcement building, law enforcement patrols, Fire station complex, parking
facilities and more.
In 2002 the Clark County Public Lands Bill created 30,000
acres of wilderness in Gold Butte. This was despite the fact that the
wilderness inventory performed in Gold Butte explicitly stated that there were
no suitable acres of wilderness in the area. However people were calling,
politicians were listening and 30,000 acres were designated as wilderness
anyways. Now these same groups are calling
again but to a new crop of politicians, and their request in now 250,000 acres
of wilderness and a fancy new label to go on top of it.
Time and time again we are called back to the table and
asked once again to compromise on things we have already compromised on. That’s
not compromise that is a measured demise. The current proposal related to Gold
Butte isn’t about doing what is best for public lands and it is not about
compromising to find a balanced solution. The current proposal without question is about
a narrow minded group with a one-sided agenda on the errand of their calculated
conquest. Spread out over time, over
many politicians and many pieces of legislation the box of popsicles will in
due course be empty.
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