Reckless Recognition

The dialog surrounding Gold Butte over the last few years has focused on the goal of designating Gold Butte as a National Conservation Area (NCA). The tactics and rational as to why this particular designation would be the answer to all the woes that face Gold Butte has evolved and changed, depending on the audience, but the NCA designation continues to be a roadblock to any other conversation.

In the spring of 2010 I had the opportunity to meet with the director of the BLM, Robert Abbey and visit Gold Butte with him and other community and political leaders. Standing around the graves of Art Coleman and William Garret, Director Abbey touted the benefits of the NCA as a way to share Gold Butte with a larger community and gain national recognition for Gold Butte. During the summer of 2011 I had the opportunity to meet Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes where he echoed the opinion that Gold Butte was deserving of national recognition. Recently Caesars Entertainment and other corporations and businesses, far removed from the conversation and lack adequate knowledge of the situation, have added their support for a nationally recognized Gold Butte. Special interest, political appointees and big business agree that an NCA is the way to achieve this recognition.

The problem with the logic that Gold Butte deservers more recognition is that it blatantly ignores the fact that Gold Butte does not currently have the infrastructure or the management plan in place to adequately manage the influx of visitors that will come with national recognition. Recognition and even funding don’t solve many of the problems that face our public lands. Look at Red Rock NCA. It still experiences extreme cases of vandalism and carries the same designation sought for Gold Butte. A bureaucratic designation does not solve the problems that face our public lands, it exacerbates them. The simple fact that the people who are calling for this designation are the same people complaining that Gold Butte is not adequately managed clearly illustrates that they either have an ulterior motive, which is not the long term success of our public lands, or that they are blinded by their own ambition and fail to see the contradiction of their own arguments. Recognition does not equal protection.

We cannot pretend that we can keep Gold Butte to ourselves or hide it from those who enjoy the diverse recreational opportunities that are available within the Gold Butte area. However we can also not ignore the fact there are risks associated with a national designation and increased usage without the proper framework in place before that designation. The short term economic benefits that may possibly come with a national designation will be negated in the long term if this agenda is rushed and the risks that accompany higher usage are not properly addressed. Without having adequate planning, proper management and the infrastructure in place before there is increased usage the outcome will work only to complicate and intensify any problems that are currently experienced in the Gold Butte area. Reckless recognition will result in increased damage which will then be followed by restrictions and a loss of access to our public lands thereby invalidating the original intent of the designation. An actively involved community working together with the land managing agencies creates and provides protection, not bureaucratic designations.

Learning the Hard Way

The recent discovery of vandalism at Red Rock National Conservation Area (NCA) at one of the rock art sites has been making the rounds on the news circuits. This kind of senseless and destructive vandalism is inexcusable and I hope that the vandals are caught. However, in trying to find the best of a bad situation, one thing that these recent actions have done is stir up the conversations around protection, education and enforcement of our public lands and cultural sites.

KNPR State of Nevada had Mark Boatwright, BLM Archeologist in Las Vegas, as a guest speaker on December 3^rd 2010. The conversation was centered on the vandalism at the rock art sites but the discussions also touched on some of the issues faced when managing cultural sites. In the interview Mark said, “The problems that we have with managing rock art sites is their accessibility. The closer that they are to the road, whether it’s an NCA or a monument; the more likely you are to see graffiti.  ”

In a post I wrote back in October, Defining Access, I worked to define that access is more than the simple definition of an open or closed road. I think that Mr. Boatwright complements this discussion with his quote about access, “The problems that we have with managing rock art sites is their accessibility.” I believe that access also encompasses the visibility or awareness of certain areas as well. Political designations are one tool that is used to raise awareness of specific areas to a much broader audience. These political designations include NCA, Wilderness, National Monument and the likes. To brand certain areas with distinct labels and highlight them on every map, publishing it on internet sites and printed media is making these areas more accessible by advertising their location. However, with this raised awareness there is also an associated risk that is being ignored.

While many are using the recent actions of vandalism at Red Rock as testimony to rush Gold Butte’s status as an NCA, I would counter that this is plain and clear evidence of why it should not be rushed. If an area like Red Rock that has been protected for many years, is much smaller geographically, and has more intense management and available resources than Gold Butte, and it is still getting vandalized, maybe pointing the spot light on Gold Butte is not in Gold Butte’s best interest. Now is not the time to earmark Gold Butte for the bureaucratic brand.

Now is the time, when Gold Butte is flying low on most people’s radar, to build a practical management plan. A management plan that focuses on education and enforcement objectives that can safeguard Gold Butte’s resources and accessibility for the general public. To label Gold Butte an NCA and highlight it on every map and print it on every national register is reckless and irresponsible. If everyone who believes they are as impassioned as they preach about what is best for Gold Butte, could focus their misguided energies on sustainable solutions for Gold Butte, positive achievements could be accomplished. However, if this agenda is pushed, it is being run at the risk of the irreparable consequences it carries to the physical sites and the general public.

It is time to foster new discussions instead of the same ol’ worn out rhetoric calling for the implementation of ineffective policies that do not work. It’s time to come up with sustainable solutions, instead of taking risks and putting our public lands in danger.

Metrics to Management

Creating Practical Public Lands Policy

I am currently employed as a computer programmer. As a part of every application that I write I build a metrics component within the application. I track what functionality in the application gets used and how often. I do this because it allows me to make informed decisions about the applications that I manage. It allows me to take my metrics, things that I know, and translate that into a better management plan or process for the applications that I am tasked with maintaining. It is my opinion, that this same principle can be applied to managing our public lands.

While trying to sift and sort through all the claims and accusations about what is and what is not taking place at Gold Butte I have heard a lot of different claims from all sides. Working to come up with real world solutions, rather than hope a new political label will fix the “problem”, I thought I would try and gather what metrics I could on public lands at Gold Butte. How can we make management decisions based on abstracted hypothesis and unfounded assumptions?

If people, groups or management agencies have specific concerns about our public lands we have to sit down, list them out and come up with real world, practical solutions for each specific concern. The message that we sent to our representatives is something I truly believe; that we support a fair, transparent and open process to developing a management plan for our public lands. Collaboration and data create the opportunity to deliver results.

Increased Usage (Traffic Data and Visitor Count)
One of the biggest concerns that you hear and read over and over is about the increased usage of Gold Butte for a recreational destination. I won’t point out the obvious conflicting rationale of this claim coupled with, so we need to give Gold Butte more recognition. I will save that for a later post, but it’s something to think about.

In many peoples rational for whatever cause they champion you will hear the claim that there is increased traffic and usage out at Gold Butte. I am not disputing this claim however I wanted some actual numbers to in fact see what the increase in usage at Gold Butte is. I made contact with the BLM requesting this data along with other statistics relating to Gold Butte. Would you like to know what the actual increase of usage over time is? Me too! The BLM does not have any data, past or present, with regard to traffic or visitor counts for this region.

I am not disputing that the number of people that visit Gold Butte is growing. However, to use this rationale at face value with absolutely no numbers to back it up is foolish. People are making life altering management decisions for public lands, whether political or by the managing agency, with no actual data. The basis is nothing but elusive assumptions. How can you measure success unless your only goal is to restrict total access without baseline information and a clear and open objective?

Rangers
I have heard the argument that we need more rangers to patrol Gold Butte. I do not have a stance on this because I don’t know enough about policing public lands for me to say one way or the other. Some simple questions that I have asked, that would help me better understand, I have never got answered. How many rangers do we need? Is this number calculated off the sheer acreage of the particular region? Is it based off of incident reports and tickets from the field?

When I requested the traffic data for Gold Butte I also asked for data on incidents in the Gold Butte region, both policing and cataloged incidents for cultural sites. I was told that there is some data for the last few years however this information is not available to the public. For people to use this rationale for hopes of getting an NCA without the proper data is short sighted and detrimental to other public lands within the BLM’s purview. This would do nothing but pilfer resources from other public lands within the state. Stressing one place and stripping others of their recognition.

If we are going to find legitimate solutions to the problems that face our public lands we have to first be able to define the problem, have a goal or solution we want to reach, have base line data to gage our progress, and continue to track metrics until we can honestly claim success or failure. There has to be accountability on all sides of the table. We cannot continue to allow people, agencies or special interest the luxury to hide behind a cloud of vagaries due to the lack of accurate and freely available information.

Metrics create accountability and accountability is like disclosure….its nice when there is some.

Our Unified Message

Many people have asked me what can they can do to help or be involved to preserve our public lands and access to them. Well the answer is, call your representatives and tell them how you feel about Gold Butte. We need to send a unified message to Washington. The time has come when you need to take action in regards to Gold Butte. Legislation is not currently introduced pertaining to Gold Butte however it is on the minds of our representatives. We need to make sure that they understand how we feel about Gold Butte. We need to ensure that our voice, the people who they represent in Washington, is well understood. It’s easy to sit back and blame special interest or the representatives removed from their constituents over 2,000 miles away. However if we do not take the time to call and specifically make OUR voice heard we have no place to complain. We have to take part.

The November election is looming and many of our representatives are on deck for judgment. If there is ever a time when they are most compelled to listen, it is now. We need to make certain that they clearly understand that the people who vote them in or out have a voice and demand to be represented. If you love Gold Butte, if you love access to your public lands and want a fair and evenhanded process to manage our lands you need to call your representatives TODAY and let them know.

Partners In Conservation and members of the Public Lands Conservation Committee have helped to put this message together:

“I respectfully request that Congresswoman Titus (or Senator Reid, etc.) replies to me (you will need to give your mailing address) and lets me know if SHE WILL SUPPORT A FAIR, OPEN, AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS FOR GOLD BUTTE THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THE MEETINGS HELD FOR THE LINCOLN COUNTY PUBLIC LANDS BILL OF 2005 WHEREIN EVERYONE MET AND WORKED THROUGH THE SPECIFIC ISSUES TOGETHER. GOLD BUTTE IS TOO CONTROVERSIAL, TOO IMPORTANT, TOO BIG OF AN AREA TO NOT HAVE A SERIES OF PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS SPECIFIC ISSUES. I respectfully expect a reply to this request and if Congresswoman Titus will support a fair, open, and transparent series of public meetings, whom may I contact to get on a notification list?”

We believe that now is not the time to rant and rave about ‘no wilderness’, ‘no NCA’, etc. That message is falling on deaf ears and they hide behind the Clark County Commissioner’s Resolution of Support.

• Phone calls are the best, then letters, then emails
• We must be respectful; being dis-respectful gives them a reason to discard our comments
• We must be united and all say the same message (see above)
• A personal comment w/ the unified message would have significant impact because that demonstrates that we are united in our message, but that our phone calls, comments are personal, coming from individuals and NOT a mass mailing

Congresswoman Titus: Phone: (202) 225-3252

Senator Reid: Phone: 202-224-3542 
(or Toll Free for Nevadans): 1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)

Senator Ensign: Phone: (202) 224-6244


Request that they let you know where they stand on the issues.

Please do not put this off until tomorrow. We need to let them know how we feel TODAY. Please call our representatives and send the message to Washington that you support a fair, open, and transparent process to managing our public lands.

Past Present and Future

Earlier this week Stan Hardy and I had the opportunity to take a few members of our congressional delegation, specifically from Dina Titus’s office, out to Gold Butte. To their credit we actually went to Gold Butte. The purpose of the trip was obviously to talk politics but more importantly it was about seeing and experiencing the country we are talking about. It is one thing to talk about 350,000 acres but it is entirely another to travel down the rough roads and experience this backcountry. To experience this vast country, which is more than the few acres around Whitney Pockets, you can start to understand the complexity that surrounds what has become known as Gold Butte.

Some of my goals for the trip were to help show how truly large and expansive this country is. I wanted them to see that yes some areas get some high usage however that is only a small percentage of this country. I wanted them to see that this country is varied and diverse both in its physical characteristics but also with its rich history and strong sense of place which is derived from all of these qualities together. Native American heritage, pioneer heritage, mining, cattle ranching, and outdoor recreation are all important pieces of the landscape at Gold Butte. When talking about managing the landscape we need to see it for what it is, vast, diverse and many things to many people.

 (Horse Springs)

It is one thing to talk about managing the precious resource of water and the health of springs in a conference room however it is entirely another to go out and see the overgrowth of invasive plants like tamarisk choking a spring to death due to lack of proper management.

(Azure Windmill)

It is one thing to look at pictures of a dried up water tank and broken windmill but it is entirely another to see its dry and dusty tank while looking at a picture of it from 15 years ago brimming with water and the surrounding area green and lush helping to sustain life. When the question is asked why it is not running water now and the answer is because the BLM dismantled the windmill you can start to get a feel for the frustration felt by so many who have loved this country and watched it change over a few short years.

(Whitmore Cabin)

It is one thing to listen to the frustration from local residents who had to tear down their families cabin built in the early 20th century however it is entirely another to go out and look at pictures from then and now and see the loss of these historic landmarks.

(TreasureHawk Mine)

It is one thing to hear people’s thoughts and feelings on the Treasure Hawk Mine and how so many are working to erase our history from the landscape however it is another to see the piles of rubble and debris lying on the desert floor. When the question is asked why are there still open shafts not even fenced while so much effort has been given to tearing down the mining shacks you can start to understand the frustration of those of us who aren’t driven by the wilderness agenda.

It is important to see how the management style put in place has a direct impact on the landscape both physically but also within the community.

Sitting under a cedar tree eating lunch and having an honest conversation about the place we are working on was to me productive to say the least. Part of the message that I tried to convey was that this is about the past, present and future of our public lands and who and what is having a direct impact out on the ground level. It is easy to boil the issues down to access however access isn’t as easy to tackle as many would hope. It is not just about access today, but more importantly it’s about access tomorrow. Is it visual access or is it motorized access? Is it access by foot or horse? Is it access by a licensed vehicle or is it access through an OHV?

When working to build long term solutions for Gold Butte the community and historic values need to be the framework for the future management of the area. These are the values that have shaped this great country into what it is. These are the values that will preserve the place that so many have fallen in love with.

If I truly thought that the introduction of legislation and some new federal label would solve the issues that face Gold Butte I would be on board HOWEVER I am not convinced. I know, because I have seen it happen time and time again, that the people pushing for the wilderness designations and the NCA label are only using this as a stepping stone to greater restriction and loss of my rights to enjoy our public lands. It would be the begging not the end.


Whether my message sunk in or they agreed or not the day was productive and we saw some beautiful country. I would like to thank them for coming out and giving me the opportunity to show them the Gold Butte that I have fallen in love with.

 The customary shot next to the graves at Gold Butte.

The Trip Map

Deception and Disclosure

The thing about disclosure is, it’s nice when there is some.

In April of 2010, a group of people interested in the management of Gold Butte took a trip out to this beautiful country. The trip was centered on the attendance of the nation director of the BLM, Robert Abbey. We were also accompanied by other political representatives including Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins and the Mayor of Mesquite. I am a pretty simple guy and my exposure to politics was not much more than the good ol’ boys approach to getting things done. It was my impression that having the national director of the BLM out to Gold Butte was a pretty big deal. He had been the Nevada state director for a number of years and I am sure Gold Butte had come on his radar from time to time. I thought it was just a fellow Nevada man coming back to help build consensus between the groups involved. Little did I know…..

It turns out that during the time between his tenure as the Nevada State BLM Director and the National BLM Director he sat on the Board of the Friends of Nevada Wilderness. This is the parent group of the Friends of Gold Butte. This is the same group who is driving the agenda for an NCA designation, coupled with unbridled amounts of Wilderness, for our public lands and Gold butte.

Little did I know that the Good ol’ Boy system is alive and well, pushing the Wilderness agenda.

Calling BS

Growing up one of my families favorite pastimes was playing games. One of the family favorites was called “BS”. In this game you deal out all of the cards in the deck so every player has the same amount of cards. The game is started by the first player laying all the 2’s that they have face down on the table in a pile and calling out how many of the cards they laid down. The next person lays down their 3’s face down on the pile and calling how many cards they laid down. It goes around and around like this until the first person runs out of cards. However there are a few little tricks you can use to help yourself get ahead. Sometimes in the game you may not have the right cards when it comes to your turn or you might slip in a different card than you are supposed to, to try and get ahead, so you can win. However if another player suspects you of trying to slip in the wrong cards when it’s your turn the other player calls out “BS” and the player who tried to pull a fast one gets stuck with all the cards in the pile. Well this doesn’t seem much different than the politics it takes to get legislation passed, except the stakes are much higher, for all the players. 

Currently in Clark County there are a number of “conservation minded” public lands projects in the works that could potentially require congressional action. Some of these include projects in the Las Vegas Wash, Tule Springs, the Nellis Dunes and Gold Butte. When talking with our representatives and those involved with these projects they often refer to an upcoming Clark County Public Lands Bill. This future bill would bundle all of these projects into one hand for one vote. I am sure that this makes things a lot easier for our congressional representatives however when looking at the above hand there is one card that doesn’t fit.

 

At the 500,000 foot ‘Washington level’ I am sure that these projects seem like a good match. However at the local level this is like slipping in a king with three Jacks. Yes they are all good cards but should they all be bundled into one hand in the hopes of getting a little ahead in the game? 

Gold Butte is a very distinct region and requires a much different management style than the projects within the Vegas Valley. Grouping a 1,000 acre off-road facility with a 350,000 acre NCA including a proposed 133,000 acres of wilderness is BS. Creating a management tool for Gold Butte is a huge project and will take time and facts to develop it correctly. To quickly bundle it up and say an NCA is the save-all quick fix to the issues that face Gold Butte is BS. Gold Butte should not be a pawn in election year politics.

If our elected officials want to demonstrate that they are responsible representatives then when they throw down their cards with this public lands bill they should not try and pull a fast one with Gold Butte. Yes, bundling it with Nellis Dunes is most likely good political strategy, but at the price of dictating an irreparable management decision to appease the squeaky wheels of special interests?

Gold Butte is no doubt a terrific project and a comprehensive sustainable strategy needs to be developed. However rushing a half shod, imbalanced proposal built on mind-boggling bureaucracy is senseless and unrepresentative. If you want to do something positive for Gold Butte then push aside the partisan and special interest agendas and let’s get to work on defining sustainable objectives and building a management plan that suits Gold Butte and its diverse landscape on a timetable that fits the needs of Gold Butte not politics.

What do You See?

The Great Outdoors is a classic 1980’s John Hughes film starring John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. It is about two families who vacation in a beautiful mountain lake village and the adventures they have while enjoying the great outdoors. I have great memories of watching this movie when I was a kid and still today, when watching it with my kids, this movie is still great. There is one scene in particular however that had never caught my attention until now.

The scene I am talking about is set with Chet (Candy) an all American family man and Roman (Aykroyd) a die hard businessman sitting out on the deck of the cabin overlooking the beautiful lake and the men enter into a conversation about what they see.

Roman - "I tell you what I see when I look out there. I see the undeveloped resources of Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and Michigan. I see a syndicated development consortium exploiting over a billion and a half dollars in forest products. I see a paper mill and if the strategic metals are there, a mining operation. A greenbelt between the condos on the lake and a waste management facility focusing on the newest rage in toxic waste, medical refuse. Infected bandages, body parts, IV tubing, contaminated glassware, entrails, syringes, fluids, blood, low grade radioactive waste all safely contained sunken in the lake and sealed for centuries. Now I ask you what do you see?"

Chet - "I see trees."

In conversations that I have with people who are concerned or interested about Gold Butte and when reading different articles about people’s ideas about the issues that face Gold Butte I have to ask myself, what do they see?

Is there a Roman Craig out there lurking about trying to exploit Gold Butte?

Is it the threat of big development and a housing tract?

Is it the potential that this area has for renewable energy and becoming a field of solar panels and wind turbines?

Is it the threat of the Boy Scouts of America trying to take a group of boys out on an outdoor adventure?

Is it the threat of ATV riders out enjoying the trails?

I know politically it would be a lot easier to get things accomplished if there really was the obvious threat of a Roman Craig trying to exploit the natural resources held within this desert landscape however this isn’t the case. Even if that was the threat that Gold Butte faced its current status as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) protects it from those blatant exploitations.

Everyone at the table seems to be talking about protection and conservation however everyone has a different view of what conservation is and the line between protection and restriction is blurry at it best.

Is restricting access through vast amounts of wilderness areas the best way to conserve and enjoy our public lands?

Is the status quo of public lands management going to work for this large area with a growing number of outdoor enthusiasts?

For me neither of the above statements is going to provide us with a sustainable future for Gold Butte. The solution is somewhere is the middle. I truly do not see how some new bureaucratic categorization such as NCA is going to solve the problems people see at Gold Butte. It is still the same agency that is going to manage these public lands. The first thing that people in support of the NCA throw out is funding and getting more rangers for policing. However when I talk to our political representatives and the BLM and ask specifically how many more rangers will it take to “adequately” police Gold Butte, and exactly how many new rangers will we get when it becomes an NCA, I cannot get an answer. People always focus on the rare and truly uncommon infractions that occur on our public lands. The use these rare examples for ammo to punish the majority of the public who obey, respect and help enforce the rules and regulations that keep our public lands open.

The way I see we need to stop pretending a congressional mandate with over generalized cookie cutter language, saddled with a polluted history of restricted access, can be the solution for an area with a rich history of multiple use. The way I see it the only way to come up with a sustainable answer for Gold Butte is to sit down with the BLM, our political representatives and all those who feel they have a vested interest in our public lands and come up with a real, common sense solution that will deliver a viable public lands management strategy for Gold Butte. This will not only create a sustainable solution but it will also hold everyone involved accountable instead of being a quick win in an election year and a victory for a special interest group with a narrow agenda.

Now I ask you, what do you see?

Conditioned Support

On May 4th the Clark County Commission passed a resolution, with an overwhelming majority, to support legislation for the designation of an NCA for the region that encompasses Gold Butte. Whether our personal ethics or principles allow us to support these types of designations or not I think we need to take a step back and survey the situation.

Washington has shown a strong interest in the issues concerning Gold Butte. They would not have sent out the Director of the BLM Robert Abbey to meet with a select group of people to answer questions had this not been on their radar. We would not have had the opportunity to meet with our Congressional Representatives’ staffers had our Washington politicians not been interested. After it was all said and done it was essentially left to the local political representatives to build a consensus among the residents and special interests that could then be delivered to Washington. In its most simplistic form this is what happened. I am not saying I agree with how it happened, or with all of the details surrounding it, but a resolution was passed.

There are most definitely some points in the resolution that I don’t agree with and I believe will require further negotiations however there are also some positive points included in the resolution.

In a post that I wrote on March 29, 2010 ‘Reaching Out to Our Political Representatives’ I stated that I was concerned about the roads and continued restriction to access at Gold Butte. The BLM Roads Management Plan was something that many in the community helped to build. Although the Roads Management Plan is not perfect it has become something that many of us felt like we could ‘live with.’ The second priority identified in the Clark County resolution is to incorporate the existing BLM road management plan.

I have worried the values that I regard as my way of life in regards to dispersed recreation  would be nothing more than a reminiscent dream. However the resolution makes reference to some of these core values. The second ‘WHEREAS’ in the county resolution recognizes Gold Butte as a destination for numerous recreation opportunities including camping, hiking, hunting, motorized recreation and sightseeing. The first bullet point in the list of priorities as outlined by the County Commission is to provide opportunities for camping and hunting. Are pieces of this resolution not what we were negotiating for?

One of the points in the resolution that I will, and should be, criticized is the astronomical amounts of wilderness that are proposed. In a previous post titled Appropriate Wilderness I outlined how I feel about new wilderness being proposed in the Gold Butte region. It is excessive and unjust that factions believe it is acceptable to go from 30,000 acres of wilderness to proposing over 220,000 acres of new wilderness in one unrestrained land grab. These are dangerous encroachments. Why is the protection that the National Conservation Area gives us not enough?

As I have stated several times in my writing on this blog it is my desire for a long term solution for Gold Butte that will provide us protection with access. It is for these reasons that I think we must try and make the NCA work for us. We need to work together to ensure that our Washington representatives stick to the resolution and uphold our values. Can we not give our conditioned support to a resolution that protects what so many of us consider our way of life?

There is no denying that there have been some misguided and unscrupulous public land management deals in the past. It is these previous actions that continue to plague and fester at the hearts of many of us who have vivid memories of enjoying public lands that are now closed to many types of outdoor recreation. However we can only allow that to taint our foresight to a certain degree before it inhibits progress on other fronts. If there is a workable solution that satisfies most of our needs and ends the long battle, which eventually ends is more restriction anyways, why not support it? We need to work with change not against it. We need to focus our efforts to ensure that our values and access to public lands are protected. 

If our political representatives are willing to legislate the roads upfront and reinforce our values how can we not give them our conditioned support?

Thinking Locally

Today my family and I spent the entire day out at Gold Butte. We rode the trails, visited some of the old mines, took pictures of the wild flowers and visited some of the places where our forefathers pioneered. 

 

We unloaded near Azure Ridge and headed for Horse Springs. We hiked, explored, and had a delicious picnic. Sitting under the willow tree near the spring, watching my kids splash in the water and run up and down the alleyway of the old corral, my mind wandered to the politics surrounding this incredibly beautiful desert country. I was reminded instantly of the reason that I have devoted almost every spare second of my life getting involved in the politics of Gold Butte; My kids, my family and our right to enjoy public lands. 

Right now there are a lot of groups and politicians who are pushing really hard to designate Gold Butte as an NCA with massive amounts of Wilderness (over 130,000 acres). They use scare tactics to get people to the table and then tell us, you can either ride this train with us or jump off. 

 

Why is Washington DC dictating to us the future of public lands and bypassing our local BLM office? When did we allow special interest groups to take over the political arena and push the citizens out the door? I am in no way advocating that we create a Gold Butte Militia however I do believe that we need to get involved with our local representatives and resolve these issues with the local office of the agency who manages this area.

November brings the next election and with that many of our public servants are up for reelection. If there is ever a time to let them know where we stand it is now.

In my opinion we need to redirect the train that is headed for an NCA designation. However we need to maintain that momentum to keep people involved but direct that energy to our local BLM office. We need to work with them to build a common sense solution. There is no eminent threat to Gold Butte! It is already designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). There can be no land transferred for disposable land top sell for development as many groups use as a scare tactic. Many trails have already been closed by the BLM that they think are imposing harm on the landscape. There are Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) funds available for the agency to use if there are critical threats to multispecies habitat. If you believe that there is not enough management at Gold Butte then tell the local BLM office that it needs to dedicated more resources to it. The people who tell us something has to be done now and try and hurry it through have their own ulterior motives and not the best interest of Gold Butte at heart. 

There are no doubt differences of opinion on what needs to be done at Gold Butte and these differences need to be resolved. However the right solution is not going to come down from a politician in DC. The right solution needs to be developed locally. One of the tools that accomplish this goal is the Resource Management Plan with the BLM at the local level.

We need to use the correct channels and processes that have been put in place for this exact reason, to develop a management plan that best suites the needs of our public lands and the people who enjoy their benefits.

Wilderness Roads Access and Responsible-Use

We have, for too long, let the special interest groups drive the political agenda concerning our public lands. We have become comfortable and taken for granted the fact that our public lands are open to the public for multiple use. It doesn’t matter if you are out sight seeing, a photographer, hunter, ATV enthusiast, fisher, camper or all of them combined, if you are an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys your public lands and enjoys the access to your public lands you need to get involved and tell your political representatives how you feel about public lands management. 

  

Friday a group of concerned citizens and a paid employee of the Nevada Wilderness Project had the opportunity to meet with a range of political representatives on issues concerning Gold Butte. The director of the Bureau of Land Management Robert Abbey was one of the key political representatives involved in the discussions. This meeting was largely put together so we could ask Director Abby, as the head of the agency who manages Gold Butte, question about the future management of the Gold Butte.

There was much that was discussed in our meeting however the following are some of the key points that I took away. Director Abbey made it a point to clarify, many times, the fact that the BLM has no current legislation concerning Gold Butte before congress and has no intension to introduce legislation. However Director Abbey told us point blank that the status quo for management at Gold Butte is not an option. The group talked about various other topics but the majority of the discussion focused on the designation of a National Conservation Areas (NCA) for the Gold Butte region.

At this time I will not get into the full discussion of what an NCA is or the Pros and Cons of this bureaucratic management tool for public lands. However I will point out a few of the items that we were told would be a positive thing for designating Gold Butte as an NCA. Director Abbey told us that one of the biggest things that would happen when Gold Butte gets the NCA designation is that it would get recognition on the national level. The point of funding came up a few times but this point got down played and no official numbers or statements came out about any additional funding. We were also told it will add another layer of protection or management for the area (bureaucratic red tape).Wilderness, roads, access and responsible-use were the topics of discussion.

 












I greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with our political representatives and have the chance to ask them questions face to face. Director Abbey told us the Bureau of Land Management is not pushing the agenda of an NCA designation for Gold Butte. The point remains however that someone is pushing this agenda and it is not the local community or the people who enjoy Gold Butte.

The special interest groups have had the stage to themselves to distort our political representative’s view of what the real issues are in our public lands and how their constituents feel about the current climate concerning these issues. For everyone who enjoys access to our public lands, get involved, tell our representatives how you feel about the closure and denied access to public lands.

Partners in Conservation - Counter proposal to ‘Gold Butte NCA’

Partners in Conservation (PIC) is an organization that is dedicated to help protect our beautiful desert landscapes. They come to the table with a commonsense approach to public lands and responsible stewardship. PIC’s vision is to be a lasting, permanent, and significant factor in enabling citizens of rural Nevada and the West to take an active role in public lands, conservation and recreational issues. SaveGoldButte.com and PIC share the common goal of protection with access to our public lands.



In response to Berkley’s proposed legislation in 2008 Elise McAllister, the administrator of PIC, drafted their counter-proposal to the Gold Butte NCA legislation. This document is filled with a lot of constructive information and reflects the values that many of us who enjoy the area want to see in the future management of Gold Butte.




Rural Community’s Essential Elements to Conservation Component Of Mesquite Land Bill – Counter proposal to ‘Gold Butte NCA’


The language of the bill shall include:

CONSERVATION:

Transportation Plan:
Incorporate in its entirety the “Final Environmental Assessment (Alternative D for the Transportation Plan in selected ACECs located in the Northeast Portion of Clark County” into the Conservation component, meaning all roads designated as Open in the above referenced plan (as this plan has already gone through an intensive 4-5 year public process) shall be managed as Open and the attending management plan shall contain language guaranteeing that the above referenced plan is the overriding legally binding document relating to all roads in the Gold Butte NCA area. Regarding any emergency action or any other action that seeks to close any road or portion of road, either temporarily or permanently, such action must be presented to the Mesquite City Council, the Bunkerville Town Advisory Board, the Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board, and the Moapa Town Advisory Board, as well as the Clark County Commissioners and the Ad Hoc Local Management Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee. All above entities reserve the right to protest and appeal any road closure action, emergency or otherwise, temporary or permanent.

The BLM and the Ad Hoc Local Management Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee shall include in the management plan, language to ensure protection for all BLM determined important cultural resources by providing proximity protection in the form of limiting motorized access to such BLM determined important cultural resources. Such proximity protection shall under no condition, close portions of roads to those said resources more than ½ mile back from such resources. Such proximity protection closures of ½ mile or less of roads must have a small parking area at the end of the road to allow enough space for adequate parking and turning around. (See protection clause for additional details)



Management Plan:
A Permanent Ad Hoc Local Management Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee, hereafter referred to as the ‘Committee’ shall be formed after this bill is signed into law, before any management plan work is begun, and the following seats will be permanent: A citizen appointed by each of the 4 local governments, Mesquite City Council (1), Bunkerville Town Advisory Board (1), Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (1), and Moapa Town Advisory Board (1), a representative from Partners in Conservation (1), a representative from Friends of Gold Butte or a preservation/wilderness advocate group (1), a representative from the northeast Clark County’s liaison’s office (1), a representative from the Moapa Tribe of Paiutes (1), a local representative from the motorized recreation community (1), a local representative from the non-motorized recreation community, and a local representative from a historical organization or museum. This Committee will work directly with the BLM and the public to create a management plan.



Master Plan:
A master plan shall be developed and be included in the management plan; the master plan will be under the direction of the Committee and will center around intensive public involvement. The following items, plus any other items suggested by the Committee or the Public, shall be seriously considered for the master plan:
Whitney Pockets semi-developed campground
primitive campground
Parking areas
Trailheads
RV campground
Assorted trails

The desired outcome of the Master Plan, after intensive public involvement and approval by all relevant agencies, is a Master Plan that will provide guidance and direction for all regions and facilities in the Gold Butte NCA area so that the public will have needed facilities and usage opportunities, the BLM will have designated facilities that will enable better management and enforcement, and the resources will have better protection as a master plan defines, manages, and controls use of the NCA area.



Ratio of increased population to recreational needs:
The management plan will include a ‘fluidity’ clause wherein increased population that will result in increased usage will be factored into the management plan, with the end result being increased facilities and opportunities to match increased population and usage. As populations and usage increases it is NOT acceptable to decrease or even maintain current levels of facilities and opportunities. The Committee will develop appropriate future plans, detailed in the management plan and master plan, based on population increases that will provide a fluidity to recreation opportunities and facilities. This is a critical element in this and all future public land bills because more and more public land is being transferred out of the ‘multiple use’ category and becomes land for solar and wind energy development, other development, and/or is closed or restricted for a variety of reasons. These designations decrease the multiple use category and are therefore not available to an increased population to enjoy and recreate on.

As recreation is a mandated use for BLM managed public land, as the population grows in the west, and as more people want to use our public land, it is absolutely necessary to plan and manage public lands to allow for increased use. THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE GIVEN LESS AND LESS LAND FOR RECREATION AND MULTIPLE USE WHILE THE POPULATION AND USAGE GROWS—MORE PEOPLE ON LESS LAND WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT MORE RESOURCES THAN ANY OTHER REASON. Therefore, the language in this bill and the management plan must include avenues to allow and provide for increased use—a ‘fluidity clause’.



Water Conservation:
Water conservation shall be integral to the conservation component and insomuch as water contributes to the climate and ecology of Gold Butte, the following conservation actions shall take place:
1. Tamarisk removal and appropriate restoration techniques will occur on the Nevada portion of the Virgin River, the Muddy River, and the Nevada portion of the Colorado River and Lake Mead.
2. A Virgin River Wetlands Park, Trails, Natural Area, and Education and Research Center will be constructed, managed, and maintained.
3. Other noxious weeds that contribute negatively to water conservation and the habitats of the Gold Butte area will be removed.



Wildlife and Habitat Improvements:
Mining and Ranching water improvements will be maintained and enhanced in an expeditious manner so that water once used for the economic traditions of mining and ranching will now benefit wildlife and surrounding habitat. Water developments will not be allowed to deteriorate and disappear off the landscape; all water developments will be preserved, maintained and enhanced for beneficial use.

Spring development and enhancement will occur for the obvious benefit to wildlife and habitat. Springs will not be fenced off to prevent wildlife and humans from enjoying the wonders of these small oases in the Mojave Desert.



Community Involvement:
The local Gateway Communities and all willing participants, groups or individuals, will be encouraged to actively participate in the many activities and projects that need to occur in the Gold Butte area. Stewardship, volunteerism, community involvement, and public participation will be an integral part of the management plan and this active involvement by the public will be an ongoing priority. The public will assist the BLM in the active management and improvement of the Gold Butte area.



Socio/Economic/Political Values:
The values of traditional use, responsible recreation, humans connecting with their public land, conserving cultural, historical, and natural resources, wildlife and habitat improvement, and active public involvement will be the guiding factors in this NCA and will be written into the management plan as such. All actions in the management plan, all directives, all regulations, all priorities, and all goals will be directly associated with the values that this NCA was created to uphold and protect.

The Value of Traditional Use is a valued resource to local communities much as the gathering of traditional and medicinal plants is a value to the Moapa Band of Paiutes. Ancestors used the area and as such, various end destinations, routes, areas, and features hold irreplaceable value to descendants and local residents. The ability to visit a place often used or frequented in the past, to share stories with your children, to ponder the harshness of mining life or the difficulty raising cattle in a dry year are important traditional uses to the rural communities; therefore the Value of Traditional Use must be a value this NCA addresses and protects, and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect this value, just as it protects other values.

The Value of Responsible Recreation is a valued resource to many citizens; additionally this value provides the benefit and financial value of additional monies spent in local communities, the economic benefit of increased taxes for government entities, and the increased economic benefit of additional monies spent at businesses in the direct and indirect recreational and tourist related markets. The value of Responsible Recreation is essential in a time when multiple use public land is fast disappearing from the landscape due to land use restrictions, solar and wind energy projects, as well as other energy and utility projects, including utility corridors. The Value of Responsible Recreation must be a value this NCA addresses and protects, and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect this value, just as it protects other values.

The Value of People Connecting with Their Land is an inherent value to the rural communities with roots tracing back to our earliest ancestors. Boy Scouts and other groups incorporate this concept into their teachings and outings and their ability to access the land must be maintained. Local church groups re-enact the handcart journey of their ancestors and help teenagers understand their history and the intimate relationship that humans once had with the land. This value is in danger of being lost as modern life and modern amenities replace the once everyday routine of interacting with the land. This value and the activities that help maintain this value must be addressed and protected by this NCA, and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect this value and associated activities just as it protects other values.

The Value of Protecting Cultural, Historical, and Natural Resources is a value that previous NCAs always manage for. This NCA is no exception; cultural, historical, and natural values need to be values that this NCA addresses and protects, and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect such, just as it protects other values.

The Value of Wildlife and Habitat Improvement is another value traditionally held by rural communities. The lack of water and the impact that has on wildlife and plant life was a factor in everyday life to the residents of Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley. Many of them earned a living from ranching and farming, most hunted and utilized the eatable parts of plants to aid in their survival and well being. Even in recreation, residents sought out riparian areas--greener and with an abundance of life, to spend a relaxing afternoon picnic with family and friends. The value of wildlife and habitat improvement---enhancing what exists in nature for the betterment of wildlife and plant life, and thus for humans is a critical value that must be protected. The ability for people to access their public land to aid in that betterment is a value that rural residents find harder and harder to protect with increasing restrictions and land use designations; therefore, this value and the activities that help maintain this value must be addressed and protected by this NCA, and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect this value and associated activities just as it protects other values.

The Value of Active Public Involvement is a value that provides direct benefits to the resources of the Gold Butte NCA. Public Involvement used to be a spontaneous activity, instigated by a resident upon seeing something that needed to be done. Active involvement promotes ownership and creates personal stewardship in an area once people have participated in a project. Residents in the gateway communities have traditionally participated in many projects that enhance or protect the resources and habitat of public land around the communities. Youth, in particular, are deeply involved in such projects; this involvement can be the catalyst that leads to a lifetime of active conservation or even a career in a related field. The value of public involvement is often appreciated and applauded, but rarely protected. It is more important than ever, with less people feeling a need to get involved, to elevate the value of public involvement to a status wherein proper funding and personnel time can ensure its importance. The Value of Active Public Involvement must be addressed and protected by this NCA and its accompanying management plan must manage to protect this value and associated activities just as it protects other values.


Protection:
Cultural resources
Cultural resources are part of the treasure of Gold Butte and need to be afforded some level of protection against thoughtless and illegal trespasses. The BLM, working with the Ad Hoc Local Management Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee, shall determine appropriate barriers, such as ending roads, natural barriers such as boulders or post and cable fencing to prevent motorized use from getting too close to the resource, or other protective devices for the cultural resources areas identified in the Cultural Resource ACECs. Cultural resources outside of the ACEC may also qualify for appropriate barriers and additional protection. Barriers to ‘end roads’ shall not occur more than ½ mile from the actual resource if it is on a road that ‘ends’ at the resource and where the barrier is erected, a parking lot with sufficient room to turn around, etc. shall be provided.

For cultural resources wherein a road passes nearby but continues on, re-routing of that road would provide protection for the resource. Additionally, barriers, fencing, etc. can be erected to protect the resource, but not to close that road. . In all cases, using natural barriers should be the highest priority as natural barriers blend with the environment and provide a much more positive user experience than fencing and other obvious ‘keep people out’ barriers. Positive reinforcement and positive messages should always be used. The public must be treated like welcome owners, not as unwanted trespassers. Positive and extensive education must be a component that accompanies any type of barrier restriction or protection.

Historical resources
Historical resources around the Gold Butte Township site shall be protected by the designation of a Historical District. Natural barriers, if at all possible, and fencing, if necessary, can occur near sites to prevent motorized vehicles from getting too close to a resource, but roads cannot be closed. Positive reinforcement and positive messages should always be used and extensive education must be a component that accompanies any type of barrier or protection.

Mines, corrals, other mining, ranching, or settlement features and any other historical features on the landscape outside of the Historical District may also be protected by natural barriers and education, notwithstanding no closure of roads to do so.

John Lear should be consulted on all historic issues in the area; his research is widely acclaimed as incredibly thorough and accurate and his historical documents and findings should be preserved as part of the Historical District management plans.

Wilderness
The entire Gold Butte area underwent a public process in 2002, from which several wilderness areas were created. It should be noted that the BLM only recommended 13,895 acres of land in Lime Canyon be designated as wilderness. The BLM’s research and documentation did not show that any other area in the 350,000 (approximately) acres fit wilderness definitions or had sufficient wilderness characteristics in 2002.

If additional use of the Gold Butte area is one of the reasons why additional protection is needed in the area, then clearly, no area since 2002 could now qualify as wilderness which did not qualify for wilderness in 2002. The imprint of man is across the entire Gold Butte landscape and has been so since the area was first mined and ranched. Therefore, no additional areas qualify for wilderness.

However, since some believe more wilderness designation is necessary, the Million Hills Instant Study Area could be designated as wilderness PROVIDED: ALL roads are cherry-stemmed in and the end of roads have a sufficient buffer to allow parking, turning around, picnicking, and camping, AND the top of Virgin Mountain i.e., the Virgin Mountain Instant Study Area is released from all wilderness designations and the roads are returned to usable condition, i.e., designated ‘Open’. Springs and sensitive habitat in the Virgin Mountain Instant Study Area may be protected by barriers or other means as long as historical and traditional access is not restricted.

Sensitive Habitat and/or federal and state endangered or threatened listed species
The Desert Conservation Program, through their land use designations, permit conditions, and identified 640 Conservation Actions and the BLM, through their ACECs and specific management actions and regulations for sensitive habitat and listed endangered or threatened species, both adequately cover the issues of sensitive habitat and species protection. Provisions are provided for entities to challenge either entity if they are not doing their legal obligations to the species and habitat. Nevertheless, some may feel more protection is needed; therefore, the BLM, in conjunction with the Committee, may consider other protections so long as traditional access is not restricted and traditional, pre-1998 roads are not closed. Cryptobiotic soil may be protected by fencing, barriers, and extensive education, small, specific areas may be provided an additional level of protection be designating small, specific areas as Sensitive Habitat. These processes must be done through the Committee and must include extensive education utilizing positive reinforcement and positive messages.



Education and Information:
The necessity of adding an education and information clause to the Gold Butte NCA bill and management plan is not because the rural residents think education and information won’t take place, this clause is added to ensure that education and information is addressed and managed correctly—that being in a positive and welcoming fashion. Rural communities are long tired of being told ‘no’, ‘don’t go here’, ‘don’t do this’; instead positive messages, providing REASONS why certain management actions need to be taken is needed. The public cares and wants to know more about its public land and how it is managed; education and information should provide such. Respect and protection of resources can be obtained by providing residents with information. For example, the public, as a whole, does not understand and therefore dismisses and does not care about Cryptobiotic soil. Education and information about this subject would assist the public in understanding the concerns land management agencies have regarding this issue.

Education and information should contain active components of site stewardship, recreation stewardship, campground hosts, event hosts, eyes and ears, and any other opportunity to actively involve and engage the public on the ground. The public, while not on public land, is trusted with behaving responsibly; those same people are the ones enjoying an ATV ride, camping overnight, taking a hike, etc. The public desires to behave responsibly; having citizens discuss issues and REASONS for regulations with each other will provide a level of informed and appropriately behaving citizenry on public land that will result in positive benefits to the resources, habitat, and wildlife. Law enforcement officers are needed for the small percentage of the public that chooses to break the law; the vast majority of the public are law abiding, should be treated as such, and should be actively involved in helping each other understand the nuances of how regulations and the management of public lands affects how, where, why, and when they can enjoy their public lands.