The Introductions

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Congressman Joe Heck, Nevada State Assemblyman Cresent Hardy, Nevada State Senator Joe Hardy, members of the community and a special interest group to discuss Gold Butte politics. Most of the faces were the familiar and the agenda was the standard affair. Despite the repetitive nature of these meetings there is one part that I always look forward to, the introductions. This is when we go around the table and state our name and for many, it is a time to recite their genealogical connection to Gold Butte. I love this because it exhibits the pride and sense of community that locals take in Gold Butte.

Some, at the table roll their eyes, as locals relate stories about trips out with their grandpa or get lost counting how many great-greats it was when their family first came into this country. These stories are told not to elevate the local status above the group or suppose that our opinion is more valid for this single reason. Members of the community who have long standing lineage at Gold Butte understand that we are not entitled to anything more than anyone else because we have seniority. What we are is proud of our heritage and the lessons and love that have been passed down through the generations for the piece of God’s country called Gold Butte. It is that love that makes us passionate and protective of Gold Butte.

The politics in regards to Gold Butte, best described as a distraction, are often oversimplified to access versus protection. With this over simplification it is easy to pose legislation as the simple solution. This is a detriment to Gold Butte and plays handily into a narrow agenda. The reality is that there are specific projects that can be done to help improve the visitor experience and protect the cultural resources that don’t require legislative action. Quite simply none of the projects that need to be done at Gold Butte need congressional action. They can and are being accomplished on a community level with the local managing agency partnered with the community. If we look to ourselves instead of Washington for answers we will find them. The very people sitting around the table who take pride and ownership of Gold Butte will be the solution to a sustainable Gold Butte.

 

The question was posed, I don’t know if we can always count on that level of commitment by the community. I handily disagree with that statement as I am proudly raising five children who are learning the same love and appreciation for Gold Butte as my parents and grandparents taught me and I know many other parents doing the same. In response I asked, where are you going to place your bet, your children or the federal government to save Gold Butte?

Who better to have as the active stewards of Gold Butte than those who have watched generations in their family care for this piece of country out of love, as opposed to politics? We know that it’s not a locals only spot anymore, regrettable nevertheless reality, however we also have a deep knowledge and understanding of the area and a desire to maintain the place we have loved and lived so that we may pass it on to our children. It is the partnerships between the managing agencies and an engaged community that will save Gold Butte for the next generation, not legislation.

What is Protection

Wednesday September 28, 2011 the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, David J. Hayes came into mesquite Nevada. The Secretary came to discuss Gold Butte with the local stakeholders. The meeting was billed as an opportunity to talk about Gold Butte and setting the conservation priorities for the area.

Deputy Secretary Hayes started the meeting off by stating that Secretary Salazar and the Interior Department wants to promote special areas found within public lands and give them “special protections” and the recognition that they deserve. Deputy Secretary Hayes talked about Secretary Salazar’s letter that was sent to all Congressional Representatives asking for areas within their district that are deserving of special protection. He spoke in broad terms about the lofty ideals of conservation and of its importance. It is my opinion that the Secretary worked to set a tone for the meeting where people would feel comfortable sharing their views on what would be best for the area. However it was not hard to see through the thinly veiled bias of a political appointee.

The message that I delivered was that we need to take the politics off the table and work to build a sustainable future for Gold Butte. It will be after that plan is built that we can pursue the correct political avenue to accomplish that objective, not before. I consider the top down approach, of Washington pushing the agenda and seeking their own designation as disingenuous and backwards politics. This strategy does more to erode the public’s confidence that consensus, rather than politics, will provide a long term solution.

The use of broad terms to generalize complex issues acts only to stir the pot. It does not encourage people to seek the middle ground but rather to assume that their own unyielding interpretation and preconceived ideas are the only answer. It works only to corral the scope of people’s ability to think outside previous practice. This is especially the case when many of these words have a distinct connotation associated to them whether that be negative or positive. For example “protection” to one might mean Wilderness, and to the person next to you, that might mean protecting access to trails. If we cannot advance the conversation past politically charged and timeworn rhetoric then the standoff will continue.

 

After the meeting I had the opportunity to meet with the Mayor of Mesquite. The Mayor has a plan to put a group of the interested participants together to start anew at building consensus.  As I understand, his goal is to get everyone to the table on the premise of starting with a clean slate. At this point each item can then be discussed as to the pros and cons and its long term consequences on the sustainability of Gold Butte. It will be here that the community develops its long term vision of what they want to see Gold Butte become. It will be here at the community level where a reasonable solution will develop.

I support the Mayor’s plan for Mesquite to take the reins and build a community consensus. It will be at that point that we find the correct political avenue to push that agenda, not the other way around.

Better Model for Governing

In January of 2011 Senator Heller, then a congressman for Nevada’s 2^nd congressional district, wrote an article for the Field and Stream magazine titled Wilderness Does Not Equal Effective Wildlife Management. This is an outstanding letter and I commend Senator Heller for laying his views out on the table. The outdoor recreation community is in need of a Senator who will support common sense management initiatives on public lands here in Nevada. I believe that this is a perfect opportunity for Senator Heller to make his stance on Gold Butte known and be our representative.

I would like to build on the concepts that Heller’s letter in Field and Stream offer and put those principles into practice right here in our own state.  In his letter, Senator Heller talks about the impact that Federal land management policies have on a community.  Policy that is created in Washington reduces the local community’s ability to be involved in the process. Policy should be developed and implemented on a community level not written and mandated in Washington.  We need to take the Washington politics out of public lands management and allow the communities and the agencies that were established to manage our public lands do just that.

Senator Heller seems to encourage this type of management from his statement in the letter in Field and Stream, “Maintaining healthy ecosystems and wildlife populations is not a simple or easy task. This task becomes more complicated when land management decisions are taken out of the hands of state wildlife officials, local communities, and stakeholders who know the area best.”

Gold Butte doesn’t need further bureaucratic overhead from Washington. The current management tools are in place to properly manage Gold Butte right now. Local community stewardship, in partner with the local agencies, is the type of management that I would hope our representatives in Washington would promote. In a quote from Senator Heller’s letter I believe he agrees, “a transparent public process that includes input from local officials, communities, and stakeholders is a better model for governing.” We are entitled to the transparent public process that Senator Heller talked about. There should be no shortcuts and no quick wins in public lands management.

I will be calling on Senator Heller to not support any new federal designation at Gold Butte but instead support the local communities and the agencies in their continued effort to design a management plan that protects both our natural resources and our access to public lands.

Heller's letter in Field and Stream can be found here:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/hunting/2011/01/guest-post-wilderness-does-not-equal-effective-wildlife-management

What Has Changed

Wednesday August 31^st Stan Hardy, Elise McAllister and I had the opportunity to sit down with Congressman Joe Heck at Sugars Home Plate. Our conversation focused on public land issues within Nevada’s 3^rd Congressional District and specifically Gold Butte.

As we sat down and started to discuss the issues facing our public lands congressman Heck stopped me and said, “Dustin I remember going out to gold butte with you last year. We spent a lot of time in the truck going over the history of Gold Butte and the current political issues.” Cutting right to the chase, Congressman Heck pointedly asked me, “Dustin, what has changed since we last met out at Gold Butte?”

My initial reaction to this question was, well nothing, it’s the same ol’ story. Our congressional representatives are being targeted by outside special interests that are on yet another desperate trophy hunt. However as I thought about that question, my initial thoughts were only a small piece of that story. This oversimplification is a disservice to the agencies and the volunteers who have worked be involved and continue the service that keeps Gold Butte protected.

Politically, yes it is the same ol’ fight.  However politics is not what provides sustainable solutions for public lands management. Rather the politics muddy the waters and detract from accomplishing tangible objectives. It is the people and agencies who care for Gold Butte that make Gold Butte a success. Over the last year considerable progress has been made on many fronts that contribute to Gold Buttes developing success story. For example:

• According to the Local BLM office volunteer activities are increasing
• Completion of BLM Management Plans providing enhanced protection specific to Gold Butte
• Reduction in site impacts due to Roads Designation Plan
• Continued progress of MSHCP agency projects
• Completion of the Roads Monitoring Project at Gold Butte

Parties pandering to politicians for bureaucratic designations are a hindrance to the effort, not a contribution. The local communities and the local BLM office working together to create an environment where people can recreate responsibly, while the cultural and natural resources are protected and enjoyed, is a win for all legitimate participants. Full commitment by the agencies and all parties involved in public lands stewardship, to the management plans that are currently in place for Gold Butte, will provide the protection that many are calling for. Things are changing out at Gold Butte. They are changing in a positive direction for both protection and access, falling short of only added costs and redundant bureaucracy.

I would like to thank Congressman Joe Heck for taking the time to come out to Moapa Valley and giving us the opportunity to meet with him as our representative in Washington DC. 

The Year Mark

It has been a year since I started the Save Gold Butte website. We have covered a lot of ground 48 posts later. I have had the opportunity to be a part of and seen many people get involved, making calls, writing letters and going to meetings. I have spent my time doing this with the goal of working towards public lands stewardship at a community level. I initially got actively involved because the threat of legislative intervention was “imminent”. Well I cannot say what could have been or might have been, but through the hard work and dedication of many people, there has been no legislative intervention and our public lands are still open and being cared for at a local level.

I have met a lot of people, been to many meetings, been a part of some wonderful events and enjoyed many trips out to Gold Butte with politicians, congressional staffers, local citizens and my family. And that is what it is all about, getting out and enjoying our beautiful country. It is hard for people to dismiss the grandeur and beauty of this part of the country and not want to be a part of keeping it accessible for everyone.

Oddly enough I even found out that there are still some good people left at the BLM who believe in their multiple-use mission. One of my favorite events was the Public Lands Day activity held in September. For our project we started a site to be a repository for any and every piece of history that we could scrounge up about Gold Butte. One of our goals with the site is to raise awareness of every part of history tied to Gold Butte including our pioneer, cattle ranching and mining history which played a significant part in the development of southern Nevada and the west. The site is http://www.goldbuttehistory.blogspot.com/ we haven’t been as diligent as we could in getting our histories posted but it is a goal and we hope to continue with the effort. If you have anything that you could add please contact me.

If I could have a goal for the next year with Save Gold Butte it would be to raise awareness of the issues facing public lands, grow the local stewardship movement and encourage people to get out and enjoy this beautiful country. By getting out and soaking up this beautiful landscape you can’t help but want to be a part of keeping it open and accessible in a responsible manner. Protection with access is still my primary objective.

The flowers are blooming, the early spring grass is coming up and the weather is perfect for a Spring trip out to the Gold Butte country. Get out and enjoy it. I’ll see ya out there.

Legislative Integrity – Avoiding Another Omnibus

The phone calls have stopped, the road side signs are being taken down and the negative campaign ads that clogged the television and newspapers have stopped. Finally election season 2010 is over. However don’t let your guard down just yet. With the recent election we are left with a Lame Duck congress. This leaves our rejected representatives held accountable to no one yet still left with the privilege of casting votes that directly impact our lives.

The biggest threat to public lands over the next two months is the looming possibility of yet another unjust omnibus bill being introduced at the midnight hour. This covert and underhanded tactic denies the process of government its constitutional responsibility to adequately consider all legislation introduced. This circumvents the system, set forth by the founding fathers, to take its proper course which governs our nation.

Essentially what an omnibus bill does it take several, if not hundreds, of pieces of individual legislation and roll them all up into one bill. This makes it so our representatives cast an all or nothing vote for a large and diverse group of legislation. At face value this may seem like and efficient way to get things done, however in reality what it does is deny each individual piece of legislation the proper consideration that it deserves. The previous bill in 2009 included about 160 individual pieces of legislation affected nine western states, and eliminating over 2 million acres of public lands for motorized recreation. THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

I will admit that there are some good things that get done with this massive bill, that’s the key to getting it passed. You have a few shining stars that cast a positive light on this bill while in the shadows the favors to special interest are slipped in with the hopes they get lost in the confusion. Gold Butte is a likely candidate for one of those favors to special interest that would get slipped into this mammoth bill. Gold Butte and hundreds of other similar places like it, that deserve individual consideration, will be sacrificed at the hands of another omnibus bill.

The fact that we have situations like the Lame Duck session and allow loopholes like the omnibus bill use to really bother me. I use to question if the system, set forth by the founding fathers, was broke. As I sat down and tried to come up with a better solution to the current system a simple fact hit me like a ton of bricks, it’s not the system that is broke it’s the people we allow to manipulate it. The biggest threat to responsible government is those who are seeking to abuse it.

We can try and create a perfect system or craft the slickest piece of legislation however there will always be people who find loopholes. You cannot legislate integrity. Those principles have to be brought to Washington by those who we elect to public office and we must demand that they uphold those values. Don’t blame the system, blame those who abuse the system.

With the difficulties that our nation faces spending time and resources trying to pass an unscrupulous omnibus bill to further a misguided agenda pushed by special interest is not the best allocation of our representative’s time. Please take the time this week to contact your representatives and tell them that you do not support another omnibus lands bill. 

Congresswoman Titus
https://forms.house.gov/titus/contact-form.shtml

Senator Reid
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Ensign
http://www.ensign.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

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.

Political Frosting

One of the first posts that I wrote when I started savegoldbutte.com was titled “Where We Have Been.” The purpose of this post was to introduce the reader to the “Berkley Bill” ( H.R. 7132). I titled the post “Where We Have Been” because I had hoped that we had moved on from this bill. I had hoped that our political representatives had got the message the first time that this bill was introduced that we thought it was unacceptable if not offensive. Well as I continue to attend meetings and talk with our political representatives and their staff, still three years later, I can without a doubt count on someone pulling this bill out.

Here is my issue with this bill; the framework, the very heart of this bill, goes against everything that we have been working to protect. We can amend, adjust and modify the language over and over to dress up the package but the deliverable is still the same. It doesn’t matter how much political frosting you add on top of this bill, the very core of what it is designed to do goes against common sense conservation and real public lands management.

If we are going to create a bill lets start fresh and build the framework for a bill that attacks the issues at hand. Lets create a bill that deals with building a sustainable future for our public lands at Gold Butte. A solution that creates vast amounts of unreasonable wilderness, and adds more layers of bureaucratic mud to the mire of misguided political public lands management will only deepen the problem. We need to cut through the BS and write a bill that protects all aspects of public lands management and not just a narrowly focused agenda. We need upfront, in the legislation, protection for the existing roads and the off highway vehicles that we use to travel the roads. We need in the legislation the promise that these public lands will be managed for multiple use through camping, hunting, fishing, hiking and ATV access.

The fleeting promise of all these issues getting hammered out in the 3 year management process does not hold water with the public who has been deceived time and time again. We need to protect and provide a place for the public that enjoy their lands and their right to recreate within them responsibly. Remember they are our public lands.

Sharing Gold Butte with Candidate Joe Heck

On Saturday July 17, members of the Public Lands Conservation Committee (PLCC) joined up with Nevada congressional candidate Joe Heck for a tour of parts of Gold Butte. We spent our time showing him some of our State’s beautiful backcountry and talking about some of the concerns that face public lands in Nevada.


Some of the specific issues that I voiced with Heck were:
• Creating a long term solution for Gold Butte that fits the specific issues facing Gold Butte.
• Working to preserve the traditions and values of the local communities as stewards of public lands.
• Working towards educating the public on the importance of proper stewardship of the land.
• The importance of preserving all pieces of Gold Butte’s rich history
• The importance of maintaining our desert springs for proper wildlife management
• Our goal of Common Sense Conservation
• Protection with access to our States beautiful backcountry treasure Gold Butte


I appreciate Heck and his staff for taking the time from the campaign trail to visit with the Public Lands Conservation Committee and discuss some of the issues that face Gold Butte and many of our public lands in Nevada. Heck seemed to realize the importance of a real and honest long term solution for Gold Butte and that working with the local communities is essential to accomplishing that solution.


Again thank you Joe Heck for taking the time to meet with the Public Lands Conservation Committee.


Read what Joe Heck had to say about meeting with PLCC and Public Lands

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?

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.