Lets Make a Deal

If I came to you and said, “I have a deal for you. Do you agree to it?”  Your response back to me would be, “What’s the deal.” In reply I say, “We will figure that out as we go. What is important is that you say you agree to the deal. So will you take that first step and agree that we have a deal?” This seems absurd, correct? I couldn’t agree more. Yet this is the current state of play in regards to legislative action concerning Gold Butte.

Let us ignore reality for a moment, and pretend that legislation was the next step in the course of events for Gold Butte. There would need to be a clearly defined plan that addresses specific issues upfront and in the beginning stages of any legislative plan. Some of these include such concerns as a fire management plan, minimizing the negative effects of invasive plant species, properly managing water resources, transportation plan, and a growth model built to appropriately handle an influx of visitors coming for the diverse array of recreational opportunities. How will we adequately meet those needs and what kind of infrastructure will be needed to support it. How much money will come with the new designation and how will it be spent and on what? How many rangers will it take to adequately manage this area and what is the ranger to visitor ratio used to project the future management of the area as its visibility grows. By giving Gold Butte a national designation and elevating its awareness to a larger audience, it becomes not a question of, if more visitors will come, but how many and how quickly will they come.  The new influx of visitors alone would create a whole new set of issues to be addressed not yet facing Gold Butte. Despite this even small subset of questions the current plans, legislation or talks of legislation address none of this.

I point blank asked the lobbyist representing the wilderness interest the question, “What are you trying to accomplish at Gold Butte?”  The response was the same time-worn and ambiguous rhetoric, “Permanent protection for Gold Butte.” That makes for a nice sounds byte but there is more to protection than a label. Protection doesn’t happen with a stroke of a pen in Washington. Protection is brought about with a detailed plan that addresses specific issues and a dedicated group of people committed to that plan. Legislation is not the first step in that plan, it is the last step.

If this was about protection and the long term sustainability of the resources out at Gold Butte then the conversation would focus on those concerns. Not legislating a clearly defined management plan upfront, that addresses as many of the specific issues that face the area as part of the legislation, is a game of chance. People who are willing to take that risk clearly articulate their lack of understanding of the legitimate concerns that face Gold Butte. Their blatant disregard for the current issues and the issues that will be created by putting a gold star on the map for Gold Butte works only to reveal their narrow intent. This isn’t about better public lands management; it is about pushing through a massive wilderness bill.

We need to move the conversation from politics and to better public lands management. This should be about ensuring that my children, the next generation, have the same opportunities to recreate at Gold Butte and see this country as their great grandfathers did and truly enjoy this magnificent piece of public lands responsibly whether that is on a horse, fourwheeler, motorbike, hiking, or solar powered hovercraft when they are invented. It should be about creating recreational opportunities, not limiting them. It should be about educating visitors about the importance of responsible use, not limiting them from use. This should be about identifying the specific threats that face Gold Butte like fires and invasive species and how to limit their effects on the landscape. It should be about properly managing the springs, wildlife and other legitimate biological and environmental threats.

Despite these plain and simple truths the current legislation and plans being pushed for at this point in time do not address any of this. Instead it is focused on who is in congress and how they can be bullied into introducing legislation. This is not a game show and public lands policy should not be about politics.

Bundy Ranch

For the last month or so the conversation surrounding Gold Butte has been concentrated around the Bundy Ranch. Recently they have create a site to help consolidate the information and share their side of the story. You can read the articles and contact them by visiting the following link:

http://bundyranch.blogspot.com/

Stepping Up

On Saturday March 24, 2012 Partners In Conservation (PIC) and a local Boy Scout partnered together to help improve our local public lands in the Gold Butte area.

As part of the BLM’s plan to provide a better visitor experience to the Gold Butte area information kiosks were to be installed. These kiosks would include such things as a map, rules and regulations and other information that would be useful to those visiting the area. Understanding the importance of community involvement the local BLM office created an opportunity for a local youth to take the final step in his pursuit of the Eagle Scout achievement.

The final project of an Eagle Scout is a tool designed to create an opportunity for the Scout to learn leadership qualities while providing a service to the community. The final project is designed to top off or complete the other attributes learned as the scout progresses through the program and earns merit badges. As the name states, these are badges of merit. The Scouter works and learns important values along their path to the rank of Eagle Scout. As they do so they are presented with a badge to honor these learned traits.

This project presented the scouter not only an opportunity to learn project management, but also the importance of local involvement, community stewardship, hard work and the importance of working together with the government agencies and the community to provide a useful service to the community.

The goal of this project was to replace two of the temporary wooden kiosks that were installed with permanent structures at the most visible sites. One was at the turn off to Gold Butte at the Riverside parking area and the other at Whitney Pockets.

It was the scout’s responsibility to work with the BLM to ensure all the tools and hardware was there to complete the work. It was also the scout’s responsibility to line up the people needed to perform the labor and other project supplies such as food and water for laborers. On Saturday morning at 9:30 everyone showed up and the project commenced without a hitch.

I commend the local BLM office for stepping up and providing an opportunity to engage the community and providing a local scout with the opportunity to take the next step in earning the achievement of Eagle Scout.  I commend PIC in stepping up and working with both the local communities and the BLM to help this project take place. I commend the local scouter in his desire to step up and be an upstanding member of the community and having a strong desire to complete this project and the leadership skills needed to do so.

These are the kinds of projects and the level of support that make our public lands successful and sustainable.  It is examples like this that demonstrate that local public lands management is what will preserve our public lands for the next generation. No designation, mark on a map, added layer of management or act of congress can manufacture or account for genuine community stewardship.  In actuality these added layers of bureaucracy hurt our public lands. It denies them proper local management as well as breaking the bond of local stewardship.

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.

Gold Butte Backcountry Byway

I posted some pictures, history and maps about the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway on www.backcountryrambler.com Rambler. Now is the time of year to be out and about enjoying our beautiful Backcountry:
http://www.backcountryrambler.com/2012/03/gold-butte-backcountry-byway.html

The Story of Mining in Gold Butte

Gold Butte offers a variety of sights and features that appeal to a wide and diverse audience. There are the geologic features that are as impressive and magnificent as anywhere and cultural resources that will get any history enthusiast out of the library and ready to exploration. There are early Native American sites scattered throughout this rough country, remnants of the early Spanish explorers hidden amongst the hills and traces of the early pioneer settlement in this rough and colorful country. There is appeal for every visitor.

One of the biggest chapters in the story of Gold Butte is where the stories of the Cultural and geologic lines intersect to tell the story of mining in Gold Butte.

Mining has played an important role in the history and development of the area now known as Gold Butte. For the early inhabitants it was a source of goods to trade amongst other tribes throughout the west. Turquoise, obsidian and other metals have been found in the Lost City dwellings and other sites throughout the area which were used to barter for other goods. The salt deposits along the Virgin River, now covered by Lake Mead, also provided salt for the local people as well as another resource for trade.

As Time moved forward other explorers came into this area in their quest for treasure. The signs of the Spanish Explorers and their new mining practices can still be seen throughout the Gold Butte country. The Spanish arista were an early mining technique to spate the rock and the ore to get the precious metals hidden within. The circular relics etched into the rock are evidence of the early explorers and their determination.

The pioneer settlement of this area began in the mid-19^th century. Early Mormon settlers came to the confluence of the Virgin and Muddy Rivers to build the town of St. Thomas. The early life of these Mormon settlers was that of hardship but after a few hiccups and a resettlement after a dispute over which state the town actually resided in for taxation, the area began to flourish.   St. Thomas soon became the hub of the area. Settlement expanded and the business enterprises that follow soon began to spread over this country. The proximity to the Colorado River, Spanish Trail and the eventual spur off the Los Angles & Salt Lake Railroad contributed to this little town’s development.

With the ability to transport commodities through a variety of ways mining, farming and ranching soon began to spread over this promising desert. The growth and development of Gold Butte during this time was directly tied with the early pioneer settlements of St. Thomas and the services it provided. The railroad provided the ability to transport ore, equipment and other necessities to the growing mining camps and emerging ranches.

The rich historical landscape that persists in the Gold Butte country today is inextricably tied with this history of mining throughout the stage of development. Each period has brought its own character, stories and left its legends. One is not more important than the other and all have contributed to the rich history that makes Gold Butte the place we all love.

Please join us on March 3^rd, 2012 at St. Thomas for a community celebration as we bring this historic town alive for a day. We will have many of the descendants of those early pioneers as well as those who remember visiting St. Thomas there to reconnect. There will be music and dramatizations of the early days being performed live, where they would have been performed then, at the old St. Thomas School. There will be maps and historical displays as well as pictures taken in the early days displayed where they were taken to help visualize the then, now. If you have history or stories please contact me so we can share and make the most of your stories to help bring St. Thomas alive and reconnect his landscape to its history.

As parking space is limited, and a four-wheel drive is required, if you plan to attend please carpool with your neighbors so we can have room for as many as want to attend. We are hoping to have at least 6 to a vehicle.

Please visit www.stthomasalive.blogspot.com for more information

Gold Butte Recreational Analysis

The Moapa Valley Progress has written an excellent article on the BLM’s effort to work on the Recreational Analysis for the Gold Butte area. The article can be read at the following link:

http://mvprogress.com/2012/01/25/blm-urges-public-involvement-in-gold-butte-analysis/

The objective of the Recreational Analysis, as I understand it, is to identify what different activities people do within the Gold Butte area. With this data they can better manage the area and accommodate the various uses within the region.

I have contacted the local BLM office to get more information available and more widely accessible so we can engage a larger audience in the effort to better manage the Gold Butte area. As more data and links become available I will post them here.

There will be a series of public meetings held in the surrounding communities in March and April.