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March 28, 2024 2:35 pm
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Quotes Misinterpreted Out Of Context

(Letter to the Editor)

In reply to Nancy Hall’s letter (Response to Gold Butte Article: Progress July 28, 2010) I would like to first thank the Moapa Valley Progress (and the two Mesquite papers) for providing a public forum for discussing the controversial Gold Butte NCA/Wilderness issue. This is especially important because, to date, the congressional delegation and our county commissioners have not initiated public meetings (as with the Clark County Public Lands Act of 2002) or public workshops (as with the Lincoln County Public Lands Act of 2005).

Mayor Holecheck and the Mesquite City Council are to be commended for holding the only public workshop where all the public was actually invited so far.

Public meetings are required through NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) for a myriad of issues involving public land, many quite minor when compared to this issue. But designating over 300,000 acres as NCA and wilderness does not require public meetings because it is legislation generated by Congress.

Now there’s a bill most people would support: one that requires public meetings for ALL issues involving public lands, especially wilderness and other restrictive designations.

Nancy’s first comment regarding an assertion made by Lindsey Dalley that no Congressional visits had occurred beyond Whitney Pockets dovetails with the public meeting issue. No one has ever told Public Lands Conservation Committee (PLCC) of such visits. Maybe some of this information would be made available if we could ever have public meetings about this controversial issue.

Just for the public record, PLCC has offered to take any Congressional delegate and staff on a tour of Gold Butte any time. After all, we want our elected representatives to see Gold Butte through our eyes.

It is no secret that Friends of Gold Butte (FOGB) and PLCC have diametrically opposing ideas on how to manage Gold Butte. With the Congressional delegation only touring Gold Butte with the FOGB, that is all they see, Gold Butte filtered through FOGB.  For any kind of balanced perspective and therefore balanced legislation, it seems only fair that our elected officials would take the time to see Gold Butte as we see it. The offer is open—any time any elected official and staff can make it, we will drop everything and set up a tour.

Nancy’s second comment wherein she references what I said about our ancestral history being erased is also off-target. I made that statement as the group was discussing Pakoon, the Whitmore Cabin, and the Treasure Hawk Mine.  In fact, the elimination of history I was talking about is being done by the BLM and other agencies.

At Pakoon the BLM is ‘restoring the area to its natural state’ and in doing so, is quite literally erasing our history off of that piece of earth.  Why is it OK to remove those structures when they are historical?  This is of deep concern and we were informing Mr. Heck of such—hence the quote and Nancy’s subsequent mis-interpretation.

I will agree though, that ‘careless users’ have removed items also and will point out to Ms. Hall that such actions are already illegal.  Designating the area as an NCA and wilderness will not deter idiots who do that as it is already illegal.

A perfect analogy is robbery. It is already illegal, but still, it is committed every day.  Adding another layer and calling it ‘more illegal’ is not going to stop those people.

Education, better management, involving citizens will all help. And there is proof of that at prehistoric sites where an active stewardship program is already in place.  George Phillips, Cultural Site Stewardship Program Director states that there has been a 26% decrease in site impacts this year.  “Most of this decrease is in OHV damages due to a Roads Designation Plan initiated by the BLM in the North and Eastern parts of the County.”

Sounds like citizen involvement and better management (the Roads EA) have resulted in a 26% decrease in just one year. WOW, the current system is working!

It is wrong for Ms. Hall to take my words out of context and then try to make a case for her NCA and wilderness.  I would not take her words and use them to demonstrate my points.  We know she wants an NCA, same with wilderness.

PLCC, myself, and many others do not want such designations. What we want is public meetings and workshops to talk about the real issues, the actual degree of mis-use and the existing problems in Gold Butte that do need addressing.  And then we can go out and help fix them now.

Elise McAllister
PLCC member

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