By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
Rep. Steven Horsford made his first public appearance in the Moapa Valley, holding a town meeting on Saturday morning at the Overton Community Center. Though the meeting was open for discussion on any topic, the main focus was on the future of the Gold Butte region.
Throughout the meeting, Horsford repeatedly assured the crowd of more than 50 people that he was committed to taking the time to listen to their input on the Gold Butte issue.
“This is the first step of what will be many community sessions not only for Overton, Logandale and Moapa but for the entire region,” Horsford said. “It is very important to me that all consituents from every community have an opportunity to be heard about proposals that are made in Congress.”
Horsford spent the first half of the hour-long meeting with a presentation of the details of a bill he had already introduced in the House of Representatives. The bill, which was introduced on June 6, would create a 348,515 acre natural conservation area (NCA) in the region of Gold Butte: a vast area lying south of Bunkerville, between the Overton arm of Lake Mead and the Arizona border.
In addition the bill would set aside 221,558 acres in six federal wilderness areas, including 102,000 acres within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Horsford explained that the bill provides for two local advisory councils to be established. The Virgin Valley Tourism and Economic Advisory Council would give input to the administration on appropriate economic development measures to be taken in the area. The Gold Butte NCA Advisory Council would provide input on the development of the federal management plan for the new NCA. These councils would be made up of appointees from the local communities and Clark County, Horsford said.
“This is something that we don’t have right now,” Horsford said. “We haven’t really had a say as much as we should. We need more local input. We need to create legislation to provide for that local input because that mechanism is not currently in place.”
Horsford admitted that he had heard criticism about his coming to the communities for input only after the bill had been presented.
“I knew that there had been attempts in the past on legislation,” Horsford said. “I felt that it was important to have something in writing with details that people could react to. I want to make it clear that there is nothing set in stone, though. This is just a proposal. It can change and evolve and improve along the way.”
After Horsford’s presentation, 30 minutes were open to respond to questions which had been submitted in writing by attendees prior to the meeting.
Several of these comments expressed concerns about the possibility of existing roads and trails being closed as a result of the proposal.
“First of all, we have to have assurance that existing trails that are there will be preserved,” Horsford said. “A local council will be able to do that in a way that we can’t currently do.”
Horsford said that the bill also requires a reason for any roads to be closed, such as environmental reasons or impacts upon endangered species.
“It can’t just be some arbitrary reason,” Horsford said. “That is an area where we have not, as a community, always been treated well.”
Horsford said that his goal was to establish a mechanism where the public had input into the roads and trails.
“We have to figure out the right answer,” he said. “If we do nothing, the federal agencies will dictate, rules will be issued and they will make decisions without your input. I’m suggesting it is better for you to give them direction rather than leave them to their own devices.”
Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board chairman Gene Houston asked if there is a current example of an NCA with road access remaining open. Horsford stated that he could not give specifics at the moment, but that there were examples out there. He said that his staff would research the matter and come back with that information.
“I’m thinking of Sloan Canyon (NCA south of Las Vegas) which went through the same sort of process several years ago,” Houston said. “There they promised to keep the roads open. But then they got shut down anyways. And I am sure they found some justification for that. I’d just like to see an NCA out there now where there is access to the public and not just closed roads. So far I haven’t seen it.”
BLM official Gayle Marrs-Smith talked about the process that had taken place to designate the current roads in the area. She pointed out that the BLM had reached out extensively to the public for input on those roads.
“Based on that public input, we did a study,” said Marrs-Smith. “We also evaluated for things like sensitive species and cultural resources. But we took into account the use of the public; if roads were frequently used by hunters or OHV enthusiasts. And we kept as much open as possible. There are over 577 miles of road left open.”
Marrs-Smith reported that the BLM has seen “very good compliance” from the public with staying on designated roads and following the rules in the area as they are posted.
Logandale resident Lindsey Dalley expressed concerns about the amount of federal wilderness being proposed. Dalley is an elected member of the Moapa Valley Water District board and the Chairman of Partners in Conservation organization. He specifically mentioned the effect that new wilderness designation would have on undeveloped water rights in the area.
“You can’t just write in a small paragraph saying that existing water facilities will be maintained,” Dalley said. “The problem is some of those rights are undeveloped. You don’t know where the water is and don’t know where the rights-of-way need to be located. If you just designate it all as wilderness, it is done; over!”
Horsford asked what kind of provisions would be needed in the bill to preserve those rights.
“The only way is to allow water drilling, access and rights of way through a wilderness area,” Dalley said. “And I don’t know how that comes about. That is the fundamental problem with all this wilderness; there is no flexibility administratively.”
Dalley said that there are plenty of measures built into the current federal designation to protect the lands.
“Wilderness is just an unnecessary level of protection that hurts communities,” he said. “You haven’t really addressed that issue. You talk up here at this high level of abstraction. But that doesn’t get down and address this level of concerns. It just kind of dabbles around on the outside.”
Horsford said that he would be open to suggestions on how to make the language of the bill better.
Several of the written questions asked why additional wilderness designations were needed at all in the area. None of these questions were addressed by Horsford.
A number of questions centered around the bill’s proposal for new boat ramp access to the Lake. Originally, this proposal was in response to a request from the city of Mesquite for boat access on the east side of the Lake. But local residents expressed concerns that this would negatively affect tourism in the Moapa Valley community. Business owners commented on the impact that the closure of Overton Beach had taken on their businesses.
“People don’t realize just how much the closure of Overton Beach has affected business here,” said Dan Hopkins, owner of Ace Hardware in Overton. “It is important to get that open again. Over the past year or so the water has been there enough to launch boats; and we have pleaded with the Park Service to open it. But they don’t want to.”
“There is not a business in this valley that has not been affected dramatically,” said Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board member Judy Metz who also owns Sugar’s Restaurant in Overton. “It started when Overton Beach closed and it has just gotten worse.”
Horsford said that the legislation does not determine where the new boat dock is located. Rather it mandates the federal agency to seek local input and make a determination within two years, on where dock access should go.
“This proposal doesn’t pick local winners or losers,” Horsford said. “We have heard from multiple communities who want a say on where that access should go. This would provide for that input.”
Chris Wiggins, owner of Northshore Inn in Overton, asked about what real power the local advisory councils would have in the decision making process.
“We’ve seen it before, the government can come up with any number of reasons to do the things that they want,” Wiggins said. “So without some kind of power built in, what use are these committees. What keeps the government from taking our input and then doing whatever they want?”
“Does it have the power to make laws? Horsford said. “No, it is not an elected body. But it has the power to give local perspective on issues that only local communities can provide. Right now we are relying on people who may not have a perspective to make decisions about land use in our area.”
Horsford said that he wanted the help of the communities to create a framework for providing meaningful local input into the management of public lands.
“Communities that work together; that are open and communicate respectfully their concerns; they get stuff done for their communities,” Horsford said. “Where there is division and disputes, nothing happens and those benefits don’t come. It is not my intention to do nothing. I’d rather get your input and see where we can reach common agreement.”
Horsford talked about hearings in which he had participated as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee. In these hearings, residents of New Mexico were brought in to testify.
“Can you bring us into one of those?” asked Dalley.
“Well the point I’m making is, communities that have figured out how to have this local input on land use, that is the model that we are all trying to figure out,” Horsford said.
“We have done that,” Dalley said. “We have! I’d love to talk to you about it. But I don’t want to let that just slip by as if it hadn’t happened.”
“I didn’t say it didn’t happen,” Horsford said.
“But you are talking as if it hasn’t happened and it has,” Dalley said.
“I am just saying what happened in New Mexico, and the fact that they were invited by the majority party to come in and talk about what they were able to do in their communities around land use,” Horsford said. “That is what I want to create here working with you to replicate that model. I’m hoping to get your help with that.”
