Land Sales Aimed at Fueling Growth: LA Times

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Page 3 of 4 Mulroy, executive director of the water authority. "It will save us some time. Five years is a good ballpark figure." The proposal would also move an existing federal utility right of way from a large private tract in the southern part of the county — on which a long -time friend of Reid wants to build a new town — and place it at the edge of the desert wildlife refuge. The legislation additionally attempts to override a court decision by ordering the Bureau of Land Management to proceed with the sale of almost 13,500 acres on the county's southeastern border, near the town of Mesquite. The auctions, authorized in an earlier bill, were blocked this year by a federal judge, who found that the environmental impact of developing the acreage had not been documented adequately. To Charles Wilkinson, it all smacks of the so- called Sagebrush Rebellion, the failed 1970s movement by Nevada and other states to wrest control of public lands from the federal government. "It's in a somewhat different guise but very recognizable," said Wilkinson, a University of Colorado Law School professor and expert on public lands. "What you have, instead of a recognition that federal public lands are there for all of us — are there to create open space — you have flat -out sales of public lands," he said. "Second, you have a real cave -in to local interests, as opposed to national interests. And third, you've got an emphasis on water development." Reid says that he's no sagebrush rebel, but that his state, the home of the nation's nuclear test site and proposed nuclear waste repository, deserves some relief from federal dominance. "I opposed the Sagebrush Rebellion. I think what we're doing is very sensible and incremental and is being done with a great deal of thought," he said. "And when it's all over, we'll have some beautiful wilderness areas." Along with authorizing land auctions, the bills set aside federal land for wilderness protection. The Lincoln County proposal would establish more than 750,000 acres of wilderness, including prized canyon lands and snow - peaked mountain ranges that belie the state's stereotype as barren desert. That approach — combining land sales and wilderness designations in one package — is catching attention elsewhere in the West. Inspired by the Nevada legislation, Rep. Michael K. Simpson (R- Idaho) is drafting a bill to create about 300,000 acres of wilderness in the central part of his state while giving more than 1,000 acres of national forest — some of it in a congressionally designated national recreation area and worth millions of dollars — to the local county to sell for development. Such linkages place conservationists in an awkward position. But some say they may be the only way to gain protections for wilderness areas. "Certainly our preference would be a pure wilderness bill," said Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness. "I think in a state like Nevada that's a difficult thing." Nobody expects the Lincoln County land to be snapped up at the sizzling pace or prices set by the Las Vegas auctions. But, says County Commissioner Perkins, "I know from talking to developers there is a lot of interest." He envisions second homes sprouting in Pioche and in the county's southern tier, where he lives — spillover development from Las Vegas. Perkins, who drives 90 miles one way to work hauling dirt at Las Vegas construction sites, points to the state map. "If Vegas is moving north," he asks, "where are they are going first ?" 8/23/2004 If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. • -_V1SR prinL Article licensing and reprint o tions