Wilderness designation limits access

An expected lands bill, along with a mitigation of wilderness designation to lands now under multi-use in the Pine Nut and Sweetwater ranges of Nevada, was the topic of concern at a meeting conducted by the newly formed Coalition for Public Access, March 5 in Smith Valley. The meeting, attended by more than 450 residents, as well as public officials, joined together to discuss what the social and economic impact would mean to an area which would encompass land usage in parts of Wilson Canyon, the Sweetwater Mountains (East Sister), the Pine Grove Range (Mt. Etna and Wovoka) and also include parts of the popular Desert Creek area and the Excelsiors/Long Valley and Gabbs Valley Range.

These areas, for the most part, have had a time honored tradition of multi-use access meaning they can be accessed by mechanical means - four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicles, mountain bike, dirt bike or even the old-fashioned four-legged conveyance of a horse or mule. They can be flown over by aircraft and even landed on when necessary, and they are also open to permitted grazing of livestock. A wilderness designation to this large area would change all of that and instead of public land usage for many recreational and agricultural usages, it would be limited to a few hearty souls who wish to recreate in a primeval fashion.

In a teleconference with senators Reid and Ensign reported in the Mason Valley News on March 7 by Jim Sanford, Sen. Reid was quoted as saying, "I don't want people to be afraid of wilderness," as he pointed out the successful lands bill county-by-county with Clark, Lincoln and White Pine counties as examples. But, a wilderness designation for the newly proposed area in this case should be greatly feared. The social and economic impact would be devastating.

To fully understand what the potential impact a wilderness designation would mean to the area now in question, one needs to understand what a wilderness designation really means. Having come to Nevada after 10 years of living three miles from and working in the Desolation Wilderness of California, I understand just how restrictive a wilderness area is.

The first thing to consider is that the Desolation Wilderness truly lives up to its designation. Beautiful and pristine, it is very desolate and definitely a wilderness area. Comprised mostly of granite out-cropping, sparsely treed, glacial lakes, rivers and streams, it was once an area where livestock were permitted to graze in the summer months.

No longer the case. It has never been an area that was drivable and the only access was left to the occasional hiker or capable horse person. Now, under the Wilderness Act of 1964, the last graze permit expired with the death of cattle rancher, Doc Scheiber in 1992. Day use and short term stays in the area are established by a quota system, equestrian usage is like wise allowed by a quota system with severe restriction and no air accesses are allowed with only very rare exceptions.

By definition, a wilderness area cannot allow any mechanical conveyance or mechanized object. This designation alone would curtail 90 percent of the usage in the proposed area.

Although they say the handicapped are welcome to access a wilderness area and that wheelchairs are allowed, even the most able-bodied person would be unable to maneuver steep trails and rocky terrain without a little mechanical help.

Wood cutting would not be permitted. This would mean that diseased and dying piñons would create a major fire danger which is already extreme. Forest fires are not allowed to be suppressed in a wilderness area by mechanical means. Can you imagine a lightning-caused fire in the Pine Nuts left to burn itself out in a natural way?

Existing grazing permits would be grandfathered in but with ranchers handicapped by access and stringent regulations. As those permits expired, new permits would most likely not be issued. This would also add to the fire danger due to lack of grazing.

These are just a few of the reasons why this region, now being considered for wilderness designation, should be investigated thoroughly before committing the land to something that cannot be reversed once the decision has been made.

For all interested in the situation, I urge you to investigate all of this for yourself.

Web Sites to consider:

Pro-Wilderness sites include: www.wildnevada.org or www.nevadawilderness.org and if you decide that a wilderness designation is not what you would like to see for this area, contact Emery Thran for more information about CVA or to be put on a list of supporters against wilderness designation by calling him at (775) 465-9601 or sending your name, phone number and e-mail address to emerythran@msn.com.

There are so many things we can do to protect our recreation areas and keep them keepin' on for everyone to enjoy.

n Jonni Hill can be reached at JHILL47@aol.com.