Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 4:43 a.m.
"Recently, the new director added a new twist," Dave Vandenberg, Elko BLM's assistant district manager for non-renewable resources, said Monday to the Elko Chamber of Commerce's Government Affairs Committee.
Vandenberg said the Elko office is interpreting Director Pat Shea's new policy to mean that all exchanges with values of $500,000 or more go to Washington for review, probably twice - once during the feasibility report process, and again when a decision is ready to be issued.
Shea's new plan follows controversy surrounding a land swap in Las Vegas, among others, and Vandenberg said Shea wants to look at the tradeoffs and give them his blessing.
One of the more controversial proposed land exchanges in this area involves swapping BLM-managed land in Wendover for Big Springs Ranch property in the Pequop Mountains, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.
Vandenberg said the BLM is looking again at the land values involved and should come back with a report in a couple of months, possibly offering a reduced number of acres in Wendover.
"We're re-evaluating the appraisals to make sure we were right on with the land values," Vandenberg said.
He also predicted that the Big Springs Ranch Associates exchange will be run by Washington before a final decision is made.
Last August, Elko BLM Director Helen Hankins approved trading 7,173 acres near Wendover for 70,498 acres of private land at Pequop. The Big Springs Ranch exchange drew fire from Elko County Commissioners who said it transferred water rights to the BLM in violation of state law.
Vandenberg said the BLM considers acquisition of water rights in a land exchange as legal until a court says otherwise. The matter is currently being litigated.
Landowners in Wendover protested the value was too low for the land BSR Associates would acquire in a commercial area. Initially, the Big Springs land appraised at $4.23 million while the 7,173 acres around Wendover appraised for $6.5 million.
Vandenberg brought up Shea's new policy during an outline of the steps it takes to exchange land, beginning with a proposal from the private sector and continuing with a feasibility study, public comment, environmental analysis and a real estate appraisal.
"Land exchanges are one of the most complicated things we do at the BLM," Vandenberg said.
If there are protests, the state director, Bob Abbey, will make the final determination or send it on to Washington, Vandenberg said, adding that the whole process takes from nine months to a year or two or even longer.
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