Monday, April 27, 1998 | 9:09 a.m.
Residents spoke out against the plans at a meeting last week put on by Yerington High School biology teacher Steve Pellegrini and former Yerington Intermediate School teacher Art Shipley.
"We've got to stop it or we go to a big city," Ed McCargar of Yerington said.
The 4,964-acre ranch was recently purchased by the Walker River Land Corp., which wants to subdivide the property into more than 105 40-acre lots, the Mason Valley News reported.
Pellegrini and Shipley say the plans would spell the end for one of the world's rarest and most beautiful desert-riparian ecosystems.
Thirteen different bird species depend on the ranch, which is part of the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds. Other wildlife and flora also rely on the ranch.
The teachers say developers' plans also pose a threat to historical and archaeological sites on the ranch.
Lyon County Commissioner David Fulstone spoke at the meeting, saying he admires Pellegrini and Shipley for taking a stand against the plans.
He said he hopes a conservation group can buy the land and use its water rights to help save Walker Lake.
"We need to look at property rights and buying development rights," Fulstone said.
The petition being circulated lists eight reasons for opposing the development plans, including its threat to the rural Nevada lifestyle.
Pellegrini and Shipley said they plan to present petition signatures to the county commission at its May 8 meeting.
Yerington is located about 80 miles southeast of Reno.
archive
