Editorial: Elko County official balks at mediation

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999 | 9:10 a.m.

It seems everyone is urging the U.S. Forest Service and Elko County officials to find common ground in a dispute that dates back to a flood in 1995 that washed out a road in a national forest. Some local residents want the road rebuilt, but the Forest Service has balked, fearing that it could endanger the threatened bull trout.

But don't expect a resolution soon if Elko County officials continue their opposition, which has included an attempt to rebuild the road that only was averted after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order in October prohibiting the illegal plan. Even court-ordered mediation isn't going smoothly.

As the Sun's Susan Snyder reported Sunday, Elko County Commission Chairman Tony Lesperance refused last week to participate in the first mediation conference call that was supposed to set up a schedule. It may be impossible to arrive at a compromise, considering how far apart the two sides are, but it is time for officials, such as Lesperance, to cool the rhetoric and act responsibly.

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