Shovel Brigade gathers for rally to reopen disputed road in Nevada

Martin Griffith

Monday, July 3, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Protesters have gathered for a rally aimed at reclaiming a remote dirt road in Nevada that has come to symbolize some Westerners' anger over federal land policies.

The protesters spent Sunday night at a makeshift camp near Rogerson, Idaho, and were to be bussed today to nearby Jarbidge to begin reopening the washed-out road with shovels.

As many as 5,000 protesters were expected to join the Shovel Brigade rally through Independence Day in defiance of the U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service.

Nancy Howell, a spokeswoman for the Twin Falls County sheriff's office in Idaho, declined to offer a crowd estimate.

"It's still not a large crowd yet, but it definitely has picked up from what it was earlier and people could stream in all night," she said Sunday evening.

"There have been no problems so far. We don't know what to expect anymore than you do."

A truck driver from Montana hauling several dozen shovels and the "world's largest picnic table" was among the early arrivals.

Other protesters also carried symbolic shovels around the camp, which is located near the one-room Three Creek School.

Participants will be bussed to the road from the camp both days to reduce congestion on the narrow, winding road leading 50 miles from Rogerson to Jarbidge. The camp is about halfway between the two towns.

The disputed 1.5-mile road has been closed since 1995 when floods washed it out. Federal authorities have refused efforts to reopen it, fearing the work will damage the nearby Jarbidge River that is home to the threatened bull trout.

Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn has urged protesters to show restraint, saying he's optimistic the road will be reopened by the Forest Service under a tentative settlement reached between the agency and Elko County commissioners.

Shovel Brigade President Demar Dahl has said it's his intent to reopen the road with as little environmental impact as possible.

He said the protest is largely symbolic and protesters do not intend to violate federal environmental laws by placing material in the river or harming the bull trout.

But conservation groups said they fear the project will cause irreparable harm to the bull trout in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

"Any mass gathering by a disorganized crowd with picks and shovels, determined to take the law into their own hands, is bound to do some damage," said Matt Holford, executive director of Nevada Trout Unlimited.

Federal officials warned that protesters still can be prosecuted for any legal violations, despite a federal judge's rejection of the government's attempt to halt the event.

Federal personnel will not be at the scene, but will check for violations of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act afterward.

Law enforcement authorities have expressed concern about the potential for conflict with environmental and militia groups drawn to the protest.

But Shovel Brigade Vice President Elwood Mose said he doesn't foresee any major problems.

"People think there are a lot of wild-eyed anarchists and Unibombers going up there, but they're sensible middle-of-the-road taxpayers," he said.

"You never know with large gatherings if you're going to have problems. Even Woodstock had its problems. But I think it will go smoothly and be a good experience."