Plan would protect 3 million acres in Nevada

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Roughly 3.1 million acres of the 5.6-million acre Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest land in Nevada would be designated roadless to protect it from development under a federal plan now nearing completion.

About 97,000 acres of the Spring Mountains in Clark County also would be protected.

Under the plan advocated by President Clinton, about 60 million acres of already roadless forest and grasslands nationwide would be protected from future road building and development.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a final environmental study on the plan Monday. The department hopes to issue a final decision on the plan on or after Dec. 18.

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest officials held 27 informational meetings to gather feedback to the roadless plan this year. The Humboldt-Toiyabe Forest is spread out in pockets all over Nevada.

"Never before have the American people so actively participated in helping to decide how their public lands should be managed," Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.

The roadless protection has certain exceptions. The plan would not close current roads or affect any current mining or development contracts. Mining companies, loggers and some Western state lawmakers have been critical of the plan.

The plan also would not affect the current wrangling between Elko County and the U.S. Forest Service over a road in the small Northern Nevada town of Jarbidge. The county wants to rebuild the road washed out by flooding; the feds say the development would harm the threatened bull trout.

Environmentalists including the Sierra Club hailed the roadless plan for preserving pristine areas of national forests as well as banning some logging.