Editorial: Bridging gap isn’t sure thing

Friday, Aug. 24, 2001 | 10:05 a.m.

Nevada's U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign announced in June that they would work together for legislation to create a long-term strategy for managing thousands of acres of federal land in Southern Nevada. Reid and Ensign also said they would seek public input before moving forward. But if the kick-off workshop held by their staffs on Wednesday is any indication, it's not going to be easy to reach a consensus.

A variety of competing interest groups want dramatically different uses for this land. Environmentalists want much of it set aside so that environmentally sensitive land is protected. Recreation groups want to use it for hunting and fishing. There also are off-road vehicle enthusiasts who don't want to see their access cut off. Local governments and utilities want to make sure there is enough land available for them, whether for buffer space for an airport proposed near Jean or for hundreds of miles of new power transmission lines in Clark County. The Moapa Band of Paiutes also is hoping that land important to the Paiutes' cultural heritage be preserved. Developers, too, have their sights on the land for future subdivisions and commercial use. Spokesmen for many of the groups said they wanted to work together, but they acknowledged that finding common grou nd could well be impossible.

In recent years, as the valley's population has grown, homes and businesses have more and more butted up against environmentally sensitive areas. After taking into consideration all the competing interests, the senators, in our view, should first and foremost make every effort to ensure that plenty of environmentally sensitive land is set aside so that it's not harmed. Once the land has been paved over by new development or has been scarred by off-road vehicles, there is no turning back -- it is lost. There will be some room for development and recreation uses, but Reid and Ensign should create the legislation with an eye for preserving land for posterity's sake.

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