Group vows to protest at BLM meeting

Monday, June 18, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

A group that has been critical of Bureau of Land Management control of land in Nevada promises a protest during a public meeting tonight at the West Sahara Library.

Joel Hansen, state chairman of the Nevada Independent American Party, said the protest will emanate from the Nevada Committee for Full Statehood, a group that argues that the BLM and the federal government are illegally occupying the vast majority of land in the state.

The wilderness policies up for discussion today are "repugnant," he said.

Officials with the federal Bureau of Land Management are scheduled to discuss the ins and outs of recent regulations affecting visitors to its numerous and large wilderness study areas in Clark County during the meeting, scheduled 4-7 p.m.

The BLM's purpose is straightforward.

"What we are doing is informing the public about wilderness study areas and the management of those areas," said Phil Guerrero, BLM spokesman. "It is purely an informative setting."

Hansen doesn't necessarily agree.

"They're going to be teaching Nevadans how to comply with their rules," Hansen said. "They keep restricting it more and more and more. We're saying, not only should they not be restricting it, we own it. The state of Nevada should own it."

The federal government controls more than 80 percent of the state's land.

Donn Siebert, BLM natural resource specialist, said the meeting tonight won't go into political issues, neither Hansen's nor issues arising from proposed legislation from Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign that would turn over federal land in Clark County for development and formal wilderness preservation.

The meeting is about "what is and is not allowed, but it is not a discussion of any upcoming bill," Siebert said.

The BLM will discuss such issues as law enforcement, livestock grazing, mining, wild horse populations, off-road vehicle use, hunting, rock climbing and other recreational use.

The BLM manages almost 900 square miles in Clark County designated as wilderness study areas out of a total of about 8,000 square miles. That land could stay wilderness or go to development or other purpose under federal legislation, but for the meantime the BLM enforces the rules in those areas.

In general, the BLM allows human use of wilderness study areas as long as there is minimal impact on the environment in those areas.

Guerrero said the BLM isn't worried about the promised protest.

"We gladly welcome participants in the democratic process and look forward to educating the public on these regulations and the BLM management of public land, particularly the wilderness areas," he said. "I welcome folks who are energized enough to participate in the democratic process."