Bill grants more Black Rock access

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Congress has approved legislation that gives sports enthusiasts and private landowners more access to land and roads in northern Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Congress last year gave about 1.2 million acres in northwest Nevada the designation of National Conservation Area, which gave it federal preservation protection. It prohibited new roads and new mines, for example.

Lawmakers have now revised those protections, making "technical changes," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. The changes were included in an Interior bill passed this month by the House and Senate. The changes "modify and clarify" the conservation area boundaries and make them more accessible for use, Reid said.

"The bill that designated the NCA made a lot of people uncomfortable, because the maps and the language used were unclear and controversial," Reid said in a written statement. "These technical corrections help ensure that the Black Rock NCA will be a positive addition for all Nevadans."

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., support the technical changes. Gibbons, who represents the area, did not support the overall plan to give Black Rock the National Conservation Area status generally because it limits land use.

If President Bush signs the underlying Interior bill as expected, Nevadans will have a chance for public comment about a land-use plan for a conservation area. Reid said the plan should protect livestock grazing, hunting and recreation rights within the area.