Businesses unite in wilderness coalition

Tuesday, April 2, 2002 | 8:42 a.m.

Environmentalists have signed up more than 100 companies to support their effort to increase the amount of federally protected "wilderness" areas in Clark County.

The environmentalists, under the banner "Citizens' Wilderness Proposal," are squaring off against off-road vehicle enthusiasts as both sides try to exert their influence on a new public lands bill for Clark County. The bill is expected to open thousands of acres for development -- and set aside public land for permanent protection.

Staffs for Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., are negotiating the bill. Spokesmen for both offices have declined to discuss details of the proposal's current form, but have suggested that the bill could be introduced later this month or in May.

In its lobbying effort, the environmental coalition has lined up small businesses such as art galleries, taverns, fitness centers and outdoor-recreation companies. But a standout among the companies that support the environmentalists is Kraft/Nabisco Corp., a subsidiary of tobacco giant Philip Morris Companies.

Victoria Locke-King, "green liaison" for the company's Southern California and Nevada interests, said the environmentalists' agenda on the bill fits Kraft/Nabisco's commitment to social responsibility and clean air.

She said it also fits the company's support for economic diversity in Nevada.

"Specifically in Las Vegas, tourists and new residents come for more than just gambling," Locke-King said. "Increasing wilderness will help promote our economy in the Las Vegas area."

Kraft/Nabisco has about 300 employees in the region. Locke-King said the company has contributed about $1,000 to support the wilderness effort.

Don Dayton, a spokesman for Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts, is not impressed by the corporate endorsements. He said the environmentalists have more money to work on the issue, but his side has more people behind it.

Off-roaders support some wilderness, he emphasized. His group and similar organizations support the Bureau of Land Management's recommendations for 20 wilderness areas in Clark County.

Off-roaders support designating 86,000 acres as protected wilderness, Dayton said.

But the environmental coalition, which includes the Friends of Nevada Wilderness, the Sierra Club, the Nevada Wilderness Project and the Wilderness Society, supports designating 4.1 million acres.

Wilderness areas permit activities such as hunting, hiking, camping and horseback riding, but prohibit access for industrial activities, commercial and residential development and off-road vehicles.

Dayton said he fears that the wilderness designation would cut off access for him because he is disabled and visits scenic areas in a vehicle.

"I like to get out in the desert," Dayton said. "Most of these areas that they are trying to protect have roads, trails, mine shafts. They are about as pristine and untouched by the hand of man as the ladies of Mustang Ranch."