Ken Salazar's wilderness policy simply gives BLM the same authority the US Forest Service already has. For decades already the Forest Service has been doing wilderness studies and recommending appropriate areas for wilderness status. BLM will now be able to do the same. This is a big issue in Utah because BLM's Utah wilderness inventory in 1980 omitted 5 to 6 million acres that are widely believed to have wilderness values. BLM's inventory in Nevada was more complete and less controversial.

Thanks to the Wilderness Society and to Nevadans who have spent many, many days volunteering in support of conservation for our wild lands. I'm a BLM retiree, and I can tell you that nothing would be saved without those citizen efforts.

It's a good bill and long overdue. The Governor thinks everybody's out of step but him.

Yes, this is a wise measure. I'm a retiree from the Bureau of Land Management, and I saw how field managers were under constant pressure to allow developments that would damage the public lands. Wilderness designation gives them the backbone to say no.

I worked for BLM for half my career and saw how field managers are under constant pressure to allow more development. Wilderness designation will strengthen their hand in protecting Gold Butte, so we can enjoy it in the future.

I spent half my career as a BLM employee and saw the pressures on their field managers to allow more ORVs, more roads, more development. Wilderness designation strengthens the hand of those managers to protect wild lands. Gold Butte deserves this protection.

We need this wilderness to protect Gold Butte for old and young. My wife and I are in our 60s and we see many retirees on the trails, especially on weekdays.

Good story. Just one correction: wheelchairs are not prohibited in wilderness. This is spelled out in BLM's regulations 43 CFR 6302.17: "When may I use a wheelchair in BLM wilderness? If you have a disability that requires the use of a wheelchair, you may use a wheelchair in a wilderness. Consistent with the Wilderness Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12207), BLM is not required to facilitate such use by building any facilities or modifying any conditions of lands within a wilderness area." I'm not using a wheelchair yet myself, but I'm nearing 70 and the day will come. Let's keep these lands wild for young and old.