On July 10, the Lander County Commission will be reviewing the final draft regarding Nevada's public lands. AB 227, passed during the 2013 Nevada legislative session, created the Nevada Lands Management Task Force to study issues surrounding how public lands controlled by the federal government would be managed if they were transferred to the State of Nevada.
This statewide Task Force is made up of a representative from each of Nevada's 17 counties, including Commissioner Patsy Waits from Lander County.
As most Nevadans are aware, our state has the highest percentage of federally managed land in the U.S., at over 80 percent. The Task Force will be submitting their final report to the State Legislature's Committee on Public Lands in September that includes a proposal identifying federal lands that could be transferred to Nevada.
The report also includes a plan for how those lands would be administered and estimates of projected revenues. The Task Force's draft report proposes requesting a preliminary phased transfer of five million acres of BLM land made up of "checkerboard lands" (smaller parcels of federal inholdings along the I-80 corridor), lands already designated for sale and lands identified by local communities as desirable for public facilities or economic development.
The report estimates that such a transfer could generate revenues to pay for both the administration of the lands as well as for crucial state services including education and wildlife preservation.
The Task Force is recommending that all multiple-uses and valid existing rights transfer with the land - most transferred land would remain public and under control of the State of Nevada.
Finally, the proposal does not include the suggested transfer of sensitive federal lands such as wilderness areas, national conservation areas, lands administered by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense, tribal lands and National Parks.
The commission will be hearing a report on the Task Force and discussing public lands issues at their meeting on Thursday, July 10.
All counties will be reviewing this final draft and the Task Force will be voting at their meeting on July 18 in Carson City.
The commission encourages any interested parties or members of the public to attend. For more information on the meeting or to see a copy of the agenda please check with the Lander County clerk or county website.
For more information on the Task Force and to read the draft report visit: http://www.nvnaco.org.[[In-content Ad]]
