Senate Joint Resolution No. 3–Committee on
Natural Resources

 

(On Behalf of the Legislative Committee on Public
Lands’ Subcommittee on Wilderness and
Wilderness Study Areas)

 

February 11, 2003

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Natural Resources

 

SUMMARY—Urges Congress to take certain actions concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas. (BDR R‑716)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: No.

                   Effect on the State: No.

 

~

 

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

SENATE Joint RESOLUTION—Urging Congress to take certain actions concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas.

 

1-1  Whereas, The provisions of 16 U.S.C. §§ 1131 et seq.,

1-2  commonly referred to as the Wilderness Act, establish the National

1-3  Wilderness Preservation System, which consists of areas of federal

1-4  public land that are designated by Congress as wilderness areas; and

1-5  Whereas, Congress has designated approximately 2 million

1-6  acres of certain federal public lands in Nevada as wilderness areas;

1-7  and

1-8  Whereas, If an area of federal public land is designated as a

1-9  wilderness area, it must be managed in a manner that preserves the

1-10  wilderness character of the area and ensures that the area remains

1-11  unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as a wilderness area; and

1-12      Whereas, A reasonable amount of wilderness area in this state

1-13  provides for a diverse spectrum of recreational opportunities in

1-14  Nevada, promotes tourism and provides a place for Nevadans to

1-15  escape the pressures of urban growth; and

2-1  Whereas, In conjunction with the provisions of the Wilderness

2-2  Act, the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the

2-3  Interior in the late 1970s conducted an initial inventory of

2-4  approximately 49 million acres of federal public lands in Nevada to

2-5  determine the suitability of such lands for designation as wilderness

2-6  areas or identification as wilderness study areas and, in 1980,

2-7  recommended that approximately 5.1 million acres of those lands be

2-8  identified as wilderness study areas; and

2-9  Whereas, Until a wilderness study area is designated by

2-10  Congress as a wilderness area or released for multiple use, the

2-11  wilderness study area must be managed in a manner that does not

2-12  impair its suitability for preservation as a wilderness area; and

2-13      Whereas, In 1991, the Bureau of Land Management

2-14  recommended that Congress designate as wilderness areas

2-15  approximately 1.9 million acres of the 5.1 million acres of

2-16  wilderness study areas in Nevada and release the remainder of the

2-17  wilderness study areas for multiple use; and

2-18      Whereas, Although Congress recently enacted the Clark

2-19  County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of

2-20  2002, Public Law 107-282 (2002), which released approximately

2-21  224,000 acres in Clark County from its current status as wilderness

2-22  study areas, the recommendations made by the Bureau of Land

2-23  Management in 1991 have largely not been acted upon by Congress,

2-24  and the Bureau continues to manage approximately 3.86 million

2-25  acres of federal public lands in Nevada identified as wilderness

2-26  study areas; and

2-27      Whereas, It is important that decisions concerning whether to

2-28  designate wilderness study areas as wilderness areas or release those

2-29  areas for multiple use are made in a timely manner without any

2-30  unnecessary delays as the identification of federal public lands as

2-31  wilderness study areas is believed to impose significant restrictions

2-32  on the management and use of those lands; and

2-33      Whereas, It is also important to protect the ecological health

2-34  and existing and potential economic and recreational benefits of

2-35  wilderness areas and wilderness study areas in this state by using

2-36  reasonable and effective methods of fire suppression in those areas;

2-37  and

2-38      Whereas, Because approximately 2 million acres of federal

2-39  public land in Nevada have been designated as wilderness areas and

2-40  approximately 8.6 percent of the federal public land in Nevada that

2-41  is managed by the Bureau of Land Management has been identified

2-42  as wilderness study areas and because such designation or

2-43  identification is believed to impose significant restrictions

2-44  concerning the management and use of such land, including land

2-45  used for mining, ranching and recreation, the Legislative

3-1  Commission appointed a subcommittee in 2001 to conduct an

3-2  interim study of wilderness areas and wilderness study areas in this

3-3  state; and

3-4  Whereas, During the 2001-2002 legislative interim, the

3-5  subcommittee met several times throughout this state and facilitated

3-6  important and wide-ranging discussions among many agencies,

3-7  organizations and persons with diverse interests, perspectives and

3-8  expertise concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas;

3-9  and

3-10      Whereas, The subcommittee received a great deal of valuable

3-11  input from those agencies, organizations and persons, including

3-12  many valuable recommendations for Congress to consider in

3-13  addressing the issues concerning wilderness areas and wilderness

3-14  study areas in a responsible, reasonable and fair manner; now,

3-15  therefore, be it

3-16      Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of

3-17  Nevada, Jointly, That the members of the Nevada Legislature

3-18  urge Congress to:

3-19      1.  Support efforts to ensure that adequate access to wilderness

3-20  areas and wilderness study areas is afforded to the appropriate

3-21  agencies and persons so that those agencies and persons may

3-22  effectively combat fires in wilderness areas and wilderness study

3-23  areas;

3-24      2.  Support the use of all reasonable and effective fire

3-25  suppression efforts in wilderness areas and wilderness study areas

3-26  without strictly confining such efforts only to the tools determined

3-27  by the federal agencies which manage federal public lands to be the

3-28  minimum tools necessary;

3-29      3.  Accept the recommendation of the Bureau of Land

3-30  Management to designate 1.9 million acres of certain wilderness

3-31  study areas in Nevada as wilderness areas while also incorporating

3-32  in the designation process flexibility to consider relevant

3-33  information such as growth to ensure the establishment of

3-34  appropriate boundaries for those areas and recognizing that such

3-35  consideration may result in a reasonable adjustment of those

3-36  boundaries;

3-37      4.  Oppose any efforts to conduct another inventory of the

3-38  federal public lands in Nevada for purposes of creating wilderness

3-39  areas or wilderness study areas without first releasing wilderness

3-40  study areas determined to be unsuitable for designation as

3-41  wilderness areas;

3-42      5.  Ensure that more current information is considered before

3-43  acting on the recommendations of the Bureau of Land Management

3-44  concerning the designation of wilderness areas in Nevada as the

4-1  surveys of the Bureau were performed with limited time, resources

4-2  and technology; and

4-3  6.  Avoid any unnecessary delays in releasing wilderness study

4-4  areas for multiple use by establishing a plan for addressing the

4-5  release of wilderness study areas in a timely manner that includes a

4-6  schedule or plan for the timely consideration of important issues

4-7  concerning wilderness study areas; and be it further

4-8  Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and

4-9  transmit a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of the United

4-10  States as the presiding officer of the Senate, the Speaker of the

4-11  House of Representatives and each member of the Nevada

4-12  Congressional Delegation; and be it further

4-13      Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon

4-14  passage.

 

4-15  H