FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2001

NEWS RELEASE

Date: Time: Place:

November 19, 2001 8:30 a.m. Grant Sawyer State Office Building Room 4401 555 East Washington Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada

Contact:

Scott Young, Committee Policy Analyst Legislative Committee on Public Lands’ Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas Subcommittee 401 South Carson Street Carson City, Nevada 89701-4747 (775) 684-6825

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS’ WILDERNESS AND WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS SUBCOMMITTEE TO MEET IN LAS VEGAS

A decade ago, approximately 5.1 million acres of Nevada land were designated as Wilderness Study Areas pursuant to federal law. As such, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers these tracts as though they are wilderness. The original intent of Congress was to have these lands evaluated for permanent status as Wilderness Areas or returned to more general use. However, in the ensuing years, the various groups interested in using these lands have been unable to reach a consensus regarding the final disposition of the Wilderness Study Areas.

Nevada State Senator Dean A. Rhoads (R-Tuscarora) now chairs a Legislative Subcommittee established to review the status of those areas. “These are public lands and the public has a right to know how they will be used. They should not remain in limbo indefinitely,” Chairman Rhoads stated. “A great deal of study and thought has already gone into the issue of Wilderness Areas. We want to determine if there is enough common ground to move the process to a more productive stage,” Rhoads said.

The first meeting of the subcommittee will be held November 19, 2001, in Room 4401 at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, located at 555 East Washington Avenue in Las Vegas. Five additional meetings will be held around the state during the winter and spring to solicit input from interested parties. Other members of the subcommittee include Assemblyman P.M. “Roy” Neighbors, Vice Chairman (D‑Tonopah); Senator Mark E. Amodei (R‑Carson City); Senator Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas); Assemblyman David F. Brown (R‑Henderson); and Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (D-Sparks).