The Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act would both create new conservation designations and permanently protect existing ones in Washoe County.
This includes designating nearly 174,000 acres as withdrawal areas, meaning community members can still recreate there, but it would be blocked from development and mining.
Shaaron Netherton, the executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, said some of the withdrawal areas are basically in people’s backyards.
“Peavine Mountain is like right outside my window. It’s a great spot to get away, to walk your dog, to ride your bike,” Netherton said. “These are just areas that are really important to our community, and we want to make sure that they’re there for future generations and that they don’t get developed.”
Northern Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei also re-introduced a lands bill last year, which includes prohibiting gas and oil leasing on more than 300,000 acres in the Ruby Mountains in Elko County.
Lands bills are not new to Nevada, but are often heavily debated. Netherton said this one strikes a good balance.
“There’s way fewer areas being considered for development than in previous versions of the bill,” Netherton said. “The areas that are being looked at were carefully assessed, and the large amount of conservation really helps balance that out, continuing to provide for wildlife habitat, quality of life, recreation areas for the folks who live here.”
The Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act also proposes to make public lands available for sale for affordable housing and expand land trusts for tribal communities. It would also transfer land to local governments for parks and schools, among other uses.
