| Coalition for Public Accesse-ALERT (December 1, 2011) |
Dear CPA Subscriber,
Douglas County has announced their plan to move forward with a "Douglas County Conservation Bill" and hold "Open Houses" (see schedule below) to share and seek public comment. The plan calls for changing the Burbank Canyon Scenic Area to Burbank Canyon Wilderness Area. Over 12,000 acres located on the Smith Valley side of the Pine Nut range between Rickey Canyon and Red Canyon would have wilderness designation. The plan excludes between 1,000 and 1,500 acres that are located in Lyon County.
In 1985 the BLM evaluated the Burbank Canyon Wilderness Study Area (WSA) and recommended to congress that the entire WSA was not suitable for wilderness designation. Also in 1985 the BLM designated the WSA as a Scenic Area and issued an emergency closure order closing the area to motorized use.
In 1991 the BLM evaluated all WSAs in Nevada and again recommended to congress that the Burbank Canyon WSA was not suitable for wilderness designation.
In 2001 the BLM issued a Consolidated Resource Management Plan and again recommended that the Burbank Canyon WSA was not suitable for wilderness designation.
In 2008 the BLM issued a Draft Plan Amendment and once again recommended that the Burbank Canyon WSA was not suitable for wilderness designation.
According to persons working on the Douglas County Conservation Bill the county is not advocating the creation of wilderness but that the requirement for wilderness comes from Washington. CPA has no opinion as to the value or benefit to Douglas County regarding the main components of the bill. However, the creation of wilderness, when the managing agency has repeatedly recommended against such action, goes against our core principles. CPA is developing a plan to respond to this eminent threat of additional restrictions on our public lands and will communicate it shortly. We will detail specific actions that you can take to communicate your opinion to our elected congressional delegation in Washington.
Please attend any of the following public Open Houses to learn more:
Minden
Monday, December 5, 2011, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Emergency Operations Center, 1694 County Road, Minden
North Douglas County
Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
North Sunridge Fire Station, 3620 N. Sunridge Drive, Carson City
South Douglas County – Topaz Area
Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Topaz Ranch Estates Community Center, 4001 Carter Way, Wellington
Lake Tahoe
Monday, December 12, 2011, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Tahoe Transportation Center, 169 Hwy 50, Stateline
Genoa
Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Genoa Town Hall, 2287 Main Street, Genoa
Thank you,
Board of Directors, Coalition for Public Access