| Coalition for Public Accesse-ALERT (January 8, 2012) |
Dear CPA Subscriber,
In our prior message we outlined the activity by Douglas County to submit a Conservation Bill through Representative Amodei's office. The bill would ask that the portion of Burbank Canyon WSA within Douglas County (12,333 acres) be designated a Wilderness Area. In our prior message we also said that the "requirement for wilderness comes from Washington". CPA now understands that it is Douglas County's desire to create a Wilderness Area and the "requirement" does not appear to come from Nevada's congressional delegation.
CPA has met several times with representatives of Douglas County working directly on this effort. At each meeting we have consistently indicated our opposition to the recommendation for a Burbank Canyon Wilderness Area designation. Our last message to Douglas County was sent on January 6, 2012. In part the message read: "As you know CPA opposes the creation of wilderness via Douglas County’s proposed Conservation Bill. It is unclear why Douglas County should interfere with BLM’s land management authority, environmental assessments and conclusions, and their application of land use classifications. The BLM has four (4) times reviewed the Burbank Canyon WSA and each time concluded that the area was not suitable for wilderness designation."
Douglas County now has maps and other documentation of this activity on their website at http://www.douglascountynv.gov. Of particular interest is the FAQs document where the county addresses the wilderness component of the bill.
The following may be contacted for additional information or to make comments on the Conservation Bill:
lgranahan@co.douglas.nv.us - Lisa Granahan, Assistant to the County Manager
dominique@legacylandandwater.com - Dominique Etchegoyhen, Consultant/Contractor
CPA is following this activity closely and expects to communicate additional details and recommended actions soon.
Thank you,
Board of Directors, Coalition for Public Access