On Friday, December 20, Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto introduced Senate Bill 3145, the "Desert National Wildlife Refuge and Nevada Test and Training Range Withdrawal and Management Act", which would deprive the US Air Force of its proposed expansion of military activities over 75% of the Desert Refuge. Instead, it would enact the following:
- 1.3 million acres of wilderness for the Sheep Range and other proposals issued by the USFWS in the 1970s. This would be the largest wilderness designation in Nevada history, protecting Nevada's largest-remaining tracts of wild land.
- Continued management authority over all Desert Refuge lands by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
- Regular access by tribes to their important cultural sites and to wildlife agencies/volunteers to maintain guzzlers and manage wildlife.
- Creates a public forum and oversight committee to ensure management and access occur as mandated.
- Public access would remain along Alamo Road and all Desert Refuge lands to the east.
- Roughly 100,000 acres of expanded military land withdrawals over the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and other BLM-managed public lands.
- No permanent withdrawal of USFWS and BLM lands. The Nevada Test and Training Range lease would be up for reconsideration in 20 years.
Nevada's entire congressional delegation supports this legislation. Here is Cortez Masto's press release with statements from all delegation members. How nice it is to see a delegation united around conservation!
Do You Know What This Means?
They listened. The thousands of people like you who signed our petition and supported the Nevada Legislature's resolution opposing the proposed military expansion made a difference. This legislation responds to the vast majority of Nevadans from all walks of life who want to see our treasured public lands protected, not bombed.
Although the proposed wilderness designations and improved access and management authority for wildlife officials and tribes are strong steps in good directions, we still have concerns. The military has already excluded the public from 826,000 acres of Desert Refuge as part of the 2.9-million-acre Nellis Test and Training Range. This bill proposes to transfer another 100,000 acres of YOUR public lands to the military, which has not provided sufficient justification as to why they need it. Also, much of the tribal and wildlife-management access and authority already exists on paper, but the military hasn't respected this up until now, by bombing sacred sites and depriving wildlife and tribal authories the access they're due. It will take a strong conservation stance to ensure these authorities are honored in the future.
This act is only the opening salvo of what could be a big battle. The military and Republican-controlled Senate have yet to respond. The bill is likely to become part of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act in 2020. Opponents will try to remove these protections.
We have a challenging journey ahead. Sierra Club is working with coalition partners to maintain and improve the conservation proposed in this legislation. We will need your help.
But for now, celebration is in order. Please consider contacting Senator Cortez Masto and all members of our delegation to thank them for their strong stance in defense of the Desert Refuge.