Land program deserves support

By Paula Garrett, Las Vegas

Friday, April 28, 2017 | 2 a.m.

For many of us in Southern Nevada, the public lands that surround Las Vegas are a place to picnic with our children, hike, mountain bike, camp and boat. Many of the amenities that we enjoy and make our experiences richer have been funded through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA). Recently, a leak of the federal budget proposal revealed a plan to remove $230 million from the program.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., publicly voiced his disapproval. We also need to stand up and say “hands off — that belongs to Nevada”.

Enacted in 1998, the SNPLMA program allows the Bureau of Land Management to sell public lands within the Las Vegas valley and use those funds for education and conservation around the state. With our housing boom in the 1990s and our continued growth, plots of public land became isolated in the heart of the city, surrounded by development. By selling off these lands, revenue was generated that funded a host of conservation, education and public works projects. As the years went by, land prices increased and to date over $3 billion dollars has been generated by the program.

Of these funds, 5 percent is designated for public education and 10 percent for the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The remaining funds are allocated by a proposal process for the following categories: parks, trails, natural areas, capital improvements, conservation initiatives, environmentally sensitive land acquisitions, hazardous fuels reduction, wildlife protection, landscape restoration and habitat conservation for sensitive species.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area has traditionally ranked low nationally for the number of parks and trails available to its residents. SNPLMA has changed that with the creation of trails and parks across the valley as well as improvements to our surrounding public lands such as Red Rock and the Clark County Wetlands Park.

Funds have also been used to better understand our desert ecology from the threatened desert tortoise to the high elevation Mt. Charleston Blue Butterfly, and many species in between. Wildfire threats have been assessed and reduced. In addition, important habitats have been restored.

SNPLMA has done more than pour concrete and build trails — it has provided me with more opportunities to spend quality time with my family outdoors. If our public lands are important to you too, join me in writing members of the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee and the secretary of the Interior and say “hands off — that belongs to us.”