Conservation Lands Foundation Statement on Discussion Draft of Nevada Public Lands Bill
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (January 15, 2020)—Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has released a discussion draft of the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act. Conservation Lands Foundation released the following statement:
Jocelyn Torres, Conservation Lands Foundation's Nevada-based Senior Field Director:
“We thank Senator Catherine Cortez Masto for leading this effort to shape Clark County’s conservation and economic future. The discussion draft released today is an important first step in crafting a public lands bill that preserves Southern Nevada’s treasured places, addresses economic needs, and creates an opportunity for broader discussions on other land use issues.
We were excited to see that this discussion draft adds approximately 69,000 additional acres to one of the jewels of the National Conservation Lands, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area; creates new Wilderness areas; and expands existing Wilderness such as the Muddy Mountains Wilderness creating better wildlife connectivity between currently protected units.
Being a discussion draft there are still edits to be made and we look forward to working with Senator Cortez Masto on finalizing a bill for introduction, including fleshing out the section surrounding the creation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and moving this bill forward in the Congressional process.”
This discussion draft comes only weeks after Senator Cortez Masto introduced a historic bill (S. 3145) protecting the largest amount of Wilderness in Nevada history.
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Above: Land that would be designated
as a national monument under the bill
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