RENO, Nev. -- The petroglyphs at Gold Butte and in three northern Nevada counties must be protected because they are priceless works of art, according to one argument Silver State conservation advocates are making this week in Washington, D.C. They're part of a large contingent traveling to the nation's capital in an effort organized by the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts.

Tygel Pinto, a Navajo musician and artist, would like to see Gold Butte, Nevada's piece of the Grand Canyon near Mesquite, declared a national monument. He said the move would benefit all Nevadans, not just the Paiute people.

"This is part of your history as well," he said. "To take away history itself is for you not to fully understand where you come from. It affects all of us. Not just one type of peoples. It hurts all of us."

Pinto said the famous red-rock formations at Gold Butte are threatened by illegal cattle grazing and some of the rock art has been shot at and scratched off by vandals. Supporters are hoping President Obama will issue an executive order to declare a national monument there before he leaves office.

Diana Miranda, whose family has owned Bertha Miranda's Mexican Restaurant in Reno for decades, is going on the trip to push for wilderness designation for parts of Douglas, Washoe and Pershing counties, saying they are the backbone of the local outdoor economy.

"My perspective is unique," she said. "I serve families that come in before they go on a trip out into the desert, and then after they come back. I always get to hear these great stories of what they saw, where they went with their family."

A bill has been introduced to give permanent wilderness designation to the Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area in western Nevada's Pine Nut Range. The Douglas County Conservation Act is online at govtrack.us.

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Support for this reporting was provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts.


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New legislation making its way through the U.S. Senate would conserve more than 730,000 acres of federal public lands in and around Colorado's Gunnison Basin.

Tony Prendergast, a cattle rancher near Crawford, was one of a number of stakeholders who worked for a decade to shape the legislation. He said farmers, ranchers, hunters, anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, wildlife advocates and others realized the lands were being "loved to death," and if nothing was done, everyone would lose.

"We came together to say, 'Well, how can we work together to protect what exists, and protect it well in the future and into future generations?'" Prendergast explained.

The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act, led by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., taps federal wilderness and special management area protections for important fish and wildlife habitat. The bill would also transfer the Pinecrest Ranch into a sovereign land trust for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Six Colorado counties and 16 advocacy organizations support the measure but some in Congress continue to oppose any increased public lands protections.

The measure would not affect water rights or existing land uses, such as mining or oil and gas leases. But Prendergast pointed out the legislation will give land managers the tools they need to mitigate conflicts after a surge in outdoor recreation.

"New mountain bike trails were appearing all the time," Prendergast noted. "The motorized recreation was spreading out across the landscape. Gates were being left open. There would be conflicts, livestock dogs chasing off mountain bikers."

He added the legislation would also allow land managers to prioritize the needs of wildlife during critical times, such as the end of winter when animals are weak and nutrition levels are at their lowest.

"In an area where wildlife is close to having their young, there may need to be closures from dusk to dawn from human activity, so wildlife can have a break," Prendergast added.


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A new federal proposal details which public lands across the West would be open to solar development. Wildlife advocates are glad to see that some - but not much - of Wyoming is included.

The Western Solar Plan by the Bureau of Land Management opens 31 million acres across 11 western states to potential solar-power development. In Wyoming, 3.8 million acres would be open for potential permits, far less than the combined 15 million acres currently available through independent plans from the state's BLM field offices.

Julia Stuble, Wyoming state director for The Wilderness Society, said wildlife is sensitive to development, especially in migration corridors critical to big game - and the plan incorporates new research on the needs of those species.

"Being included in this proactive approach - where BLM is looking at areas to exclude and making those decisions now, and not in response to a project proposal - is just a tremendous update for us," she said.

According to a statement from the White House, the Western Solar Plan streamlines the permitting process and allows the BLM flexibility in permitting. But the agency's actual need for solar development through 2045 is expected to use less than 2% of the 31 million-acre total, or about 700,000 acres.

As the BLM slows coal leasing in the West, Stuble said she hopes to see more moves to conserve wildlife in the energy transition, such as building on lands that have already been disturbed and areas near pre-existing transmission lines. She said she thinks the agency is headed in the right direction.

"The updated programmatic planning, I think, will take us many more steps closer to making sure that we're not siting solar in places that have really important community values, or ecological values." she said.

Stuble said those include lands popular for recreation, as well as those that are important or sacred to tribal nations. The plan is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.


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The City of Longview, in east Texas, will use a $1.3 million federal grant to make upgrades to one of its largest parks.

Teague Park sits in the center of the city and has been used less and less because of its age.

Richard Yeakley, public information officer for the City of Longview, said part of the grant money will be used to create a prominent entryway that will make Teague Park more visible and accessible from U.S. Highway 80.

"It has a wonderful pond, an outdoor amphitheater, a playground, a lot of open space," Yeakley outlined. "And one of the jewels of our community, which is a veteran's memorial plaza which has a to-scale replica Vietnam wall and also memorials to other conflicts."

Additional improvements include extending the city's trail system into the park and building an all-inclusive playground.

The grant money was distributed through the Department of the Interior which awarded more than $250 million to 54 projects nationwide. Yeakley pointed out in addition to the health benefits of a vibrant park system he feels the upgrades will be an economic driver for the city.

"Parks and trails and free outdoor-accessible locations are critical when you are hoping to recruit those young professionals, young families to a community," Yeakley explained. "Secondarily, parks are really valuable recruiting tools."

Longview is one of five Texas cities receiving funding. The federal program advances President Joe Biden's "America the Beautiful Initiative" which aims to address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy by providing outdoor spaces for communities that are park-deprived.


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