Nevada's First Public Lands Day is Tomorrow
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Tomorrow is the first-ever Nevada Public Lands Day - and camping, fishing and boating are free at all Nevada state parks and recreation areas. Groups across the state are holding celebrations and doing service projects.
Karen Boeger, a board member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, says the community needs to come together and fight the Trump Administration's plan now under consideration to shrink the Gold Butte National Monument.
"I think that is a backwards stance that is missing a great opportunity to have Gold Butte be this shining example of what Nevada has to offer," she says.
The state has participated in National Public Lands Day for years, but in June, state lawmakers voted to establish an official Nevada Public Lands Day. They also repudiated a 2015 joint resolution supporting a transfer of public lands from the federal government to the state. Public Lands Day events are online, on the Friends of Nevada Wilderness website.
This week, a new report from the Center for American Progress found more than 12 percent of all consumer spending in Nevada is on outdoor recreation. The report says Nevada is brimming with outdoor opportunities for residents and visitors alike, and the average time to reach a protected outdoor area is under three minutes.
Reno City Councilman David Bobzien, who's also a member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, confirms the outdoor economy is booming.
"Everyone thinks of Nevada and its recreation economy or its tourist economy as really being focused on the Las Vegas strip," he says. "And this report shows that outdoor recreation is big in Nevada, and is certainly in a league with states like Montana, Idaho and Colorado."
The report also praised Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval for signing a bill that expands the "Every Kid in a Park" program to allow every fifth-grader and their family free access to all state parks for a year.
