Gold Butte In The News

Apr. 28, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COMMON GROUND

Gold Butte lures off-roaders, historians, conservationists

STORY BY KEITH ROGERS * PHOTOS BY GARY THOMPSON * REVIEW-JOURNAL

Roy and Betsy Miller cringed at the sight of fresh vehicle ruts that left a zig-zag scar on what had been a picturesque Mojave Desert hill off a dirt road that leads to the historic mining town of Gold Butte.

“This area was pristine and untouched as it had been for thousands of years,” Roy Miller said on a back-roads trip this month, recalling how only a few days before there were no ruts on the hill.

“On the other side there are motorcycle tracks that go up and down,” he said. “There are dozens and dozens of examples like that out here.”

That’s why the Millers, who are members of Friends of Gold Butte, and other Nevada wilderness advocates want the Bureau of Land Management to consider protecting the remote area, south of Mesquite and 65 miles northeast of Las Vegas, through an arrangement that couples wild lands with a national conservation area.

Don’t Gamble On Gold Butte

This picture was from our recent Gold Butte Weekend BBQ with the theme – “Don’t Gamble on Gold Butte”. While enjoying the great food, beer, and company, we took a few minutes to discuss a recent report from Campaign for America’s Wilderness that highlights Gold Butte as one of the most threatened areas in the country. Large postcards were signed to the Nevada Congressional Delegation saying – Don’t Gamble on Gold Butte – Let’s Protect it Together. The following day we had a wonderful hike in the Whitney Pockets area of Gold Butte. We enjoyed the blooming wildflowers, petroglyph clusters on the sandstone rocks, and the nice spring weather. Picture from the hike below.

Right now there is another opportunity to voice your concerns on behalf of Gold Butte in regards to the latest release from the BLM on the Roads Designation process. Deadline is this Friday, April 25^th.

Take Action …

Update on Petersen Mountain/Evans Ranch Development

EVANS RANCH ALERT FOR RENO RESIDENTS:

We wanted to alert you to concerns about the environmental and recreational impacts of the proposed Evans Ranch development on Reno residents who care about wildlife, public lands, outdoor recreation, and the environmental impacts of sprawl. Evans Ranch is a huge development of 5,556 homes that has been proposed for the area between Red Rock Road and Petersen Mountain, which is currently only zoned for 40 homes. If approved by City Council, this high-density development will have many negative effects on our community:

Adventures in Gold Butte ~ Past and Present

The wildflowers are blooming, the yuccas flowering, and the weather is ideal for exploring Gold Butte. Below is a report from a past trip and this coming weekend of April 5-6^th, we are hosting a Gold Butte Weekend with our slogan being “Don’t Gamble On Gold Butte”. Come celebrate the Nevada Wilderness Coalition’s campaign to protect this fragile, unique, and diverse landscape

Barbeque with free food, drinks, and fun for all ages
Preview of national report highlighting Gold Butte

Date: Saturday April 5th, 2008

Time: 4:30 – 6:30pm

Where: Paradise Park – on McLeod, north of Tropicana between Pecos and Eastern

Hike in one of Gold Butte’s petroglyph areas
Two hikes starting from the same location, one easy and one moderate

Date: Sunday April 6th, 2008

Time: 9am – 4 or 6pm

Where: RSVP at www.wildnevada.org to get the meet up location

Here is a recent adventure that a NWP member, Val had with a few friends out in Gold Butte……

Gabbs Valley Wilderness Study Area

A few of our far flung photographers ventured out to Western Mineral County over the weekend and did some exploring in the Gabbs Valley Range Wilderness Study Area.  The photographs were taken in an area near Red Rock Canyon known as the Narrows by Kurt K.  Enjoy the shots!

Petersen Mountain Action Alert!

I received a call today from a resident at the base of Petersen Mountain alerting me to some proposed residential zoning changes that will be put before the City of Reno Planning Commission on Thursday evening, 3/6.   Here is a description of the situation that I received…

The MASSIVE Spectacular!

Join Tribal Massive for a unique and fun event at the Boulder Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas March 7th at 7:00 p.m. and help to support Nevada’s wild places. The evening will showcase a variety of performance art to dazzle the eyes!

The MASSIVE Spectacular features the flair of Rachel and Mardi along with many other talented dancers. The show is a fantastic chance to watch and enjoy the performances and help out the Nevada Wilderness Project. Tickets are available for $30 online at The MASSIVE Spectacular until Monday, March 3rd and then tickets are available at the door Friday night. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. at Railhead inside the Boulder Station Hotel and Casino 4111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas.

Welcome Melisa and Emily!

Please join us in welcoming two new field organizers, Melisa Stodieck and Emily Southard that will be working on grassroots organizing for Gold Butte in Las Vegas for the months of March and April.  They both come our way through Green Corps, a field school for environmental organizing.  

 

Melisa Stodieck, a Minnesota native, grew up in the land of ten thousand lakes and her childhood was spent camping and hiking which first sparked her interest in the environment. Melisa is a smart, sassy, and energetic organizer excited to be working on Gold Butte and protecting it for future generations (and herself) to enjoy!

 

Emily Southard is from the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia and emerges from the battle ground of climate activism.  Filling childhood summer months with hiking trips and adventure, she is excited to get back to her roots to protect Nevada’s most treasured wild areas. Emily is an enthusiastic and gifted environmental organizer, with the ability to take on special interests with wit and conviction.

Soaking up the Winter Sun in Sloan Canyon

On Saturday, January 26th Nick Dobric and Bill James of the Nevada Wilderness Project led a group of 11 hikers from both NWP and Meetup.com through the beautiful rugged desert landscape of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area/North McCullough Wilderness, approximately 20 miles south of Las Vegas. As we approached the hiking area by vehicle we passed through a vast expanse - valley leading to the canyon.

People Speak Up for the Desert Refuge

On Thursday, January 17th the Department of Energy held a public hearing in Las Vegas to hear peoples comments on the massive proposed energy corridors across the Western US that impact some of our most important public lands and wildlife habitat: wildlife refuges, wilderness and wilderness study areas, and Forest Service roadless areas.

The turnout was great - 28 people turned out to the meeting based on our efforts and 18 spoke on message. Person after person said that the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is no place for energy corridors. These areas are critical habitat for the desert bighorn sheep and the desert tortoise, among others.

Read the two articles below…..

More help urged for ‘green’ energy

Environmentalists: Proposed routes for power lines favor coal

Las Vegas Sun, By Phoebe Sweet
Mon, Jan 28, 2008