93 



STATEMENT OF 



GEORGE M. LEONARD. ASSOCIATE CHIEF 



FOREST SERVICE 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



before the 



Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests 



Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 



United States Senate 



Concerning S. 59 and S. 85^ 



June 30. 198? 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE: 



Thank you for the opportunity to present our views on both S. 59 and S. 85'* • 

 Both of these bills involve lands within the State of Nevada. S. 85't does not 

 involve any land managed by the Forest Service. Therefore, the Department of 

 Agriculture defers to the Department of the Interior on S. 85't. 



S. 59. the "National Forests and Public Lands of Nevada Enhancement Act of 

 1987." would interchange land management functions between the Bureau of Land 

 Management and the Forest Service within the State of Nevada. The Department 

 of Agriculture strongly recommends enactment of the Administration's proposal 

 for a nationwide interchange between these two agencies in preference to S. 59- 



S. 59 would transfer approximately 511.000 acres of public lands administered 

 by the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada to the Forest Service. Most of the 

 lands that would become National Forest System lands are located in the Spring 

 Mountains, which are adjacent to the Las Vegeis Ranger District of the Toiyabe 

 National Forest. Other lands to be transferred to Forest Service management 

 are in the eastern Sierras. They involve the Toiyabe and Inyo National 



