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Senator Hecht. I want to thank you for flying that long distance 

 to testify. 

 Next we will hear from Jean Perry-Jones. 



STATEMENT OF JEAN PERRY-JONES, EVERGREEN ALLIANCE, 



MOUNT CHARLESTON, NV 



Ms. Perry-Jones. Thank you. 



Thank you. 



I am from Mount Charleston, Nevada, and I am here today to 

 testify in favor of the National Forest of Nevada Enhancement Act 

 of 1987, S. 59 and H.R. 267. I have several letters that I brought 

 with me to submit for the hearing record. 



Senator Hecht. They will be placed in the record. Thank you 

 very much. 



Ms. Perry-Jones. Thank you very much. 



I am here as a representative of hundreds of Nevadans who 

 could not be here today, Nevadans who have signed petitions, writ- 

 ten letters, testified at hearings held in Nevada and reached into 

 their pockets to finance my trip here today to testify in their 

 behalf. 



The people in Nevada support the Enhancement Act. 



I represent residents of Clark County, including those in Las 

 Vegas and those living in the Spring Mountain range. People living 

 in the Spring Mountain range, who are surrounded by BLM land, 

 from Mount Potosi to the Cold Creek area, want Forest Service ex- 

 pertise and the accompanying Congressional protection for these 

 lands. People in Clark County support the Enhancement Act. 



I am also representing the Evergreen Alliance, a grassroots orga- 

 nization formed almost two and one-half years ago, when Nevada 

 was faced with the proposed Interchange and the prospect of losing 

 all of its U.S. Forest Service lands. We support the Enhancement 

 Act. 



I am also a member of the Mount Charleston Town Advisory 

 Board, which passed resolutions supporting the Enhancement Act 

 of 1986 and, again, of 1987. These resolutions and supporting reso- 

 lutions passed by the Indian Springs Town Advisory Board, the 

 Clark County Commissioners, and the Clark County Democratic 

 Party Executive Committee, reflect the desire of southern Neva- 

 dans to increase our National Forest acreage. 



The Federal Government owns 87 percent of Nevada. Of that, 

 the Bureau of Land Management controls 68 percent and the 

 Forest Service manages 8 percent. Nevadans would like to see the 

 proposed 0.5 million acres of the 48.8 million acres currently man- 

 aged by the BLM transferred to the U.S. Forest Service manage- 

 ment. 



The Enhancement Act will enlarge Nevada's existing forest acre- 

 age by adding east portions of the Sierra Mountains, Mt. Moriah, 

 and the Spring Mountain Range. 



Nevadans, and especially those of us in southern Nevada, feel 

 strongly that the entire Spring Mountain Range should be included 

 in this act, adding Red Rock Canyon and the dominant peak of 

 Mount Potosi to the acreage that you are considering. We would 

 urge you also to include all of the acreages shown on the original 



