149 



map of the 1987 Enhancement Act. Those areas should include all 

 of Peavine Mountain by Reno, the Hot Creek Range in Central 

 Nevada, Steamboat Springs by Carson City and Pine Grove. 



I have submitted maps indicating the areas to be included. 



Southern Nevada's Las Vegas metropolitan area is one of the 

 fastest growing areas in the United States. Its warm desert climate 

 is attractive to tourists and residents. 



The Spring Mountain Range is less than an hour's drive from 

 the city, and is the only place of its kind in southern Nevada where 

 people may go to escape the heat, picnic and camp in pine forests, 

 play in the snow, ski, hike by alpine creeks and waterfalls, and 

 climb the rocky peaks. 



The range is an important watershed for the Las Vegas valley, 

 providing more than 25 percent of its water. We need the U.S. 

 Forest Service's watershed management expertise to assure our 

 precious water resource for future generations. 



We need to save the American taxpayers money by having only 

 one agency manage the Spring Mountain Range. 



By increasing Forest Service lands and putting more green on 

 the maps, Nevada can increase its tourism industry. Nevada's 

 great need for economic diversification will be realized more fully 

 as more dollars flow to Nevada from visitors who learn that 

 Nevada is much more than a desert wasteland. 



Mining rights will not be affected as BLM continues to manage 

 all subsurface resources on Forest Service lands in the United 

 States. 



The only people who oppose this bill are a handful of independ- 

 ent miners. The large mining companies have not opposed the bill. 



This bill, however, does not affect the mining claims on any of 

 these lands. 



It does not affect the livelihood of the miners, because their 

 mining claims and operations will continue on the new National 

 Forest lands as they did on BLM lands. 



Why are these independent miners then opposed to this bill? 



The law states that all lands that have been mined shall be re- 

 claimed. This applies both to BLM and USFS lands. The BLM, 

 however, does not enforce this reclamation in Nevada. The U.S. 

 Forest Service, on the other hand, requires a reclamation bond, 

 which is redeemable when the land is reclaimed, thus insuring the 

 restoration of the land. 



Reclaiming land is the law, and it is also in the best interest of 

 Nevadans. Reclamation restores the land for grazing, keeps the 

 water from becoming polluted, restores the wildlife habitat, and re- 

 establishes outdoor recreation esthetics. 



Since the Forest Service does a better job than BLM at reclaim- 

 ing the mined land, this is yet another reason for passage of this 

 bill. 



Water rights, the stumbling block for the 1986 Enhancement 

 Act, should be resolved now. I would suggest to you the language 

 developed by the National Task Force of Nevada. Under Section 8 

 of the current bill, "Water Rights," deleting item (b) and replacing 

 it with the new wording as I have submitted in my testimony. I 

 won't take the time to read it now. 



