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NORA Proposal - Senate Bill 59 7 



A simple change with large acreage consequences should also 

 be adopted. Your proposed boundary proceeds southward along 

 Nevada Highway 3C until it crosses the East Fork of the Walker 

 River. Our proposed boundary would depart from the road and 

 proceed due east along the northern boundary of Township 8 North 

 to the boundary of the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot, then 

 south and east coincident with the Depot boundary, to your 

 proposed boundary along Nevada Highway 31 proceeding southward 

 from the Depot. This would greatly simplify the BLM/USFS 

 administrative boundary and add approximately 82,240 acres to 

 USFS holdings above that which you propose. 



The Nevada portion of the East Walker River drainage south 

 of the northern boundary of Township 8 North contains critical 

 riparian habitat; critical summer, winter and yearlong mule deer 

 habitat and migration routes; critical sage grouse strutting 

 grounds and brood rearing areas; critical antelope habitat; the 

 Aurora historic site; the historic stage route over Lucky Boy 

 Flat, through Fletcher and on to either Aurora, or Bodie in 

 California; and some of the most incredible natural scenery that 

 the entire State of Nevada has to offer! We do not mean to 

 overuse the term critical. This is the description supplied by 

 BLM field personnel and written up in the Draft Walker Resource 

 Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement - Walker 

 Resource Area (1984) . The BLM itself proposed 13 miles of the 

 East Walker River as an ACEC. This proposed action was dropped in 

 the Final Resource Management Plan without explanation. Senate 

 Bill 59 has the unique opportunity to address this travesty and 

 add reasonable protection for this critical area. 



Support for the above addition, in fact for the entire 

 AREA II portion of the proposed interchange, is predicated on 

 recognition that it is essential that the entire East Walker 

 River drainage contained in the expanded USFS acreage as we have 

 proposed it, be included in a Congressional ly mandated ACEC to be 

 managed principally as a natural area and for public recreation; 

 to preserve riparian habitat, especially along the East Walker 

 River; enhance wildlife habitat including fisheries; and preserve 

 natural, scenic, cultural, and historic values. 



Acceptable management should NOT preclude mineral 

 development, upgrading roads, utility corridors, regulation of 

 water flow, hunting or fishing, or most other multiple use 

 activities. It should preclude disposal of any further acreage in 

 this drainage in the proposed ACEC, as it is essential to 

 maintain public fishing access to East Walker River especially 

 where there is reasonable current access along or from the road. 

 Proposed significant land or visual resource disturbing 

 activities should be scrutinized to determine necessity, and 

 mitigating actions required where practical. Surface land use may 

 also have to be monitored and modified if necessary to mitigate 

 disturbance of wildlife breeding, especially sage grouse. 



