185 



NORA Proposal - Senate Bill 59 8 



The proposed Bill would transfer approximately 14,720 acres 

 currently administered by Toiyabe National Forest to the BLM. 

 These changes seem to affect three parcels. The first is the 

 extreme northwest corner of Township 6 North, Range 29 East where 

 approximately 640 acres are involved. As this parcel is included 

 in our proposed East Walker River ACEC, we do not concur that 

 this area should return to BLM administration. If the boundary is 

 drawn as we propose, then this adjustment becomes moot. 



The second and third parcels involve USPS lands designated 

 as suitable by USES for inclusion in the National Wilderness 

 Preservation System and which are part of USES RARE II AREA 4-989 

 being considered in the Reid Bill deciding which areas, if any, 

 of USES Rare II recommended areas will in fact become part of the 

 Wilderness System. One part, affecting about 6400 acres is in 

 Township 5 North, Range 31 East. The other in Township 2 North, 

 Range 32 East affects about 7680 acres. As these parcels are at 

 this time the direct subject of another active Bill, we feel that 

 it is inappropriate to transfer these lands at this time. Very 

 minor changes in the proposed boundary to leave these parcels in 

 USES administration would remedy this problem. 



Finally, there should be a Congressional mandate to the USES 

 that this entire AREA II section of Toiyabe National Forest, both 

 original and newly acquired areas, be managed with an emphasis on 

 and sensitivity to natural areas, public recreation, and enhanced 

 riparian and wildlife habitat. 



AREA III: AFFECTED LANDS WEST OF OS HIGHWAY 395 



(Washoe County, Carson City, and all of Douglas County 

 except applicable portions of Township 9 & 10 North, 

 Range 23 East) 



In AREA III your proposed legislation would transfer 

 administration of all existing BLM acreage to management by the 

 USPS. No acreage would be transferred from OSES to the BLM. While 

 the subject acreage appears to be quite large, most of the 

 nominally affected acreage is, in fact, in private ownership. The 

 land ownership pattern found in AREA III is almost completely 

 opposite that found in AREA II. Approximately 2/3 of the 

 unencumbered acreage in this area (over 12,000 acres) is 

 contained in "checkerboard" lands in Washoe County. The remaining 

 unencumbered acreage in Carson City and Douglas County can 

 generally be described as relatively small, isolated tracts 

 surrounded by private land. This land ownership pattern leaves a 

 remarkably small acreage to be transferred, as seen in Table I 

 below. In all, the BLM only administers about 33,860 acres in 

 Area III at the present time. Of these 33,860 acres, 

 approximately 15,460 (about 45.7%) have administrative 

 encumbrances which could be severely adversely impacted by 

 changes in administrative authority. 



