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TESTIMONY OF FRED WRIGHT, NEVADA WILDLIFE FEDERATION, June 30, 1987 



1986 Enhancement Act) would place everything west of U.S. 395 under 

 the USFS and they said, "There's a lot of difference between the 

 Forest Service and the BLM. If this proposal (1986 Enhancement Act) 

 passes, it might affect some of the thinking regarding this project 

 and might cause some problems for the applicant." The project was 

 approved by the Planning Commission and by the Board of County 

 Commissioners. Over 90 percent of the 7,000 acres will be retained in 

 open space. 



During the BLM/USFS Interchange hearings in Nevada, the common 

 thread of input was that the USFS was more effective in the 

 administration of its land than the BLM. Not because the professionals 

 were not as concerned or as diligent in the BLM, but because the BLM 

 is more vulnerable iio political pressures of the commercial users of 

 our public l^nds, a' situation only Congress can rectify. We, 

 therefore, feel that concern over more active management of the 

 Peavine Mountain area is what caused a request for exclusion. 



Our support for the Forest and Public Lands Enhancement proposal 

 is based upon the premise that changing administrative roles for the 

 lands involved brings with in enhancement of professional multiple-use 

 management by the respective agencies and results in improved 

 efficiency and more cost-effective management. That premise applies to 

 the land around Peavine Mountain, only much more so due to its 

 proximity to urban areas. 



Peavine Mountain and environs is highly important to the adjacent 

 urban areas for its watershed, scenic background, and recreational 



