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



property deed restriction. As the length of existence of the Conserva- 

 tion Reserve and the prospects of future sale of the property have 

 been contentious issues, we suggest several strengthening amendments 

 to section 9 (pgs. 5-4) of Exhibit F and embodied in our attachment A. 

 Those amendments do the following: 



1) Formally classify the set-aside as Conservation Reserve 



2) Direct that the area description be recorded as a deed restrict- 

 ion upon successors in interest 



3) Removes the questionable need for an inital 20 year period 



4) Directs that activities conducted within the Conservation Reserve 

 will be accomplished with minimum impact on tortoise habitat 



5) Use of the reserve for other than those stated will be guided 

 and approved by a Conservation Reserve Board anytime Aerojet 

 has a need 



In closing, while I am not in a position as representative of the 

 Nevada Wildlife Federation to say that we support the exchange, neither 

 do I say we oppose it. This is due to our long standing position of 

 objecting to the removal of public lands from general use. The trade- 

 offs in this instance seem to be balanced and enhancement will occur. 

 We have encouraged Aerojet to go beyond the stipulation in Exhibit F 

 that provides for an employee education program to heighten their . 

 awareness of the desert tortoise by conducting a public relations 

 program that adopts this critter that has survived virtually unchanged 

 over some 27 million years as their Nevada Site mascot, use a character- 

 ization of the tortoise as a logo and foster interest in this relict 

 of the past. 



Finally, our second recommendation to you is that a public hearing 



of some Congressional level be held in southern Nevada on the exchange 



proposal. 



Thank you for this opnortunity. 



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