We use business to inspire and implement solutions to protect our environment and create opportunities that diversify and invigorate Nevada’s economy.
Protecting Public Lands
Public lands are owned by every American. In Nevada, 86% of land is public land, managed by the federal government but owned by the American public. This arrangement ensures that families throughout Nevada and from across the country can access our state’s natural treasures— from the vermillion cliffs of Red Rock Canyon to the world’s longest-living trees at Great Basin National Park to the gleaming shores of Lake Tahoe — now and for years to come.
The Proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
The Proposed Avi Kwa Ame (pronounced Ah-VEE kwa-ah-may) National Monument in Southern Nevada includes 380,000-acres of land that is sacred to 12 Native American tribes, such as the Havasupai, Hualapai, Kumeyaay, Maricopa, Mojave, Pai Pai, Quechan, and Yavapai. Some of the most stunning, biologically diverse, and culturally significant land in the Mojave Desert, Avi Kwa Ame, which is Mojave for Spirit Mountain, is a habitat for plants and animals, like the desert tortoise and others. It is also an epicenter of outdoor recreation.
The Global 30x30 Initiative
The Biden-Harris Administration outlined a nationwide plan to restore and conserve America’s lands, waters, and wildlife. The report, Conserving and Restoring American the Beautiful, contains recommendations for a locally-driven and voluntary nationwide goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
National Monuments Protection
The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives the President the authority to establish National Monuments in already federally managed public lands through presidential proclamation. National Monuments preserve areas that are naturally, culturally, or scientifically significant, generally protecting them from development or resource extraction. Like many National Parks, National Monuments tend to encompass Indigenous ancestral lands and even former Native reservations, key wildlife and plant habitats, and dramatic geologic features and fossils.
Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act
Nevada’s Congressional bipartisan delegation shepherded the passage of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act in 1998 as an agreement between the federal government and local agencies to conserve key natural areas of Nevada while developing others. SNPLMA allows the BLM to sell public land within a specific boundary around the Las Vegas Valley and use the revenue to fund conservation projects. In 2006, an amendment to the bill allowed some of that money to fund other counties around Nevada.
Clark County Public Lands Bill(s)
In 1992, Clark County passed the Clark County Public Lands bill to ensure the protection of public lands through Southern Nevada’s population boom. The bill created 17 new Wilderness areas on 452,000 acres around Las Vegas and Lake Mead, as well as adding to the Mt. Charleston Wilderness — adding acres available to development while protecting valuable habitat and recreation areas.
Washoe County Public Lands Bill (Proposed)
Modeled after SNPLMA, the Washoe County Commission’s public lands bill identifies federally owned areas in Washoe County that could be sold for development. Revenue would flow back to the Nevada BLM for projects like drought mitigation, wildfire prevention, and sage-grouse habitat preservation.
Sage-Grouse Habitat Protection
Sage-grouse is an iconic Western bird at the brink of extinction. Throughout the past century, sage-grouse numbers have dwindled severely due to habitat loss, invasive species, energy development, and wildfires. In Nevada, there are more than 23 million acres of important sage-grouse habitat on federal public lands, about 63% of the total habitat occupied by the species in the state.
Land and Water Conservation Fund
As Nevada moves to diversify our economy and attract more employers to our state, we need to protect programs that grow and maintain our outdoor recreation industry. Without the Land and Water Conservation Fund, our state would lose key funding for parks and recreational areas all Nevadans know and love. This program isn’t funded through taxpayer dollars, but through offshore drilling fees, and for every $1 invested in LWCF, local economies see an estimated $4 return.