MRAN was invited to attend the BLM forum held last Wednesday to discuss the closure of land to competition events and changes to land use by the new Biological Opinion (BO) that was due December, 2009 and will most likely be complete July, 2010.  In the mean time MRAN and all of the other OHV users that require permits have been forced to buy their own BO’s at $4,000 to $15,000 each depending on the size of the event.  The new BO was required because use of lands for competition and recreation had expanded beyond the 1998 BO.  No one did anything wrong, it is just that neither the BLM nor the Fish and Wildlife service expected the population to double in that time and OHV use to expand with it.  Although the BLM sold all of the land for the expansion and the Fish and Wildlife Service wrote the opinions that facilitated the land sales the increase in population still came as a shock to them(?). 

Prior to the Wednesday meeting MRAN had requested the population study upon which the basis for the land closure was based: To date no information has been received.  However, MRAN asked several questions regarding tortoise population studies and received the following answers: 1) No torotoise count has been conducted for the last 15 or 20 years. 2) Four people in Reno(?) are responsible for preparing a stastical “line count” which will provide a calcultated population which will be the basis for keeping the Desert Tortoise as “threatened”. 3) Only tortoise that are 7 inches in length or greater will be counted, and only those deemed “wild” will be counted. 4) Juvenile tortoise and “urban” tortoise that have been relocated to the high density tortoise habitat near Primm, Nevada are not included in the count regardless of the size. 5) Any juvenile or “urban” tortoise that is killed is counted against the OHV community as though it was a “wild” tortoise; regardless of size.6) A count of tortoise in a proposed solar area near Jean, Nevada yielded a density number about 4 times higher than was anticipated.  7) 100% of the 39,000 acres scheduled for solar panel construction are located in tortoise habitat.  Tortoise clearance fees are $750/ acre and amount to over $21,000,000.  So we learned that the BLM does not have an accurate of the tortoise but they know the Desert Tortoise is “threatened”, and as such they must be cleared before the land can be used as solar.  I am not convinced: Are you?

MRAN does not have an event that occurs in tortoise habitat during the closure months of April, May and September.  We attended this meeting because our riders also recreate with their friends and families during the closure months and we foresee a time when all access will be barred to protect the tortoise, even those that are counted; from those of use that don’t count.

To ensure the continuation of the desert tortise species, the BLM has decided to close the Jean area for competition from April through May and entire month of September.  The BLM contends that we are killing  immature tortise without knowing it and although no population or mortality data is available, and no one can find the dead tortoise, we are being shut out of this area.  You can however build solar plants in this area, you just can’t go out enjoy yourself in this area during these times.  Although for the last 15 years race courses have been combed by the BLM before and after every race and none of these immature tortoise have been found they are however being killed.  On a similar note Mount Charleston will be closed from October through March for Bigfoot mating and hibernation protection.

“OHV access will not be my legacy.”  Rory Reid, Clark County Comissioner, Would Be Governor, Son of Harry Reid

Thanks for coming to the web page dedicated to providing information about Southern Nevada Land Use.  This page has been made necessary by the push to convert about 20% of our Public Lands in Southern Nevada into a green energy nexus that will generate electrical energy for California and jobs for German industry.  There is a lot of conversation out there on this topic but most of it is political and is not accurate: I know you are as shocked by these inaccuracies as I am.  Because I provided some of the engineering for the solar energy mirror installation in Boulder City I have come to understand the limitations and realities of green energy better than most people, I will use that background to filter the hype and provide real data.  As a user of public lands with a background in engineering I will also provide a perspective based in the reality of Southern Nevada’s limited resources to actually host the “green” energy initiatives.  Take a look at the Green Energy portion of this page and see what you think.

REMEMBER: THESE ARE YOUR LANDS. The money you spend on riding and racing makes over 600 jobs and $10,000,000 in tax revenue possible.  Do the green groups contribute to Nevada like this? No.  Think about all the money you spend directly and indirectly on your recreation.  You are IMPORTANT to Nevada.

As a result of my involvement in the State Assembly I have learned which groups and politicians share our passion for Nevada’s lands and which do not.  I have provided those names in the Friends of Nevada Lands section below.

Thank you for your interest and time.  Southern Nevada is a wonderful place and with your help we can keep that reality alive.

I live in Southern Nevada.  Southern Nevada is my home; this is where I work and play.  I looked this map and I was sick.  Roughly 20% of the public lands shown on this map are designated for “Fast Track”  ( Mr. Salazar, headof the Department of Interior, has developed this process to eliminate unnecesary delays like public hearings and review times) disposal to private companies that want to pave the dark brown areas with solar panels that come from Germany.(The Trans-Oceanic Alliance is a company based in Germany, working in Las Vegas 24-7 to sell panels in an attempt to ” …get their share of stimulus money”: How do Germans deserve a share of stimulus money we are borowing from China?)  None of the companies that want to develop these lands are from Nevada; they are from California- the number one recipient of the electrical energy; and  europe – the number one recipient of technology dollars.  We have been selected for this honor because:

1)Nevada has wide open space with access to the grid and gas pipelines.  Solar stations need natural gas to fire the boilers so that electrical energy can be generated during the night to align the panels to track the rising sun. Once the sun is up the panels use a portion of their energy to power their tracking motors.  These panel systems are roughly 60% efficient at generating electricity, if you subtract the 30% loss due to transmitting this energy to California your total gain is 42% of theoretical.  By the way, the theoretical value is the one always quoted.

2) A Democratic Senate Majority leader, Compliant Local Governments (How many Clark County Commissioners have been indicted for being overly helpful to land developers?), and a helpful Bureau of Land Management that has disposed of huge tracts of land in the past.

3) A low population density. This low density is due to the fact that very little water is available and there is a small amount of rain- less than 4 inches per year.  Water for construction and maintenance of these facitilies will come from where?  How much extra do we have?  Seen Lake Mead lately?

4) Access to many of the areas on the map are restricted in an attempt to protect the Desert Tortoise.  However, if you want to buy some of the restricted land (striped yellow and brown on the map) BLM can “translocate” all tortoises for $500.00 per acre.  Thats $1,000,000.00 per 2,000 acres.  Several of developments are over 4,000 acres each and the total development is over 22,000 acres- you do the math.  But where to put the displaced tortoise?  How about OHV areas, we have already seen this in Primm where the tortoise density has been artificially increased by about 6 times average to accomodate tortoises from the last land sales in the Las Vegas Valley.  So these most endangered (?) of species can be moved like chess pieces without impact? Cool. Sounds Green to me.

5) Dina Titus and Harry Reid tell us that 46,000 jobs will be created.  I know 4 people that have permanent jobs with the solar plant- they came from out-of-state, the technology came from Spain as did most of the material.  Only earthwork and construction jobs will be created and those will be minimal and temporary- just like the last land development boom.  If all of the proposed development was to occur about 1,200 permanent jobs would be created.  Our current un-employment exceeds 300,000.

Southern Nevada was a major player in winning the Cold War.  What was our reward? How about 25,000 acres of unusable land and political ideologies that prohibit a second use of that land that would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for Nevada.  What will happen when the Green wears off and we are left with all of these sites? Will these sites be orphans when maintenance costs climb as the panels age and decrease in efficiency?  Will Germany buy them back for recycling? Ithink not.  Is this head-long rush to pave Nevada with solar cells a good idea? Ithink not

Dark Brown is Solar Deep Blue is Wind

I was part of the working group that drafted the Senate Bill 394 which provides for registration and titling of Off Highway Vehicles (OHV).  Seven persons representing over 30 groups came together over the course of 2 years to draft this bill and shepherd it through the State Legislature.  Support for this bill was so broad that we over-rode the governor’s veto to make the bill law.  Here are the key points that will affect you:

1)During the time spent working through this bill it was clear that the DMV is not our friend: therefore their role in this bill is limited to collecting fees and processing paperwork.  YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO VISIT THE DMV, your dealer will be able to provide all the support necessary to register your OHV.  This will eliminate alot of additional hiring at the DMV.

2)OHV’s purchased out of state after January 1, 2010 will be subject to taxation at the time of registration and titling.  OHV’s purchased in state will already have taxes paid.  NO ADDITIONAL FEES SHOULD BE CHARGED TO YOU AT TIME OF PURCHASE.  I had a Nevada dealer try to charge me $150 to register my dirt bike when I bought it in 2006 it was nto correct then and it is not correct now.  I have been told that this practice has been suspended at the dealerships-be aware. 

3) OHV’s purchased prior to 2010 and those that currently do not have a title, I personally have 2 that do not have titles, will be eligible for registration and titling by merely signing an affidavit attesting to the fact that these are your property.  Simple enough.

4) Funds collected from the registration will not go into the general fund, this is the first program to do this in Nevada.  After administration fees are paid, roughly 15%,  the remaining funds will be deposited into an account that will be administered by a board of 11OHV users who represent: cattlemen/ranchers/farmers; hunters, fisherman, sportsmen; law enforcement; Quad/UHV; Trail Riders; Competition Motorcycle; Snowmobiles; Conservation; Nevada Association of Counties; Agriculture; and powersports dealers.  Each board member will be selected by the Governor from a list of persons submitted by recognized OHV groups: Groups that meet a standard of 5 years prior history.  An oath verifying each members intent to forward- not hinder OHV access will be signed prior to appointment.  This is designed to eliminate favoritism and provide the best board possible, also is a first for Nevada.  None of the members will draw a salary, all will be volunteers.

5) With about 20% of the funds designated for education and enforcement, 60% will be dedicated to trail development, mapping, land aquisition, and trail studies through a grant system.  Each grant will be scored based on several factors ranging from impact to need.  We currently do not have such support from the BLM, Forest Service, Clark County, etc.  Once again this program is a first.

6) Cost will range from $20-$30 per year and a small sitcker will be placed on the vehicle, similar to Utah, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado: All of whom will honor the Nevada sticker as we will honor theirs.

We hope to pur about $100,000 into the trail development plan- provided the BLM and our Sentors do not sell all the access to the green energy groups.

I hope this answers the majority of the questions, if not I can send a PDF of the entire to anyone that requests it.

MotorizedWeb is dedicating the space on this home page to discuss a serious land use issue. The issue goes beyond off-road motorcycle racing and it could impact all Americans who expect to go outside and enjoy our public lands. Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada is working with state legislators to craft legislation that will protect their sport. It is no secret that some groups want an end to all motorcycle racing and in fact wish to seal off public lands to public access.

In June MRAN was instrumental in aiding in the passage of Senate Bill 394 Regarding Off HIghway Vehhicle Titling and Registration in Nevada. You can download and read the entire bill here.