September 2, 2023 – Friends of Nevada Wilderness will observe the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act on Tuesday by buckling down after the Labor Day weekend to focus on saving even more wilderness-quality public land that is under immediate threat.
“While we truly wish we could take some extended time to celebrate all that’s been accomplished over the last sixty years, we have no choice but to put our heads down to address some serious issues that demand our attention right now,” said Executive Director Shaaron Netherton. “If we don’t, we will lose the few opportunities left to try to save some amazingly intact landscapes that will otherwise be destroyed.”
In the push for more large scale industrial solar facilities on our public lands here in Nevada, Wilderness and wilderness study areas are some of the few designations that are off limits to this development.
In Esmeralda County, a battle is raging to protect the proposed Esmeralda/Fish Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). After years of conducting an intensive field inventory of the amazingly intact volcanic landscape, Friends of Nevada Wilderness formally identified the ACEC and submitted it to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for consideration. Sadly, instead of the BLM working with stakeholders who don’t want to see this landscape forever developed and its cultural and wildlife resources destroyed, the BLM is proposing the Esmeralda Seven solar facility that has been described as the size of Las Vegas in the heart of the proposed ACEC.
“This is simply the wrong place for such a massive development,” Netherton added. “There is already a solar energy zone and less sensitive public land nearby that is much better suited for solar development. We are in complete support of developing alternative energy to address climate change, just not in the intact landscapes of the proposed ACEC.”
The Esmeralda/Fish Lake ACEC reflects environmental values that BLM policy says are important to preserve, including landscape intactness, significant cultural resources, sensitive and endemic wildlife and flora, as well as exceptionally dark skies and scenic vistas. There are about 23 species of animals and 42 plant species found here that are at risk or formally protected.
While the ACEC designation doesn’t come with the same protections and management restrictions as designated Wilderness, it could still significantly add to the inventory of conservation lands in Nevada.
Friends of Nevada Wilderness, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year is proud of its part in these conservation successes. These include some of the state’s most iconic Wilderness areas like Mt. Rose, Ruby Mountains, Arc Dome, Mt. Charleston and so many more that Nevadans cherish.
Roughly 3.6 million acres of public land in Nevada are forever protected as Wilderness Areas allowing for dispersed recreation and the conservation of critical water and cultural resources, and wildlife habitat.
Since September 3, 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act, 806 Wilderness Areas have been designated encompassing nearly 112 million acres.
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“Across our Nation, designated wilderness areas protect some of our most precious sites — soaring mountains, winding rivers, expansive deserts, and lush forests. These special places unite us, inspire us, and connect us to something bigger than ourselves. During National Wilderness Month, we recommit to the essential work of protecting our Earth, celebrate our country’s natural places, and continue our work to ensure that every community has access to nature’s gifts.”
- 2024 Executive Proclamation on National Wilderness Month in September
Emigrant Peak lands with wilderness characteristics in Esmeralda County - photo by Kirk Peterson
