Pershing County Lands Bill
Pershing County/Northern Nevada Lands bill reintroduced in 2025 Congress
Update: On March 25, Northern Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei reintroduced the Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Northern Nevada public lands bill. Despite the Congressman's best effort, the Northern Nevada public lands bill did not clear Congress in the final days of the 2024 session.
A priority for both Congressman Mark Amodei and Senator Jacky Rosen, the bill would create seven new Wilderness Areas in Pershing County and Douglas Counties and help resolve the more than century-old checkerboard pattern of land ownership that inhibits use of the land for both conservation and economic development purposes.
“Friends is very grateful to Senator Rosen and Congressman Amodei for reintroducing the Pershing County bill in 2025,” said Executive Director Shaaron Netherton. “We have been active partners with stakeholders and local governments working to resolve public lands issues in Pershing County for a over a decade. We are hopeful the legislation will move forward in this session of Congress."
See the Congressman's press release here.
Support Wild Washoe
Senator Rosen reintroduces the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act!
We are very grateful to Senator Jacky Rosen for reintroducing the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act on February 6, 2025. While the bill was voted out of a key Senate Committee in the last Congress, it failed to get final approval. We truly appreciate Senator Rosen's tenacity and commitment to this legislation. Read Senator Rosen's announcement here.
The Act would protect nearly a million acres of public lands in northern Washoe County; lands valued for their dispersed recreation, wildlife habitat, dark skies and cultural values.
We are so grateful to the Senator and her hard-working staff for the many hours they spent conferring with a variety of stakeholders to craft a well-balanced public lands bill. Friends' staff worked tirelessly with Senator Rosen's staff to resolve on-the-ground issues, create and re-create detailed maps and generate public support for the conservation component.
Burbank Canyons
Burbank Canyons is a beautiful little 13,395-acre area in Douglas County with perennial streams, aspen groves, great hiking, and excellent solitude. Raptors, mule deer, bear, mountain lion, sage grouse, and various bird species live here. Wilderness designation will give it permanent protection and is included in the Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, as reintroduced by Congressman Mark Amodei in March, 2025.
Burbank Canyons is the largest remaining undeveloped area in the entire Pine Nut Mountains in Douglas County. A designated Burbank Canyons Wilderness would ensure that Douglas County offers sheer beauty and recreational opportunities that translate into increased property values and quality of life, which appeal not only to tourists, but also to skilled workers and retirees, who want to enjoy the “lifestyle amenities” of this region. A designated Burbank Canyons Wilderness would be the ultimate open space, a little, but mighty, crown jewel of Douglas County’s outdoor offerings.
Learn more about the beautiful Burbank Canyons here.
Nye Country - the Heart of the Great Basin
Once again, our tried-and-true strategy to listen to stakeholders’ concerns, negotiate in good faith, assist in seeking out common-sense solutions and just plain hang in there, has resulted in a local agreement to designate almost 427,000 acres of new Wilderness Area in Nye County. We’re also very excited that local officials have agreed to what we’re calling the 216,000 acre Lunar Starlight National Conservation Area, a historic effort to preserve a truly unique Western landscape.
We will look to Senator Rosen and Congressman Horsford and their staff to condense all of this hard work into federal legislation that we fervently hope will come to pass. Nye County is home to some of the crown jewels of wild lands and we are cautiously optimistic that Nye could become the wild heart of the Great Basin.
