Steve Walther of the environmental group Protect our Washoe probably thought he was doing his cause a favor this week when he testified against a bill limiting the power of municipalities to seize private property through eminent domain.

Instead, his comments highlight why the bill is vital to the protection of property rights in Nevada.

Mr. Walther and his group want Washoe County to seize northern Nevada's 1,000-acre Ballardini ranch, now owned by a Minnesota company, for the sole reason that ... they think it's pretty.

But Senate Bill 326, sponsored by Terry Care, would prohibit state and local governments from using eminent domain to acquire property for open space. All this, Mr. Walther harumphs, "just to protect one piece of ground for a Minnesota developer."

Well, no. Actually the bill would protect many pieces of ground for all Nevada property owners from people such as Mr. Walther and preserve a principle worth fighting for: That the right to private property is an essential foundation of our republic, and for that reason the power of eminent domain should be restricted.

But without the protection afforded by SB326, no piece of undeveloped private property is safe from the covetous eyes of green extremists who have the ears of enough bureaucrats. If Protect our Washoe covets the Ballardini ranch, its members should buy it themselves at the asking price rather than embrace the dangerous perversion of eminent domain to achieve their selfish ends.