Public lands improve our quality of life

To the editor:

In response to Geoffrey Lawrence's Sunday commentary, "It's time to free the West":

The wonderful future for the state of Nevada that he wishes to create would include giving the land back to the state so the state can then sell it to private-sector developers for job growth and wealth creation. So Mr. Lawrence wants to take the public lands out of the hands of all the people and put them into the hands of the rich and powerful.

Instead of selling our land to the wealthy, we need to begin to provide a diverse future for Nevada that takes advantage of our state's magnificent landscapes.

We need to begin cultivating ecotourism that provides amenities and creates jobs. We need to be targeting specific areas throughout the state and promoting these areas -- history, cultural resources and amenities.

Utah tells a tall tale regarding government intrusion, but happily counts the millions of dollars that come into the state from tourist visits to its national and state designated parks and monuments. A recent report stated that total labor earnings in Grand County, Utah, for 2009 were $192 million. What county in Nevada would not benefit from a workforce earning that amount not derived from gaming?

Not only do we hold onto our quality of life by keeping our lands open and free to all of us, but we take a big step toward a diverse economy. We don't have to sell our land to the wealthy to provide financial stability to our great state. We need to sell what our state has to offer to the world.

Terri Robertson

Las Vegas

For the birds

To the editor:

Regarding the Review-Journal's Thursday story on hollow mine claim markers causing bird deaths in Nevada, it is important to note the Nevada Mining Association shares the same concerns as those documented by the American Bird Conservancy.

In 1993, the association supported legislation to outlaw the use of hollow markers, and since that time, virtually all markers used by active mine operations have been replaced with solid or capped markers. Still, some hollow markers remain.

For this reason, the association partnered with the Audubon Society to pass legislation in 2009 to allow any individual who finds a hollow marker to uproot it and place it on the ground next to its original location. Thus, the integrity of claims is maintained and the threat to birds is eliminated. That legislation went into effect in November.

Additionally, Newmont and Barrick -- the state's leading claim holders -- have each committed $15,000 to the effort to knock over or replace hollow claim markers throughout the state, and neither company uses hollow monuments.

The Nevada Mining Association and its members take matters of the environment seriously, and we fully support the efforts of the American Bird Conservancy and other groups who have taken to this cause.

Tim Crowley

Reno

The writer is president of the Nevada Mining Association.