RENO (December 10, 2006) – Early Saturday morning Congress passed the White Pine County public lands bill as part of year-end omnibus legislation.  Key conservation measures in the legislation include the designation of 557,000 acres of wilderness on lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Nevada.  The Nevada Wilderness Coalition hailed these protections, and issued the following statement:

“We want to thank Senator Reid, Senator Ensign and their staff for their leadership and hard work that led to the passage of this important piece of legislation,” said John Wallin of the Nevada Wilderness project.

“The White Pine County public lands bill protects a number of unique places and important wildlife habitat,” added Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness.  

Netherton added, “Although the legislation did not address everything we had hoped for, overall we feel that this complex legislation represents a fair compromise that brings significant conservation gains to Nevada.”