Basin and Range, Gold Butte monument plans overdue, lawsuit against BLM says

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A lawsuit filed Monday demands that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management get to work on two management plans for national monuments in Nevada established by former President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s civil suit against the BLM was filed in U.S. District Court, alleging the agency failed to hit a July 15, 2018, deadline for a management plan for Basin and Range National Monument , a vast 704,000-acre area in Lincoln and Nye counties. BLM hasn’t submitted a separate plan needed for Gold Butte National Monument , a 296,937-acre section of northeast Clark County, according to the lawsuit.

The lack of action on either monument constitutes violations of both monument proclamations, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, the lawsuit said.

Patrick Donnelly, Nevada director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a post on social media, “Preservation doesn’t just happen on its own, it takes active management. That’s why this lawsuit is needed.”

The center is asking the court to order BLM to prepare the two management plans by a set date to be determined by the court. It also seeks court costs and attorneys’ fees.

Basin and Range is a remote monument that includes the land art installation known as “City,” by Michael Heizer . It also contains natural arches, caves and sheer cliffs that offer stunning vistas, according to Obama’s proclamation. Archaeological sites and historic mining sites, as well as important animal and plant populations including 2,000-year-old bristlecone pines are at Basin and Range.

Gold Butte is closer to civilization, but still remote. Prominent features include the 8,000-foot Virgin Mountains, a 1,200-square-meter sinkhole known as the Devil’s Throat and critical habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise are part of Gold Butte. It also includes petroglyphs and Native American historic sites, as well as several rare and endemic plant species.

Gold Butte was designated by Obama at the same time Bears Ears National Monument was created in Utah. Bears Ears has produced strong debate on the use of presidential powers under the Antiquities Act. Opponents argued that monuments can just as easily be unmade under the act.

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