Congress has already had its say in setting the boundaries of Eastern Nevada's newest wilderness areas, but local residents will still have a chance to shape the way they're managed.
At just under 11,000 feet, Mount Grafton is the highest point on BLM-administered lands in the state. The BLM is now accepting public comments for a draft plan to manage the mountain and three other wilderness areas within the agency's Ely district.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Ely district office is seeking public input on its proposed management plan for the Mount Grafton, South Egan Range, Far South Egans and Highland Ridge wilderness areas. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through next Friday, Nov. 20.
The Far South Egans Wilderness was first established by Congress in 2004, while the three other areas came into being following the passage of the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2006.
But the BLM is just now getting around to work on a single management plan that will guide activities at all four areas.
The agency kicked off the process last week with a series of public meetings in Lund, Ely and Caliente.
That process is expected to continue over the next year to 18 months, when the final plan should be ready, according to Dave Jacobson, the Ely BLM's wilderness planner.
Speaking to a small crowd in Ely Nov. 4, Jacobson said the course of action is slow and drawn-out because the agency doesn't want to miss out on any details.
One such detail has already emerged: Lund-area residents have identified two historic pack trails in the South Egan Range that they'd like to see maintained. Others have said they want to preserve easy access to existing roads, Jacobson said.
However, some cherry-stem roads have already been reclaimed or transformed into single-track trails, and the BLM is continuing to decommission others.
Even as the BLM gathers public comments for a proposed draft plan, agency officials have a good idea of what they would like to see in the final document.
According to Jacobson, the BLM will work to acquire any appropriated water rights that might come up for sale in the future.
Likewise, it will try to purchase available private in-holdings that are currently surrounded by public lands, as well as parcels along the edges of wilderness boundaries.
Under the federal Wilderness Act of 1964, private property owners are guaranteed the right to access those in-holdings. But one of the biggest landowners in the area has no plans to exercise that right, according to Jacobson.
Cave Valley Ranch, which is adjacent to the Far South Egans Wilderness, is working on a conservation easement that would prohibit future development on some of its in-holdings, he said.
Like conservation easements, wilderness management protects watersheds from future development, Jacobson said, and it provides great habitat for a wide array of wildlife, from elk and bighorn sheep to raptors and bats.
The four new wilderness areas take in some of the most unique landscapes in Nevada, offering hunters, campers, hikers and cross-country skiers a wide array of outdoor activities to choose from.
At just under 11,000 feet, Mount Grafton is the highest point on BLM-administered lands in the state. It's also one of the greenest spots, with forests of white fir and quaking aspen, along with one of the few fisheries in the entire Ely BLM district.
From the summit of Mount Grafton, you can clearly see the striking limestone cliffs of the Highland Ridge Wilderness, which borders the southern end of Great Basin National Park.
To the west of Grafton, the rugged South Egan Range and Far South Egans wilderness areas form a narrow but steep barrier between Cave and White River valleys. Popular attractions include Whipple Cave, as well as two historic sawmills that once harvested giant ponderosa pines on the east side of the range.
The sawmills might be the most visible signs that human activities were once commonplace in remote Eastern Nevada.
Today, though, many of those activities, including logging and mining, are officially prohibited. But other traditional uses will be allowed to carry on.
There are currently 20 livestock grazing allotments in the four new wilderness areas, and all of those allotments will continue under future management, Jacobson said.
Pine nut harvesting and other commercial activities are now prohibited in these areas, but outfitters and guides, along with their clients, are still welcome to explore them.
Firefighters may also be called in to suppress wildland fires, pending the approval of the BLM's district manager. At the same time, the district manager may authorize crews to conduct prescribed burns inside wilderness areas, Jacobson said.
