skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; Healthcare decision planning important for CT residents; Debt dilemma poll: Hoosiers wrestle with college costs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Civil Rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

National Monument Advocates: Zinke's "Snub" Muted Local Voices

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 1, 2017   

LAS VEGAS – Some local advocates say they are more engaged than ever after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's so-called "snub."

Zinke was slated to meet with elected officials, business leaders and tribes Monday as part of his review of Basin and Range and Gold Butte National Monuments. But the meeting was scrubbed when his trip to Nevada was cut short due to a cabinet meeting in D.C.

District 1 Congresswoman Dina Titus says Zinke missed the opportunity to hear from folks on the ground about what's really at stake should the monuments be rescinded.

"We've got studies that show how they area's been degraded and trashed," she says. "We've got information about the geology, information about the economic impact. Certainly, the Paiute Tribe can talk about what a sacred place it is for them. Those are the things he needed to hear."

The initial national-monument designations came after years of collaboration between the Department of the Interior, city councils, utilities, tribes and communities, and Titus and others are worried the current review is not getting the same attention.

Gold Butte's national-monument status means that Clark County meets its requirements under the Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

County commissioner Chris Giunchigliani says without protection, development possibilities could be stalled or stopped, impacting the livelihood of a key species.

"In 1991, we created the funding procedure for protecting the desert tortoise," Giunchigliani notes. "This will undo that. We're not trying to restrict people; we're just trying to make sure that we protect the habitat, we protect what the indigenous people have to say, and then still find a safe way for people to be able to view the petroglyphs and things along those lines."

Terri Rylander with Friends of Gold Butte adds that advocates will continue to fight for the protection of Basin and Range and Gold Butte.

"If that's through the millions of comments that were submitted through the review process or through any other kind of conversation, we welcome that with Secretary Zinke," she says. "We're here, we need to be heard. This is Nevada's land and America's land, and he represents America."

Zinke's recommendations for the review of 27 national monuments are due by the end of the month.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Environmental advocates are asking California's next state budget to prioritize climate mitigation and cut tax breaks for fossil fuel companies. (The Climate Center)

Environment

play sound

As state budget negotiations continue, groups fighting climate change are asking California lawmakers to cut subsidies for oil and gas companies …


Health and Wellness

play sound

Health disparities in Texas are not only making some people sick, but affecting the state's economy. A new study shows Texas is losing $7 billion a …

Environment

play sound

City and county governments are feeling the pinch of rising operating costs but in Wisconsin, federal incentives are driving a range of local …


Each year since 2018, there have been more than 1 million online ads for guns which could be sold without a background check. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Well over three-fourths of Americans support universal background checks for gun purchases, but federal law allows unlicensed people to sell guns at …

Environment

play sound

By Max Graham for Grist.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Arizona News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Serv…

During what is known as the Medicaid post-pandemic "unwinding" process, South Dakota saw the largest drop in children's enrollment in the country, with a 27% reduction in the first six months. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Last year's Medicaid expansion in South Dakota increased eligibility to another 51,000 adults but a new report showed among people across the state wh…

Health and Wellness

play sound

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Tennesseans struggling with opioid addiction, as a bill has been passed to increase access to treatment …

Environment

play sound

The New York HEAT Act might not make the final budget. The bill reduces the state's reliance on natural gas and cuts ratepayer costs by eliminating …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021