Gold Butte has been designated as a national monument by President Obama, but the enforcement of the preservation aspects of this designation may prove to be quite difficult due to the ongoing disputes between the Bureau Of Land Management and locals like rancher Cliven Bundy. In 2014 Bundy made national news when a standoff on his property captivated the country. Bundy claims that the federal government has no rights to the land in and around Gold Butte, and his refusal to pay grazing fees for more than twenty years shows his conviction to the idea. The potential for violence caused the BLM to back off from a roundup of his cattle as a penalty for the failure to pay fees as the threat of violence from the Bundy family grew in severity. BLM workers were ordered to stop monitoring the area for some time after the incident.
Ryan Bundy (Cliven Bundy’s son) received additional publicity when he staged another standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2015, and at that point called for a similar protest to be engaged if Obama declared Gold Butte as a protected area. His belief that the federal government is overstepping their boundaries has resulted in violent confrontations on two occasions, and although arrests were made previously there appears to be the same kind of looming threat hanging over Gold Butte today.
Gold Butte is northeast of Las Vegas, between Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Grand Canyon — Parashant National Monument.
Both Native American tribes and environmental groups have been working closely with the Nevada legislature for over a decade in order to obtain the conservation safeguards that protected status would provide to the natural sandstone formations and petroglyphs which are thousands of years old. The Antiquities Act of 1906 was utilized by Obama in order to create the protected status of Gold Butte.
“I am designating two new national monuments in the desert landscapes of southeastern Utah and southern Nevada to protect some of our country’s most important cultural treasures, including abundant rock art, archeological sites, and lands considered sacred by Native American tribes,” Obama stated. “Today’s actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes.”
While Sen. Harry Reid was pleased with the action as it finally succeeded in his efforts to gain National Conservation Area status for Gold Butte since 2013, other senators like Dean Heller and Cresent Hardy of Mesquite — whose district includes Gold Butte are opposed.
“I am terribly disappointed with today’s news,” Heller stated. “For years, I have urged for all new land designations, especially ones in Nevada, to be considered in an open and public congressional process. Doing so allows for all voices and stakeholders to have an equal opportunity to be heard. Best of all, input from local parties guarantees local needs are addressed. In the future, I will continue to fight for an open process utilizing congressional support to designate new national monuments.”
For now, Gold Butte’s future seems relatively safe, but that could change. If you are in favor of Gold Butte being protected, contact your local representatives for Nevada.