Rock art in Nye County. Photo by Tyler Roemer

As the Obama Administration pursues a new energy future on Western public lands, there’s a vigorous debate going on about the value of utility-scale projects on public lands. Public lands energy projects—lots of them in short order—are critical to stem what soon will be irreversible damage from climate change. This irreversible damage, proponents say, will be far worse for the species and habitats of Nevada’s deserts than will the effects of the development footprint.

Opponents say we shouldn’t sacrifice the desert for a haphazard approach to energy development. The “land rush” caused by thousands of new renewable energy develop-ment permit requests creates a false sense of solving the problem; sacrificing biodiversity to solve a puzzle without all the pieces on the table makes no sense.

As the Quakers like to say, “everyone owns a piece of the truth.”

At NWP, we recognize that millions of acres of public land could be developed for renew-able energy tomorrow without making a dent in climate change if there isn’t a much broader, all-encompassing strategy to deal with climate change. This includes addressing massive changes in efficiency standards and our consumption patterns. Without an “all hands on deck” approach, public lands will be sacrificed for a hodge-podge solution to a problem that requires bigger thinking.

We also know this: Because of cost certainty and the need for short term (<10 years) prog-ress in the face of climate change, public lands that people care about are going to be developed with solar, wind and geothermal plants. There’s a tendency in the conservation community to use legitimate concerns about these projects as excuses for inaction. If we don’t have all the information about a project’s technology and impact on the land, how can we make judgments about it? At NWP, we’re as susceptible to this thinking as anyone else. And this recognition has helped us understand that as public lands’ conservation leaders, we have a responsibility to devise solutions.

That’s why we’re engaging developers and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for “smart from the start” energy projects that provide additional land protections as well as money for habitat restoration and land acquisition. Not every project will fit the “smart from the start” criteria. Some will be what we’ve fondly taken to calling just plain dumb from the get-go.

But we hope to have enough success so that administrative and legislative opportuni-ties become apparent when there is a strong mutual desire between conservationists and industry to collaborate on smart development. We’ve been clamoring for a new energy future for 40 years. That future is here, the door is open, and we’re barrelin’ through.

Inside, you’ll read about how we’re engaging renewable energy projects in Nevada on public lands through this “smart from the start” lens. A particular focus for us will be east-ern Nevada’s SWIP transmission line, called the backbone of Nevada’s renewable energy future by one of its architects, Senator Harry Reid. And we highlight the work and world-view of one of our favorite Nevada conservation legends, Terri Robertson. Thanks for help-ing make it all possible, and feel free to write or call us.

John Wallin,

Director, Nevada Wilderness Projectjohn.wallin@wildnevada.org

How Habitat Conservationists Can Help Craft the Renewable Energy Future The Nevada Wilderness

Project is a catalyst for wildlife habitat conservation, wilderness preservation, and

smart development of renewable energy.

www.wildnevada.org

Wilson’s warblers winter in the tropics and migrate to Nevada--and well beyond--to breed.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Spring 2010

Pick up a newspaper, read a blog or tune in to a news program and barely 10 minutes seems to pass before the focus shifts to a new renewable energy project coming to Nevada. This is exciting—and daunting. Exciting because of the variety of projects being discussed and their economic and environmental promise. Daunting because of the immense complexity of who, what, where, when and how to build them.

Back in the 80s, for example, private indus-try and government began forging plans to build a power transmission line to move energy from the upper Midwest across Idaho, south through Nevada to Las Vegas and points beyond. Called the Southwest Intertie Project—or SWIP line—it will extend approximately 500 miles across Idaho and Nevada, much of it through miles of natural landscapes and wildlife habitat.

We know the transmission line will spell the demise of some breeding grounds for sage grouse and disrupt travel corridors for large mammals such as deer and bighorn sheep. The line’s own maintenance roads will invite off-road vehicle use into previ-ously untrammeled areas—and bring with

The Challenge

Solar One, a pilot solar-thermal project in the Mojave just east of Barstow, CA (below), is similar to projects being proposed for construction in Nevada. Construction of the SWIP transmission line will begin before the end of the year. (Photo by Jim Boone, birdandhike.com; map by Kristie Connolly).

it the landscape damage, erosion and trash that comes with pioneered roads.

The SWIP transmission line will also carry the very kind of “clean” energy we have been clamoring for—energy generated by solar, wind, biomass and geothermal facili-ties. It represents, Harry Reid said at a news conference in January, “the beginning of a great new wave of power generation in our country[…”] Reid said, “This is something a lot of people have only dreamed about. We hear about a smart grid, we hear about a super-highway to transmit electricity. This is it. To have renewable energy created, and to have a place it can go and move, that’s what we’re doing here.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jan. 12, 2010)

How can we reap the economic, environ-mental and national security benefits of these large-scale renewable energy and transmission projects without destroying the natural beauty of our public lands?

What is the point of stemming climate change with clean energy development if we create more damage to wildlife habitats in the process?

We think this graphic—made with the help of our friends at mesh-creative.com—gets to the essence of how we view the develop-ment of renewable energy on public lands.

We searched for an approach that is pragmatic and solution-ori-ented, and it began with these observations:

The climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis are linked. Solv-•ing one should not exacerbate the other. Our approach rec-ognizes that to gain the benefits of renewable energy, there is no way around the fact that renewable energy generation and transmission will negatively impact some lands that people care deeply about.

Nevada is being transformed by renewable energy develop-•ment. This includes expansion of transmission infrastructure as a means of bringing large-scale renewables projects to market.

While conservationists applaud the shift to renewable energy, •the potential for such rapid growth has led to legitimate calls for caution.

“Our new, responsible energy policy recognizes the relationship between energy, the environment, and our economy. The growth of clean energy can lead to the growth of our economy.”

(President Obama, announcing a $3.4 billion investment of stimulus funds to modernize the electric grid.)

“Projected climate change poses a serious threat to America’s national security. The predicted e�ects include drought, �ooding, sea level rise, retreating glaciers, habitat shifts, and the increased spread of life-threatening diseases. These conditions have the potential to disrupt our way of life and to force changes in the way we keep ourselves safe and secure.”(Report on National Security and the Threat of Climate Change,

CNA Military Advisory Board, April 2007)

“Preserving our natural resources has become a passion that was instilled in me by my father and my grand- father ...we realize that across North America, people are becoming more aware of the need for protecting and preserving habitat and wildlife resources.”

(NASCAR great Ward Burton)

“Unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, experts say global climate change will have a devastating impact. . . But with this challenge comes incredible opportunity – to create jobs, renew communities, and reduce the harmful emissions that a�ect our health and the health of our environment.

(Clinton Climate Initiative)

. . .there's a great opportunity for business and environmental interests to come together over renewable energy. It's a natural partnership, linked by a common goal of attacking climate change. [The Nevada Wilderness Project]...is right that “smart from the start" is the key to the future economy.”

(Las Vegas Review Journal columnist Geo� Schumacher)

National Security

Energy Independence

Economy

Green Jobs

Wildlife Habitat

Beautiful Landscapes

Solutions

Innovative Partnerships

Climate Change

Not Too Late To Act

The scope and number of proposed renewable energy projects •across the West strains our capacity to engage. For example, as of December 2009, Nevada alone had 88 wind and solar permit applications covering 575,010 acres. Adding geothermal, the total comes to 189 permit applications covering 969,774 acres.

While only a fraction of this acreage is likely to be developed, it •is clear that impacts from this energy transformation are inevi-table and that some proposed locations for renewable energy are better than others, and some are simply inappropriate.

This is a new and difficult framework for the environmental •community because it acknowledges that there inevitably will be some land-disturbing activities necessary to achieve the greater-good benefits associated with renewable energy development.

The Nevada Wilderness Project sees an immediate opportu-•nity to proactively engage in “smart from the start” develop-ment of the West’s renewable energy resources.

NWP’s “No hand-wringing” Approach

We See a Once-in-a-100-year OpportunityIf we apply our “smart from the start” concept to the SWIP trans-mission line, for example, we see several opportunities emerge.

A. Site the SWIP line and other renewable projects in places that will have the least negative impacts on the land and wildlife.

With our habitat expertise we can provide solutions to some of the problems of energy development. For example, we’re engaged in work with conservation partners such as the Idaho Conservation League, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the company building the SWIP line to share information and identify opportunities to avoid key sage grouse habitats. We are also working toward early problem identification and miti-gation opportunities for feeder projects that will eventually populate the SWIP corridor.

B. As part of the SWIP and other renewable energy project devel-opment, pass legislation that protects other public lands in our state as Wilderness and National Conservation Area.

In some cases, there may be opportunities to gain legal des-ignations for some of Nevada’s very best habitat—protection that can outweigh the losses due to development.

C. Companies pay a conservation royalty or a financial off-set on their development projects.

In addition to the SWIP transmission line itself, energy compa-nies have proposed building large-scale solar plants along the line. This is a logical and reasonable course of action. NWP will pursue formation of a leasing or royalty structure where the money paid by the energy companies will be used for regional conservation projects that sportsmen, ranchers and conserva-tionists in Nevada agree on—not put that money back into the general treasury. These projects will range from restoring habitat in other locations, purchasing private land from will-ing sellers that protect wildlife corridors, to funding research through NDOW or the University of Nevada.

We invite you to be involved in this ”smart from the start” process. Please read our website, www.wildnevada.org, and feel free to call us with your suggestions or questions. As these projects begin to unfold, we will be calling on you for your support and participation.

Spring comes early to the Mojave (left), also home to many fish species found nowhere else in the world, such as this Ash Meadows pupfish.

(Photos by Mackenzie Banta and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Near the Jarbidge Wilderness in northern Nevada, one-year-old Ginnie and some

spring flowers brighten the landscape. (photo by Kristie Connolly)

When Terri Robertson was born in 1944, her hometown of Las Vegas had a population of 9,000. Driving to Red Rock Canyon seemed to take hours, but it was one of her family’s favorite destinations. Her dad took her to this remote place frequently as a child and, soon enough, he and Terri were working together

to protect Red Rock Canyon from development. Lucky for Neva-dans (and the whole world), they were successful back in 1970.

Terri and her fellow Red Rock activists just celebrated a 40-year reunion, but she is far from done. Gold Butte, often referred to as “Nevada’s piece of the Grand Canyon puzzle,” is next on her list of beloved wild places she intends to help protect.

Q: You had a 31-year career with the public schools in Las Vegas and retired last year. What made you decide to take on this brand new job with NWP’s sister organization Friends of Gold Butte?

While I had 31 years with the school district, my environmental work began in my late 20s. So I have worked many more years preserving Nevada history and wildlands than I dedicated to the district. This position offered me the opportunity to become part of a great family of people dedicated to and working toward my goal of the Gold Butte NCA with Wilderness. Nancy Hall [Friends’ of Gold Butte’s President] and I have been working side by side for many years and now she “be” my boss.

Q: A big part of your job is taking groups out to see Gold Butte - many of them for the first time. Why do you think this is important?

I always say, “Gold Butte speaks for herself.” You can talk all you want and show all of the greatest pictures in the world, but seeing Gold Butte up close and personal is truly what binds people to our mission. When their feet hit the ground, and the view through their own eyes sets their hearts and souls in motion, then and only then can they truly commence their love affair with Gold Butte.

Q: You know from your experience working to protect Red Rock Canyon and Sloan Canyon, too, that campaigning for Wilderness and National Conservation Area can be a long, slow and involved process. What keeps you motivated?

Terri Takes on Gold Butte

There is an old saying: you only lose if you give up. The moun-tain ranges and desert valleys and washes that I have worked to save are an important part of my life. They are--each of them--rooms in my earthly home. Family memories abound in each one, and the thought of having these places lost has kept me going.

I am lucky to have children and grandchildren who have all been at my side in one way or another all these years. Whether it has been helping with petitions, making copies, sealing envelopes and licking stamps (all things done in the old days), to the technical experience of grandchildren who assist me at the computer today, they have spent a lot of time at my side saving “Grandma’s Special Places.”

Q: We’re working to see Gold Butte protected as a National Conservation Area and Wilderness. What do you say to people who think a Wilderness designation is the government trying to “fence out the public” - a common argument we hear?

I think it is important to get the true message out, and of course, the truth is that wilderness does not “lock” the pub-lic out nor is wilderness surrounded by fences. I like to ask people... if they go to Red Rock, does the wilderness up there bother them? If they go to Mt. Charleston, does the wilder-

ness bother them there? I then ask if they have ever seen fences around large areas with signs that say “Wilderness - stay out?” Of course not!

After this beginning to a conversation, I’m usually able to convey the real message about wilderness. That it’s a place where hunters can hunt, horseback riders can ride, campers can camp. And how wilderness is needed to provide “forever homes” for our nature neighbors and to preserve for all humankind areas for solitude and peace, to mend ourselves and fill our souls.

Learn more about Gold Butte on our website, www.wildnevada.org/for-gold-butte.html and please visit the Friends of Gold Butte blog: www.friendsofgoldbutte.blogspot.comMule deer at sunset. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Terri Roberston, Friends of Gold Butte. Photo by Antioco Carrillo

Contact Us

8550 White Fir StreetReno, NV 89523 Tel: 775.746.7851

NEVADA WILDERNESS PROJECT www.wildnevada.org

Welcome to fabulous WILDERNESS Nevada We have great NWP t-shirts (organic cotton & fabulous designs!) on sale on our website, priced at just $15 to make sure they reach the backs of wilderness fans far and wide.

You can see more t-shirt photos on www.wildnevada.org. Click the “Join Us” tab and scroll down.

Out of coffee? – Don’t stress! You can order some from Grounds for Change, a family-owned coffee-roasting business, specializing in 100% Fair Trade, organic, delicious coffee. Plus, they’ll donate 15% of the sale to the Nevada Wilderness Project if you place orders from NWP’s website. So go to www.wildnevada.org and click the “Join Us” tab, then go to “Fun Things for Sale.”

Curious about Nevada’s “fast-track” renewable energy projects? Visit our website, www.wildne-vada.org, and click on the tab labelled “Fast-Track.” You’ll find loads of information about each

project (type of energy, size, developer, location), detailed maps, a google earth fly-over tour of the projects, news articles, photos and more. We’ll be up-dating this section regularly as new infor-mation becomes available.

Find us in the digital soup:www.wildnevada.orgwww.facebook.com/NevadaWildernessProjecthttp://twitter.com/wildnevadahttp://www.youtube.com/user/nevadawilderness

Or real humans:8550 White Fir Street, Reno, NV 89523Ph: 775-746-7851