Lands committee to meet Friday in Fallon

The Legislative Committee on Public Lands will meet Friday for an update on the controversial road battle in Elko County.

Chairman Sen. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, said the new forest supervisor of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bob Vaught, will join the Friday meeting in the Churchill County Commission chambers in Fallon.

The panel of legislators will also hear from Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, and Roberta Skelton, who chairs the Elko County Commission.

"This meeting will be a great opportunity to start the dialogue between county and federal officials on this critical topic," said Rhoads.

Jarbidge area residents have been battling the Forest Service over its refusal to allow reconstruction of a road in forest land north of Elko. Forest Service officials originally denied permission to rebuild, saying it would cause serious problems for endangered bull trout in the adjacent stream.

In addition, there will be an update at the Friday session on Churchill County water issues involving the state, federal government local farmers and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

Bureau of Land Management officials will lay out their program for reseeding the range burned in last summer's fires. More than 1.3 million acres were damaged. And there will be an update on U.S. Navy activities in the state from the newly-formed Rangeland Resources Commission.

The meeting begins at 8 a.m. in the Churchill County Administration Building in Fallon.