Contact:
- Dan Johnson, California/Nevada Public Lands Manager, Trout Unlimited, dan.johnson@tu.org
- Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, mcarthur@backcountryhunters.org
- Russell Kuhlman, Executive Director, Nevada Wildlife Federation, Kuhlman@nvwf.org
This week, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) reintroduced legislation to protect Nevada’s Ruby Mountains from oil and gas development. The reintroduction of the Ruby Mountains Protection Act follows the recent decision by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to cancel the process to implement a Ruby Mountains administrative mineral withdrawal along with the segregation initiated last December.
The Ruby Mountains Protection Act would protect threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and the state’s largest mule deer herd while ensuring one of the West’s legendary fishing and hunting destinations stays intact. Last Congress, the legislation passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources with bipartisan support. The bill is cosponsored by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Representative Amodei (R-NV) reintroduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives earlier this year.
“The Rubies boasts numerous freestone streams and alpine lakes with unparalleled water quality and thriving trout populations including threatened species such as the Lahontan cutthroat trout – Nevada’s state fish.” said Dan Johnson, California/Nevada Public Lands Manager for Trout Unlimited. “Despite the landscape’s unparalleled fishing and hunting values and the lack of economically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Rubies, these public lands are still available for oil and gas leasing. We thank Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen for their efforts to protect the remarkable fish and wildlife habitat in the Ruby Mountains.”
“The Ruby Mountains Protection Act would permanently conserve some of the best unfragmented habitat in Nevada including the migratory corridor for state’s largest mule deer herd, streams and lakes home to Lahontan cutthroat trout, and upland ecosystems vital to game bird populations.” said Molly Beaupré, Policy Chair for the Nevada chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “We thank Sens. Cortez Masto and Rosen for advancing this legislation that reflects years of broad, bipartisan support from hunters, anglers, and public land advocates who have repeatedly called for conservation of this iconic landscape.”
“We applaud Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Rosen for listening to local stakeholders in our state. Over the last six years, Nevadans have been clear on how we would like the Ruby Mountains to be managed.” said Russell Kuhlman, Executive Director of the Nevada Wildlife Federation. “We look forward to working with our Nevada delegation to ensure Nevadan voices are heard in Washington D.C. The Ruby Mountains hold great value in our state, and we need to ensure it remains available for all public land owners and not just those who wish to profit from it.”
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Trout Unlimited (TU), founded in 1959, is dedicated to bringing together diverse interests
to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon. TU’s 300,000+ members and supporters work through more than 400 chapters and state councils to protect and restore coldwater habitats and salmonid populations.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.
The Nevada Wildlife Federation is an affiliate of National Wildlife Federation and the oldest statewide conservation organization dedicated to sustaining Nevada’s wildlife through conservation and education.