forest unit. There is simply no such activities outside the Park

reason to restrict boundaries.

In that respect our bill differs from the park proposal already passed this year by the House of Representatives. That measure includes much more area with a resulting increased impact on historic economic activities. Moreover that bill converts the whole South Snake forest unit to Park Service management, a move I oppose. The Forest Service has well served the unit in the past and should, I believe, continue to manage the unit, the bulk of which will remain forest under our proposal. I do hope, Mr. Chairman, that we may convince our House colleagues of the strengths of the Park, as proposed in S. 2506.

I want to stress again that my support for the Park is based on the merits of the characteristics of the area. It is truly a magnificent representative of a vast area of our nation called the Great Basin and should be developed as a showcase and interpretive center for all our citizens. It is more than just a pretty place, although it certainly qualifies as a pretty place. To the extent it may bring some economic stimulus to White Pine County in Nevada, I will applaud that result as it is sorely needed there.

A Great Basin Park in the South Snake range has been the subject of earlier debate in the Senate. The proposal was justified then. It is justified now. I believe our bill is an appropriate vehicle to finally accomplish the creation of such a Park.

Thank you.

Senator HECHT. Before we start with our two distinguished Congressmen, I want to thank everyone from Nevada who has made a long trip out here. I will be anxious to hear all of your remarks. Barbara, would you like to start?

STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA F. VUCANOVICH, A U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF NEVADA

Mrs. VUCANOVICH. I would be very happy to, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much, and it is a pleasure for me to testify before you today.

Before I begin, I would also like to acknowledge our friends from Nevada, and personally welcome each of them to Washington, DC, and I would like to thank them for coming to express their opinions on the proposed Great Basin National Park. After all, it is the citizens of Nevada who will be directly affected by this park and who have a stake in the way Congress deals with our land.

I am here today to express my support for S. 2506, the legislation that will provide for a national park to be established in the great State of Nevada, the first national park for our State. This is of special interest to me as the proposed park will be completely in my District.

The area proposed for the Great Basin National Park is in the easternmost part of the State, near Ely. It covers most of the Wheeler Peak scenic area in the Lower Snake Division and encompasses such scenic landmarks as Wheeler Peak, the Lehman Caves National Monument, Mount Washington, the ancient bristlecone pine forest, Lincoln Peak, and Granite Peak.

The question of establishing a national park is not new, as you noted, Mr. Chairman. This has been a topic of discussion for the past 50 to 60 years. We are in a position in this Congress to pass a reasonable park bill and put this issue to rest. We will never be able to satisfy all parties, no matter how hard we try. However, S. 2506 is a compromise that should satisfy most people. It is a conservative park in terms of size and cost. It is being considered in the proper forum in this hearing here today. There has been a careful analysis of what is important and needs to be included, and as a result of that analysis it includes the most important features in the Lower Snake Division.

I do have some concerns, however. The first concern deals with mining claims within the proposed boundaries. I received a call regarding about 150 unpatented mining claims in the Mount Washington/Lincoln Peak area. These claims have been held since 1959, and yearly assessments have been made. All 150 lay within the park boundary. These are the types of concerns that need to be addressed. I strongly suggest to this committee that the mining claims held in this area be given your close attention and cooperation with the claimholders.

The second concern relates to grazing rights. This bill contains a section that lends support to individuals who hold grazing rights within the boundaries of the park. In section 3(f) it provides for the Secretary of Agriculture to negotiate with holders of valid existing grazing rights in the park and exchange them for grazing rights of an equal number on land within the Humboldt National Forest

with priority going to areas within the South Snake Division of the Humboldt National Forest.

I believe this is an important section and urge the committee members to give it their full consideration.

Mr. Chairman, this is an important piece of legislation to the State of Nevada. It is time to establish a national park in the Great Basin of the Western United States. This is a beautiful part of our country and I am proud to have it in my district. I am also excited at the prospect of the Great Basin National Park becoming the newest member of an exclusive club, a club whose membership includes Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier National Park, to name a few.

That is all I have to say, Mr. Chairman. I thank you very much for allowing me to testify this morning.

Senator HECHT. Thank you very much.

Now for our other distinguished Congressman from our great State. Harry.

STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY M. REID, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF NEVADA

Mr. REID. Thank you very much, Senator Hecht.

I am happy to be able to testify regarding S. 2506 to create a Great Basin National Park in White Pine County, NV. I too would extend, as you have and as has my colleague in the House, Congresswoman Vucanovich, our appreciation for those people from Nevada who have come all this distance to testify.

I want to acknowledge also how much I appreciate you and Senator Laxalt lending your support to creation of a park in the State of Nevada.

Title II of H.R. 4642, which I introduced, would establish a park of 174,000 acres. In the park of course would be a game preserve. The House of Representatives approved this on April 30 of this

year.

The Great Basin region is an area located between the rugged Wasatch Mountains and the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is important to note that the 200,000-square-mile region, which includes most of Nevada, half of Utah, and portions of Oregon, Idaho, and California is not represented in the National Park System.

A brief description of the area proposed for national park status under H.R. 4642 is warranted, although it will not do justice to the spectacular area located in eastern Nevada.

The Snake Range is one of Nevada's most spectacular mountain ranges exhibiting many unique characteristics. Its diverse terrain include the 13,013-foot summit of Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain lying solely in Nevada; forests of aspen; the world's largest mountain mahogany; and ancient bristlecone pine. In fact it was on Wheeler Peak that the world's oldest living thing, a 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine, was cut down experimentally. Lehman Caves National Monument, one of the largest limestone solution caves in the West, is located within the Snake division and, aside from the spectacular geology, the South Snake Range is known for its diversity of life, including herds of bighorn sheep and mule deer.

Adequate studies have been undertaken to determine that this area does have the necessary qualifications for national park status. In 1959 an Interior Department survey team reported:

The area studies in the Snake Range contains scenic and scientific resources of national significance suitable for national park purposes. The advisory board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings and Monuments having considered the scientific values the study area in the Snake Range on April 22, 1959, found the area representative of the numerous Great Basin mountain ranges and adjudged it of national significance, suitable for preservation under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Further, President Johnson in a message on "Natural Beauty of Our Country" sent to Congress on February 8, 1965, specifically asking for establishing of the Great Basin National Park as one of 12 new such areas for the United States. In 1973, the Park Service initiated a study for inventory and list by priority natural features in the Great Basin with potential for nomination to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. The study was also to recommend an area that could be added to the National Park System as the Great Basin National Park.

In 1975 the completed study suggested four potential areas, including the Snake Range, which were transmitted to Congress in 1977. In 1979 a further study of the region was submitted to the Congress which indicated that the South Snake Range was the most representative of the areas studied. Just last November, National Park Service officials commented that "the 174,000-acre area is eminently qualified as a national park."

More than 60 years ago Senator Key Pittman introduced a bill to create an 8,000-acre Lehman Caves-Wheeler Peak National Park. In 1961 Senators Bible and Cannon saw the passage of a bill by the U.S. Senate calling for a 124,500-acre Great Basin National Park. The 1965 session of the Nevada Legislature unanimously passed a resolution "Requesting the Congress of the United States to adopt, and memorialize the Nevada Congressional Delegation to secure passage legislation to establish a Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada."

In addition to preserving the physical attributes of the landscape, there would be economic advantages to establishing the Great Basin National Park. Such a park would help boost and diversify the economy of White Pine County and the rest of the State of Nevada. Initially more than $1 million would be appropriated to pay for construction of a visitor's center and other park developments. It is estimated that the park would serve 500,000 visitors annually. In terms of dollars, the economic return could exceed $10 million even in the first year.

There is strong support back home for establishing Nevada's first national park. The Governor of Nevada, Richard Bryan, the Nevada Legislature's Committee on Public Lands, and the White Pine Chamber of Commerce endorsed the Great Basin National Park.

A recent statewide telephone survey of 2,000 randomly selected Nevadans from every county and virtually every community in the State indicates that 84 percent favor the establishment of the Great Basin National Park.

There is still another advantage to the establishment of the Great Basin National Park, Mr. Chairman: Image-building for the State of Nevada. As a consistent opponent of nuclear waste transport and storage in Nevada, I am a firm believer that this park would confirm to those outside Nevada that we have a magnificent State; that Nevada has beautiful places we Nevadans are anxious to preserve, protect, and enjoy. Nevada is the only Western State without a national park or a portion of a park within its borders. There is general agreement on the need to grant the South Snake Range special status. I do not believe, however, Mr. Chairman, I respectfully say to you, and I say this respectfully to you, that a 44,000-acre park at Wheeler Peak is sufficient, and I will explain why.

In establishing a national park, painstaking and thorough studies have been conducted. With respect to the proposed Great Basin National Park, 25 themes or characteristics of the Great Basin region were outlined by the National Park Service. These themes are set forth under larger headings which include land formation, geologic history, terrestrial ecosystems, and cultural themes.

The proposed 174,000-acre Great Basin National Park and Preserve definitely contains 19 of the 25 themes necessary for the National Park System. The proposed Great Basin National Park which we are considering today contains 15 of the themes necessary for the national park status. It should be noted, however, that several of the themes crucial to determining the boundary of the proposed Great Basin National Park are not included in S. 2506. If we are going to create a national park, we should do it right to protect the special features of the area and to avoid possible future expansion. There is no point in creating a national park if the unique features of the area are not included within the park's boundaries.

Second, it makes sense to transfer the entire unit currently under the management of the U.S. Forest Service to the National Park Service.

Under my bill-and this would be certainly from an economic standpoint important-under my bill, the 174,000-acre administered by the U.S. Forest Service is transferred to the National Park Service. Currently, Lehman Caves National Monument is administered by the National Park Service. Officials agree that there should be no major surprises should the area be transferred to the National Park Service. Both bills were drafted with the needs of local residents in mind.

Under both proposals, condemnation of private land is prohibited. Under both proposals valid, existing mining claims, mineral leasing, and geothermal rights are protected. Many point out that the Southern Snake Range contains deposits of beryllium. Beryllium is used in nuclear reactors, for aerospace applications, and in the electronics industry. It is important to note that one company in Utah mines bertrandite and converted both bertrandite and domestic beryl to beryllium hydroxide. The other company in the industry with plants in Indiana and Pennsylvania both imported beryl and produced beryllium alloys.

A domestic company which produced beryllium alloys announced its intention last year to sell its beryllium business. The sale would