4 Thursday, November 27, 1997 Pahrump Valley Gazette
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Organization speaks out against parks
agreement between UN and US
i ......
SIGN OF THE TIMES--- Members of the Amargosa Valley chapter of People for the West stand next to a sign
they erected near Death Valley National Park. The sign is their reminder that not everyone wants the United
Nation's involvement in America's parks. Pictured left to right are: Fred Johnson, Mike Gilgan, Maureen
Gilgan, Mike O'Neill, Dave Boyd and Betty Boyd.
by Andy Holtmann
PVG Staff
Several Nevada chapters of People for the West are
sending a message to the United Nations (UN) that they don't
want outside parties dictating what can or cannot be done with
land in their area.
Mike O'Neill, vice chairman of the Amargosa Valley
Chapter, said that his organization is fed up with the recent
American Land Sovereignty Protection Act, an agreement
between the United States and the UN regarding national
parks. The UN now has influence over how many parks are to
be preserved, regulated and used.
O'Neill said this agreement allows an organization outside
the realm of the United States"own government to have power
and say so about what the citizens are allowed to do. He said
that wasn't right and that his organization will protest the
agreement until something is changed.
What concerns the Amargosa Valley Chapter the most is
the Death Valley National Park area. In 1994, the park was
designated as a UN World Biosphere Reserve. Strict regula-
tions were put on the land through what O'Neill said was
strong influence from the UN. The California Desert Protec-
tion Act and expansion of the park threatened to close two
|emrn Ccnnec00on
Rocky Mountain, StetsOn,
Wrangler, Montana Silver Smith,
Versmith, Leanin Tree,
Roper, Tony Lama
7?.7.7008
economically viable mining projects. (The PV Gazette ran a
story on one of the mines in the October 23 issue).
"There are some very good economic benefits with those
mines both locally and nationally," O'Neill said. "By placing
either strong restrictions or telling the owners they can't mine
at all hurts the economy and makes the overall environmental
threat even greater. These owners might go to another country
and mine where no regulations exist at all."
While People for the West leaders say there is no direct
evidence that the UN has ever made a direct management
decision regarding any of the nearly 50 biological reserves
across America, they do say that several U.S. Park Service
Documents provide evidence of strong collaboration be-
tween the two entities.
In a newsletter obtained by the PVGazette, the organiza-
tion claims that the US has bound itself to international
agreements and treaties that stipulate that lands across the
country would be managed in such a way as to secure
international goals and objectives. Congress, however, has
never passed any law permitting the U.S. to enter into agree-
ments that require commitments such as the restrictions now
in effect at Death Valley National Park.
If the UN were dictating the rules, opponents say both the
US and the UN would be in the wrong. People for the West
advocates like O'Neill say that what is occurring now is as
close as it gets to the UN actually controlling the nation's
parks.
Many towns in Nevada were created due to mining and
many people have opted to settle in rural areas like Pahrump
and Amargosa Valley due to the laxed regulations and per-
sonal freedoms. While the number of mines have dwindled,
the populations have grown. Recent restrictions placed on
land in the region though, have shut down operations, limited
employment, and confused many about where they can go
and what they can do when they get there.
William 7(ltman has been a resident ofPahrump, Amargosa
Valley, Beatty and Baker, Calif. He said that what is happen-
ing with the park service and public lands disgusts him.
Altman said he is not a member of any organization, but that
he sides with People for the West.
"I moved to the west to escape big city bureaucracy and
now, no matter where I move, I still find myself right in the
middle," he said. "I wonder when the governments of this
world will let the land issue go and realize it is there for
everyone, not some silly science project."
Liz Arnold is both the Nevada and National Chairman of
People for the West. The Beatty resident doesn't want her
organization to he seen as one to start riots or lock themselves
to gates, What they want to do is try and convince the higher
powers that land is there for everyone. The UN deal bothers
her because of the third party involved.
"We would like to do see our Senate and Congress maker
the decisions not the UN," she said. "The real issue here is
over who is in control and why does our own government
seem to no longer have a say?"
Officials from the National Park Service and Death Valley
National Park were not available for comment by press time.
Those with People for the West said they will keep trying to
influence those who have been influencing them.
