Approved Bills Return Land To Nevada Counties

The House Resources Committee has approved two bills that return small parcels of land to two Nevada counties and the Washoe Tribe.

The Lander Eureka Cemeteries Conveyance Act transfers ownership of about 18 acres to the two rural counties for continued use as cemeteries.

Another bill gives 24 acres at Lake Tahoe to the Washoe Tribe.

Both bills were sponsored by Nevada Congressman Jim Gibbons and now move to the full House for consideration.

Gibbons says the cemeteries in Lander and Eureka counties have existed since the 1800s, long before the creation of the US Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management.

He says bureaucratic red tape makes it difficult for the counties to operate and maintain the historic cemeteries.

The Washoe Tribe Land Conveyance Act returns ancestral lands to the tribe for traditional and cultural practices. At the request of the tribe, it does not allow commercial use.