Churchill County is asking for the public’s help to ensure federal funding for local improvements to parks, trails, and natural areas comes our way to benefit the entire community.
The county became part of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) when Congress passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorized NAS Fallon to modernize its ranges. As part of SNPLMA, Churchill County is now eligible to apply for funding generated by the sale of federal lands in southern Nevada.
SNPLMA funds must benefit communities and public lands in one of seven project areas, including creating local parks, trails, natural areas, and projects that facilitate economic development and new employment.
Last fall, in its first round (Round 20) of SNPLMA eligibility, Churchill County requested three projects from the Partners Working Group, the SNPLMA committee charged with developing initial recommendations for funding:
$9.9 million for North Maine Street ballpark improvements
$32.3 million for improvements at the 3C Event Complex (formerly the fairgrounds)
$36.6 million for Oser Park (formerly the regional park off Sheckler) improvements
The Partners Working Group, consisting of representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, the State of Nevada, local governments, and the Nevada Association of Counties, scored each participating agency’s requested project according to specific criteria. The Partners Working Group recommended funding Churchill County’s 3C Event Complex project to the Executive Committee because it met the goals of improving the public’s quality of life by enhancing recreational opportunities that connect people with the outdoors and supporting the economic development of the local area through increased programming opportunities.
The Executive Committee, consisting of leadership at the BLM, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, is considering $629,770,385 in funding requests from eligible agencies that submitted projects under SNPLMA’s Round 20 and has opened a public comment period to hear from citizens.
Churchill County is asking for your help. Please submit your comments in favor of the Executive Committee funding all Round 20 projects submitted before the close of the federal fiscal year at the end of September.
“Due to the current economic situation and the significant interest rates which have increased the earnings on the SNPLMA fund, we encourage the BLM, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture to fund all requested projects in Round 20,” said Jim Barbee, Churchill County Manager.
Submit written comments by June 6 via email to [email protected] (preferred) or mailed to:
SNPLMA Executive Committee Chair
BLM Southern Nevada District Office
4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89130
Once the Executive Committee considers the projects and public input, it will make a final recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture for their signatures to fund this round of SNPLMA.
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