What 30x30 equals

To the editor:

I’m puzzled about the kerfuffle over 30x30 in Marion County.

While I have family roots in Kansas, I live in Nevada, the second state to sign on to 30x30.

With a couple of exceptions, such as our “municipal theme park” (Las Vegas) and Reno, we’re mostly rural.

Bears, cougars, and mule deer are not uncommon sights in Carson City, our state capital.

I’m a small-time, rural guy who wants things to stay that way.

This concept was studied in detail.

Among the arguments were private property rights (landowners have the right to sell portions of land for conservation) and biodiversity — a liberal sounding term that actually originated among Teddy Roosevelt-era conservatives.

What the data suggest is that in many cases preservation of “natural” lands can benefit more than anglers and hunters. It can improve other land uses.

Improved water quality, natural carbon recovery, improved pollinators, and wind and temperature mitigation are some of the benefits that a well-conceived plan can derive.

But for me, the biggest selling point was that the program is voluntary.

I’m old school and I left some of my personally owned rural land (about 30 acres) as informal conservation easements for the overall benefits derived.

I can afford to keep the land even though it brings with it some taxes, but if someone who has poor producing or fallow acreage and could use the income wants to sell conservation easements under 30-30, in my opinion it’s his or her right.

Besides, formal conservation efforts have been around since 1896.

From my experience, a practical position would embrace landowner rights and the benefits of evidence-based conservation and keep implementation of the program voluntary.

I’m old-school conservative. Government should be reluctant to tell people what to do but rather support their rights so long as those rights don’t infringe on others.

In this instance, I feel it is not appropriate for any governmental body to tell landowners what they cannot do without due cause. Basically, acknowledge the program, but insist it stays in its lane.

Willis Lamm
Stagecoach, Nevada