Great Basin National Park Bill Sent to President

Congress has sent to President Reagan a compromise bill creating the new 76,800-acre Great Basin National Park in Nevada, that state’s first national park and the 49th in the nation.

The House and Senate approved the bill this week after several days of negotiations over its size. President Reagan is expected to sign the legislation, which will immediately elevate the status of part of the sprawling Wheeler Park Scenic Area in the South Snake Mountains near the Utah border.

Three Other Attempts Fail

Commercial interests have defeated three previous attempts in Congress to create a national park there, arguing that the ban on mining that goes with the elevation in status and the possibility of future restrictions on grazing would cause financial hardship for some in the area.

Supporters have argued that the terrain is spectacular and should be made more available to tourists.

“It is tremendously satisfying to see that the park is finally a reality after so many years,” said Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.), who is retiring from the Senate this year. “I am especially pleased that we were able to see this through at the end of my career in public service in Nevada.”

The House approved a bill in April to create a 174,000-acre park and the Senate responded with a more conservative bill last month providing for a 44,000-acre park. Nevada Rep. Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Rep. Bruce F. Vento (D-Minn.), chairman of the House national parks subcommittee, agreed to reduce the size and accept Senate language that would allow cattle grazing in the park.

“The House caved in on all the policy issues basically,” said Scott Cameron, an aide to Nevada Sen. Chic Hecht, a Republican, who had wanted the smaller park. The rest of the land will remain a scenic area supervised by the Forest Service.

Destry Jarvis, spokesman for the National Parks and Conservation Assn., a park service watchdog group, praised the congressional action and predicted that the park boundaries eventually will be expanded.

‘Exceptionally Pleased’

“We’re exceptionally pleased,” Jarvis said. “ . . . We would like for it to have been a larger park but, as is typically the case looking back at the history of the parks, the boundary can be fixed in the future.”

The bill gives the National Park Service $800,000 to administer the park next year and $200,000 to buy out mining claims in the area.

The Park Service has long sought to add part of the Great Basin to the national park system. The Great Basin, an expanse of wide basins and rugged peaks, stretches over 189,000 square miles in Oregon, Idaho, western Utah, Nevada and southeastern California.

The new national park will include the Lehman Caves National Monument, a one-square-mile tract operated by the Park Service.