The bill -- which, among its provisions, would create 13 wilderness areas and add to others in the heart of the Great Basin -- is a model for cooperation between the federal government, owner of approximately 85 percent of the state, and local organizations.

It has been under development for five years. A group of stakeholders that included ranchers, hunters, county commissioners, conservationists and others met in December 2001 to begin talks on the bill that eventually would become S. 3772. It has been the subject of more than 100 meetings in White Pine County.

Because of the public process, the participation of groups with such diverse perspectives and the willingness of the participants to compromise -- they recognized the importance of writing a bill that could garner widespread support both inside the state and out -- there should be little, if any, opposition to the final bill. (The bill, sponsored by Nevada Sens. John Ensign and Harry Reid would be named the Pam White Wilderness Act of 2006, in honor of the Ely resident and rural outreach coordinator of the Friends of Nevada Wilderness who was killed in an accident in 2005.)

Along with creating wilderness areas, the bill would allow additional entities to apply for grants from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998. It also would allow the Bureau of Land Management to sell up to 45,000 acres consistent with its resource-management plan and expand the holdings of the Ely Shoshone Tribe.

Time is of the essence, however. Only about two weeks are expected to be left in the lame-duck session that began this week, and Congress has a great deal of work on its plate.

It should not ignore this important bill.