Give it back

One Nevada leader is arguing that it is not enough to beat back the Air Force effort to take more of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (“Nevada refuge in spotlight.” RN&R, July 3).

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada director Bob Fulkerson says it’s time for the Pentagon to start returning land to civilian agencies.

“It’s time for Nevadans to draw a line in the sand and tell the military not one more acre,” he said. “In fact, we should demand the military return some lands no longer needed to tribal and public domain.”

He said the land and air controlled by the Pentagon in Nevada is out of hand:

“The Air Force seized 90,000 [acres] of public lands to expand Nellis two decades ago and now they’re back for more. How much is enough? Nellis is the world’s largest contiguous land and airspace withdrawn from public use for military purposes and the Pentagon controls more land and airspace in Nevada, by percentage and volume, than any other state in the country.”

There are more than 400 military bases in the U.S., D.C.. Guam and Puerto Rico. There are more than 800 U.S. military bases in 70-plus nations.