Nevada's rangelands are vast, but some officials complain the state has little say over the 85 percent of the land controlled, managed or owned by the federal government.
That's the focus of a conference hosted Tuesday in North Las Vegas by Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison and the Nevada Association of Counties.
They point to growing pressure to balance the welfare of critters that live there with needs of ranchers, miners and power companies to make a living.
The summit-style event follows federal rules announced last week restricting land uses to protect the greater sage grouse — without declaring the bird species endangered.
The conference also builds on long-studied Nevada Land Management Task Force recommendations, released in July, for Congress to find ways to transfer land ownership to the state.
