Five months ago, officials from the Bureau of Land Management closed a popular swimming hole in Lincoln County for safety reasons. Then, repairs to the pool became mired in red tape and environmental concerns about two rare fish that share the area with local swimmers. Now, some locals are launching an effort to turn control of the swimming hole over to the county, and reopen the pool to all users. Who should control Ash Springs? And is this skirmish part of a larger battle between the federal government, which owns most of the land in Nevada, and locals who want to control the property near their own backyards?
Ed Higbee, Lincoln County Commissioner