Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-13
days a year in high-level air
to-air gunnery practice.
Used for Hunting

Used for Hunting
Although admitting that areas
used for tests of bombs, missiles
and gases cannot be economically
"Sanitized" for subsequent pub
Ilic use, the three services have
made no effort to reduce that
land loss by a sharing of test
ranges.
Individual post commanders
sometimes using the threat OF
Federal firearms to do it, have
banned civilian conservation ex-
IpertS from military reservations
and often turned them into
private hunting preserves where
game is slaughtered without re-
gard to State or Federal law.
Finally, and in a new touch,
the Navy has decided that any
land control it assumes also
gives it oil-drilling rights that
supersede Federal and State pro-
duction programs.
Representative Clair Engel,
Democrat Of California, who
strated the rumpus. emphasizes
that he and his Interior Com
mittee recognize that new rock
cts, missiles and jets require
vast testing areas. Also, he has
noted that his inquiry and pro-
posed legislation offers no COM
fort for selfish property owners
who want protection but also
want air bases built or extended
in someone elses backyard.
Watches Public Lands"
Mr.. EngePs sole interest is in
the remaining public lands -
$50 million United States acres
and 269 million in Alaska
which. under Interior Depart
ment supervision. are still open
for settlement. cattle grazing,
numbering, park and wildlife ref
uge development and mineral
and oil prospecting.
Historically, the Constitution
says all public lands are under
direct congressional control. Ac-
tually, Mr.. Engel points out, Con-
greSs by doing nothing has abb
rogated that control and allowed
casual military misuse of execu-
tive authority to withdraw, re-
serve or restrict such acres as
are needed for defense.
Under that authority the serv-
ices, whcih controlled 3 million
acres in 1887. have ridden their
new weapons to present-day
holdings or more than IS mil
ion acres. When Mr.. Engel
moved in last year he stalled
applications for another 8 mil
lion acre bite planned in new
lIlllildIy SSlLuIeS.
The Nellis Horror Story"
A series of hearings last
spring and this year have pro-
.vided the Congressman with a
series of horror" stories typified
by the tale of the Nellis-Tono-
'pah range that covers 3.5 mil
lion acres of southern Nevada.
In 1858 and 1855 the Navy asked
the Air Force to let it share use
of the range for. bombing and
gunnery runs by its test pilots.
The Air Force refused both re-
quests and. as of January. 1856.
testified before Mr.. Engel that
the whole area equal to one
mile belt from New York to Los
Angeles was overcrowded with
Air Force planes and would be
needed indefinitely.
Directed by the committee to
produce a report showing how
many planes use the range. and
on how many days a year. red
faced Air Force witnesses came
back with a new report: Over
half the vast range was no
longer needed at all and that,
by 1860. testing requirements OF
new planes would make the en-
tire area useless to the Air Force.
When the happy Congressman
called the Navy in to inform
them Nellis- Tonopah was vir-
tually theirs. they found the ad-
mirals no longer wanted it.
Their excuse: The Navy has now