4.8.1. No Action

DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS

The No Action alternative would have no direct effects on land use at the ranch or adjacent to the ranch.

UNLV would likely terminate the Cooperative Management Agreement with the BLM and remove UNLV -funded caretaker and security personnel. Without regular monitoring and maintenance, existing historic features and other buildings on the ranch would likely fall into disrepair.

Additionally, as noted in the Visitation impacts section (Section 4.10, “Visitation”); reduced or no regular human presence on the ranch may encourage unauthorized activities that conflict with BLM land management objectives and the TNC conservation easements.

Ultimately, the No Action alternative would not be consistent with the terms of the TNC conservation easement, which stipulate that the property be preserved and protected to perpetuate the natural, historic, scenic, and open space features and values of the property. The No Action alternative would also conflict with the SAT grant stipulations and SNPLMA nominations, which call for the development of additional educational and research opportunities at the ranch.

CUMULATIVE EFFECTS

The geographic scope for visitation cumulative effects analysis includes the greater Piute- Eldorado Valley, extending west to the Mojave National Preserve, east to Lake Mojave, and north to the City of Boulder.

The indirect effects of reduced or no human presence at the ranch would, when combined with the effects of an increasing population and reasonably foreseeable renewable energy projects and resident workforces in the region, contribute to unauthorized or trespass uses of the ranch. Ultimately, these activities may accelerate the deterioration of the ranch’s natural, historic, and scenic features and values and have cumulative adverse effects on the BLM ’s ability to satisfy the TNC conservation easement.