Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 29, 2005 11:58:50 GMT -5
NIXON, Nevada (Reuters) - Visitors to the eastern
shore of Pyramid Lake 35 miles northeast of Reno,
Nevada, can scan an area framed by a desert mountain
backdrop and not see a hint of mankind.
The American Indians overseeing the lake say such
serenity along 125 miles of lake coastline 4,000 feet
(1,200 m)above sea level is the result of the tribe's
traditional respect for nature.
Others suggest the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, which
suffers 44 percent unemployment, should allow at least
some development so it can share in the prosperity
that regions such as Lake Tahoe in northern California
enjoy.
The clash matches economic opportunity cost against
tradition, with the sovereign tribe having the final
word.
"The historical aspect of the lake has always been to
keep it as it is," Norman Harry, chairman of the
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribes' Reservation, said in an
interview. "The lake is sacred to the people and
always will be."
"Over the last four decades we've seen what happened
in Lake Tahoe."
That commercialized lake attracts so many visitors
that it generates $1.8 billion annually, of which 80
percent is linked to tourism, according to Duane
Wallace, chief executive of the South Lake Tahoe
Chamber of Commerce.
A tiny handful of outsiders operate businesses near
Pyramid Lake, with some saying the tribe should open
more to tourism.
"The business sense is very lacking here on the
reservation," said Thomas Bobella, a German-born
businessman. He leases 4 acres with a modest marina,
gas station and recreational vehicle park in
Sutcliffe, the only inhabited area on the lake's
western side.
"They are economically shooting themselves seemingly
without any justification for it," said Bobella, who
criticizes the tribe for their poor boat launching
areas.
"One of the very discouraging points to Pyramid Lake
... is the fantastically bad reputation that this lake
has and that is primarily due to the governmental
administrations and their approach toward tourism."
Tribal chairman Harry said a dispute over the year-old
marina lease motivated such remarks.
Fred Crosby, who owns the only lodging in Sutcliffe, a
10-unit facility, says tensions still simmer between
the tribe and the descendants of settlers who battled
at the 1860 Battle of Pyramid Lake. Fighting that
killed about 240 people resulted after settlers
kidnapped two young Indian women.
Such sentiment raises suspicion when it comes to
outside commerce on the reservation. "There's kind of
a gap between the Indians and non-Indians," said
Crosby, 58, who has lived in Sutcliffe for 48 years.
"There is an anti-white sentiment on the reservation."
LAKE VS. HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT
The lightly salinated Pyramid Lake derives its name
from a small triangular rock island rising from the
waters fed by the Truckee River. The larger Anaho
Island nearby provides a dramatic backdrop to flocks
of pelicans, sea gulls and herons.
Most access roads are dirt or sand. The unspoiled arid
landscape fit in easily as a biblical backdrop to the
1965 film "The Greatest Story Ever Told" about the
life of Jesus.
By local standards, Sutcliffe is a hub of activity.
About 220 tribal members live there, and hundreds of
outsiders pass through on weekends to swim, go boating
or fish trout, a privilege for which they pay modest
access fees.
Asked about his tribe's future plans, Chairman Harry
pointed on a map away from the lake to other areas of
a 467,000-acre (189,000 hectare) reservation home to
1,600 members.
"When we look at economic development, we have to look
at other resources," he said at his office in Nixon.
"There are other areas we can look at that can
accomplish the same thing."
He wants to open a hotel and casino complex on tribal
lands on Nevada's main I-80 highway linking California
to the east, and says land nearby would be good for
light industry.
Harry also wants to sell pipeline rights across the
reservation and sees potential in developing
geothermal energy in another corner of the sparsely
populated reservation.
Tourism firms have shown interest in Pyramid Lake for
decades, and Harry's predecessor as tribal leader,
Bonnie Akaka-Smith, solicited development proposals
last year. She declined to discuss her ideas, saying
she did not want to express dissent as she still
worked for the tribe in the tax department.
Nothing came of her idea, but the tribe has shown past
flexibility toward the sacred lake, such as during
World War II, when it let the U.S. military test
torpedoes there,
Some believe economic pressures could one day prompt
the tribe to allow a new barrage of tourism.
Dennis Conrad, a casino marketing consultant, is
modestly optimistic that the tribe will one day
develop attractive resort facilities on or near the
lake. A rival consultant, Richard Wells, was more
pessimistic, saying that the far more developed Tahoe
would long overshadow Pyramid Lake.
shore of Pyramid Lake 35 miles northeast of Reno,
Nevada, can scan an area framed by a desert mountain
backdrop and not see a hint of mankind.
The American Indians overseeing the lake say such
serenity along 125 miles of lake coastline 4,000 feet
(1,200 m)above sea level is the result of the tribe's
traditional respect for nature.
Others suggest the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, which
suffers 44 percent unemployment, should allow at least
some development so it can share in the prosperity
that regions such as Lake Tahoe in northern California
enjoy.
The clash matches economic opportunity cost against
tradition, with the sovereign tribe having the final
word.
"The historical aspect of the lake has always been to
keep it as it is," Norman Harry, chairman of the
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribes' Reservation, said in an
interview. "The lake is sacred to the people and
always will be."
"Over the last four decades we've seen what happened
in Lake Tahoe."
That commercialized lake attracts so many visitors
that it generates $1.8 billion annually, of which 80
percent is linked to tourism, according to Duane
Wallace, chief executive of the South Lake Tahoe
Chamber of Commerce.
A tiny handful of outsiders operate businesses near
Pyramid Lake, with some saying the tribe should open
more to tourism.
"The business sense is very lacking here on the
reservation," said Thomas Bobella, a German-born
businessman. He leases 4 acres with a modest marina,
gas station and recreational vehicle park in
Sutcliffe, the only inhabited area on the lake's
western side.
"They are economically shooting themselves seemingly
without any justification for it," said Bobella, who
criticizes the tribe for their poor boat launching
areas.
"One of the very discouraging points to Pyramid Lake
... is the fantastically bad reputation that this lake
has and that is primarily due to the governmental
administrations and their approach toward tourism."
Tribal chairman Harry said a dispute over the year-old
marina lease motivated such remarks.
Fred Crosby, who owns the only lodging in Sutcliffe, a
10-unit facility, says tensions still simmer between
the tribe and the descendants of settlers who battled
at the 1860 Battle of Pyramid Lake. Fighting that
killed about 240 people resulted after settlers
kidnapped two young Indian women.
Such sentiment raises suspicion when it comes to
outside commerce on the reservation. "There's kind of
a gap between the Indians and non-Indians," said
Crosby, 58, who has lived in Sutcliffe for 48 years.
"There is an anti-white sentiment on the reservation."
LAKE VS. HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT
The lightly salinated Pyramid Lake derives its name
from a small triangular rock island rising from the
waters fed by the Truckee River. The larger Anaho
Island nearby provides a dramatic backdrop to flocks
of pelicans, sea gulls and herons.
Most access roads are dirt or sand. The unspoiled arid
landscape fit in easily as a biblical backdrop to the
1965 film "The Greatest Story Ever Told" about the
life of Jesus.
By local standards, Sutcliffe is a hub of activity.
About 220 tribal members live there, and hundreds of
outsiders pass through on weekends to swim, go boating
or fish trout, a privilege for which they pay modest
access fees.
Asked about his tribe's future plans, Chairman Harry
pointed on a map away from the lake to other areas of
a 467,000-acre (189,000 hectare) reservation home to
1,600 members.
"When we look at economic development, we have to look
at other resources," he said at his office in Nixon.
"There are other areas we can look at that can
accomplish the same thing."
He wants to open a hotel and casino complex on tribal
lands on Nevada's main I-80 highway linking California
to the east, and says land nearby would be good for
light industry.
Harry also wants to sell pipeline rights across the
reservation and sees potential in developing
geothermal energy in another corner of the sparsely
populated reservation.
Tourism firms have shown interest in Pyramid Lake for
decades, and Harry's predecessor as tribal leader,
Bonnie Akaka-Smith, solicited development proposals
last year. She declined to discuss her ideas, saying
she did not want to express dissent as she still
worked for the tribe in the tax department.
Nothing came of her idea, but the tribe has shown past
flexibility toward the sacred lake, such as during
World War II, when it let the U.S. military test
torpedoes there,
Some believe economic pressures could one day prompt
the tribe to allow a new barrage of tourism.
Dennis Conrad, a casino marketing consultant, is
modestly optimistic that the tribe will one day
develop attractive resort facilities on or near the
lake. A rival consultant, Richard Wells, was more
pessimistic, saying that the far more developed Tahoe
would long overshadow Pyramid Lake.