Construction on a major transmission line in western Nevada has come to a standstill at one key location after tribal members raised concerns about disturbed burial sites. Members of the Yerington Paiute Tribe and Walker River Paiute Tribe established a protest camp northwest of Yerington in late September, where they have held ceremonies to protect ancestral grounds. The action targets work on NV Energy’s Greenlink West line, a roughly 350-mile project linking Las Vegas and Reno. ([1])
Camp Forms After Work Without Monitors
The protest began after crews moved dirt on September 28 without cultural monitors present, according to tribal accounts. Joshua “Numu” Dini Sr. of the Walker River Paiute Tribe responded to reports that equipment had come close to a grinding stone. Tribal members placed tobacco ties as markers and asked crews to stop. The following day, a ceremony started that has continued at the site.
Since then, bulldozers and excavators have remained idle near the camp. No one from NV Energy or the Bureau of Land Management has directed the group to leave. The location sits on BLM-managed land that tribal members describe as part of their traditional homelands. A canvas teepee now stands beside the parked machinery, its door facing east.
Three Unanticipated Discoveries Reported
On October 5, BLM archaeologist Shannon Deep Connolly notified tribes of three unanticipated discoveries made during construction. The finds occurred within the project corridor, though details about their exact nature and location remain limited. All three were recommended as ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and work paused within 30 meters of each site…