CARSON CITY - When Andrea Robb-Bradick, owner of the Jim Butler Motel in Tonopah, testified before the Senate Committee on Government Affairs recently that there was no known opposition to the Monte Cristo Park proposal, she may have spoken a little too soon.

After other proponents of designating the 10-square-mile state park 85 miles west of Tonopah in Esmeralda County spoke up, Dave Morrow, administrator for the Nevada Division of State Parks came out against it.

The park would be located in the Monte Cristo Range, north of Blair Junction, where Highway 265 heads south to Silver Peak from Highway 95.

"Although we recognize and applaud the efforts of the supporters in the legislative committees to protect this unique site and promote it for tourism, we believe that the state park system just does not have the funding to absorb another state park into the system," Morrow said.

The requested $500,000 is $3 million short of what would be required to adequately develop the site, Morrow said. He added Monte Cristo State Park would be 70 miles from the nearest state park and 160 miles from the closest state park which would have oversight. The access road itself would cost $600,000, Morrow said.

The state parks administrator concluded: "Many of the parks in our state park system were acquired under a similar provision and to date, most of them have not received the appropriations needed to adequately operate or develop them and this would just add to that system. In addition, by approving this, and adding it to the state park system, it immediately is in competition with all of Nevada's other 24 state parks and would come before you in the next legislative session with parks we feel need to be funded."

The committee passed the bill, however, without a recommendation and referred it to the Senate Finance Committee where Senate Majority leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno suggested proponents focus on the funding needed for initial preservation of the site.

The state parks administrator's objections marred what had been a well-polished presentation by Robb-Bradick, who said she was a 60-year resident of Nevada who was passionate about the state and its lands.

"This is truly a grassroots campaign that has grown to have wide support throughout Nevada," she said. "Due to the lower elevation of this area and its planned activities this proposed park is not season-limited. The primary entrance three miles off of U.S. Highway 95 makes it an appealing stop for the tourist."

Robb-Bradick told the committee: "There are no state parks in Esmeralda County. The beauty and diversity of the area makes it deserving of state park status. Monte Cristo's castle is covered with lacy sculptures of white, to add to the diversity there are huge boulders, looking like mythical characters or unusual animals. We don't have just red rocks like in some of our parks, we have purple, green, lavender, gold, black, white and red."

The park has been identified by USA Today as a premier stargazing destination as well, Robb-Bradick said. She said people are looking for other desert parks to enjoy. Robb-Bradick noted the state legislature gave money to the Tonopah Historic Mining Park under the tenure of former District 36 Assemblyman Roy Neighbors, D-Tonopah. Park boosters have invested their own money and made grant applications, she said.

"There will be an economic impact to the area, I am certain. It's the only area in the state to have such diverse geology in such a small land area," Robb-Bradick said.

She quoted Raggio's remarks in the last legislative session, when he said, "Nevada's scenic beauty and endless possibilities for recreational opportunity make it a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts."

There was formerly a petrified forest near Monte Cristo Castle, when it was proposed for a park in the 1920s, when other state parks were created, like Valley of Fire, Cathedral Gorge and Beaver Dam state parks, Robb-Bradick said. She showed pictures today showing the petrified forest stripped bare and expressed concern other fragile features would suffer the same fate.

"These actual treasures took millions of years to prepare and less than a century to be destroyed. Your support would benefit all of Nevada preserve a scenic and geologic wonder, give Central Nevada an economic boost and would be greatly appreciated," Robb-Bradick said.

Committee Chairman Warren B. Hardy II, R-Las Vegas, an avid off-road enthusiast, said he had a bill pending before the Senate Natural Resources Committee to develop a statewide plan for the use of all-terrain vehicles and asked if the park would be completely off limits to off-road vehicles. Robb-Bradick said supporters want to designate the park to prevent incursions by off-road vehicles that can ruin the fragile beauty of the canyons, but she said the U.S. Bureau of Land Management outdoor recreation specialists in Battle Mountain suggested allowing ATVs in a surrounding area.

State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who visited the site, said Monte Cristo Castle would be smaller than Red Rock National Recreation Area or Valley of Fire State Park and more like Cathedral Gorge State Park near Caliente.

Sen. John Lee, D.-Las Vegas, asked about another park in Central Nevada, Berlin-Icthyosaurus Park near Gabbs in northwestern Nye County. Robb-Bradick said that's not a fair comparison, being farther off the highway.

Robb-Bradick said she had valid figures on the number of visitors who would stop at Monte Cristo Castle State Park, based on visitor numbers at Cathedral Gorge. There are also estimates from the town of Tonopah Century Plan on visitors and economic impact, she said.

Doug Smith and Chuck Swezey from the organization Scenic Nevada, endorsed the bill wholeheartedly. Monte Cristo Castle was the first submission for a list of Nevada's 13 Last Chance Scenic Places when the organization was formed back in March 2006. Swezey said it was a chance for legislators to be proactive in protecting a scenic place instead of being reactive.

State Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, who served on an interim subcommittee to save Nevada's treasures, said Monte Cristo State Park fits into the measures being taken to save Red Rock.

When Lee asked Robb-Bradick if she ever approached the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for funding, she said, "When I talked with the head of BLM in Tonopah the only answer I ever got is, 'Look at our budget. This is what we have now. We can't afford to do what we're doing now.'"