SPARKS -- When they look out over the barren land of Hungry Valley just northwest of Sparks, Scott Nebesky and Arlan Melendez see a dusty plain ridden with trails, gun shell casings and signs that have been knocked down and ignored.

On the other hand, they see an opportunity to help preserve a piece of northern Nevada's American Indian heritage.

Hungry Valley has also attracted attention from various groups who want to keep it available for recreation, such as the Friends of Hungry Valley, which consists of local citizens, some of whom ride dirt bikes and off-road vehicles.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is not opposed to the use of these vehicles, but wants a closer eye kept on designated areas.

``We've been environmentalists ourselves,'' said Melendez, tribal chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. ``We're really concerned about plant and animal life and the trees. ... We know through our ancestors it is the crossing of Indian tribes. There were many tribes crossing that area that went out to California and Susanville and Tahoe.''

The colony's Hungry Valley land is about 1 mile wide by 3 miles long with about 400 residents. The parcel hosts a small subdivision of 150 homes, along with a gym, community center and Head Start program for children.

In 2002, it was the site of a battle over the Oil-Dri Corp.'s desire to mine clay from two open pits and process it into cat litter --a battle the Chicago-based company lost when the tribe and others persuaded the Washoe County Commission to deny a special-use permit for the project.

Protecting and preserving the land in Hungry Valley is important for protecting his people's culture, Melendez said. Misusing the land could lead to destruction of artifacts such as tribal petroglyphs or undiscovered objects like arrowheads.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is immediately interested in maintaining the sustainability of the land -- specifically the land's ability to absorb water into aquifers.

However, with every dirt trail that off-highway vehicle riders use or create, dirt is displaced and fine clay is compacted, causing erosion and degenerating the earth's ability to absorb much-needed water.

``This place is absolutely inundated with trails,'' said Nebesky, colony planning director. He referred to a map that shows Hungry Valley's proximity to Sparks, Reno, Golden Valley, Sun Valley and Antelope Valley.

``We want to manage the basin for its natural resources: the water,'' he said, adding that water that can't seep into the ground will evaporate.

The majority of trails follow the contours of the area, but some travel straight up hills, contributing to erosion.

The Carson City office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has responsibility for Hungry Valley as part of 5.3 million acres overseen by one ranger and one law enforcement officer.

Mark Struble, spokesman for the BLM Carson City office, said monitoring off-road vehicle use was nearly impossible.

``It's frustrating to the tribe, we know,'' Struble said.

Nebesky emphasized the colony and Friends of Hungry Valley have a similar interest in taking better care of the area. The colony, in its desire to preserve the natural terrain of the land, only wants limits on where off-highway vehicles are used.

``We're not out to eliminate OHV use on public lands,'' he said. ``That's a recreational use that many people, including tribal members, participate in. But our homes are fixed to the ground. OHVs have wheels; they can move to other locations. Why not work out a situation where OHV use is limited?''

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony represents Paiute, Shoshone and Washoe tribe members with a formal government formed in 1935. The colony's downtown Reno property includes a smoke shop and other colony buildings on property the colony has owned since 1917.

Nebesky said Washoe County identified Hungry Valley in an area for potential development over the next 20 years.

Melendez said decisions on such growth should not be made without tribal council input.

``We have a real concern with any type of planning,'' he said. ``We are trying to make sure that we protect what's really near us.''

Melendez said the space in Reno was not sufficient to serve the American Indian population in Reno and Sparks, which is the reason the colony acquired the Hungry Valley property.

``The tribe is always looking for a larger land base because of the overcrowding here on the downtown colony, which was 28 acres originally,'' he said. ``There was no room for growth and many of the families were stacking up.''

In the early 1980s, the tribe considered moving to 160 acres of land in Stead, but Congress denied the move because of potential interference with any high-rise building or cell towers with the Reno Air Races.

``(The colony) looked at many different land parcels and I think Hungry Valley fit what the tribe was looking for as far as a pristine valley that had wildlife and certain plants that were important to the culture,'' he said.

The tribe sought 5,000 acres, but received 1,960 acres after protests from other community members.

Nebesky said the tribe hopes to ``re-establish cultural lifeways and traditions'' that may have been lost through urban growth in recent years.

``One of the biggest challenges we have in urban interface is abuse of public lands either by dumping or illegal or irresponsible OHV use or shooting,'' he said.

``Our intent is to preserve this area and to maintain the growth in our existing community,'' Nebesky said. ``We're not out to develop the land or put in a casino.''