Agreed. Taking land off the tax rolls and prohibiting productive use doesn’t help the local economy.
It’s all about “mitigation”. That is what is going on at Bunkerville on Gold Butte (Bundy)
“Wilderness areas” are used as “mitigation banks” to offset destruction caused by development elsewhere.
For example, Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas) has for about two decades worked to layer various designations on Gold Butte so that it can be used as a mitigation bank for development elsewhere, such as at the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone and development happening at LV. Gold Butte is where the “Bunkerville grazing allotment” is, the land the Bundy family has been ranching for generations.