The Nevada Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case weighing how state regulators should consider “public trust” values — the environment or recreation — when the sustainability of lakes or rivers could be harmed by how the state has allocated water rights.

It’s common to hear about property disputes among neighbors. But what happens when your neighbor is the federal government?

HARI SREENIVASAN: Deep in Nevada’s Mojave Desert — 100 miles from the Las Vegas strip — the rocks provide glimpses into the lives of Native Americans who inhabited this area for thousands of years. Hundreds of their petroglyphs, or etchings, are carved on the rocks in this area, now known as Gold Butte.

The story begins almost 250 million years ago, with the ocean and geology and gypsum. It starts with the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area under an ancient sea, at a time when what is now Utah marked the continent’s coastal boundary.

UNLV Boyd School of Law Professor Bret Birdsong will put theory into practice in his new role as senior lawyer at the Bureau of Land Management, giving advice to the Secretary of the Interior and members of the BLM. Birdsong says he won’t directly make policy, but in his role as a lawyer, he will directly influence it.

Water fight • A return to the negotiating table with Nevada would likely leave Utah with a stronger hand; another option is court.