RENO, Nev. (AP) - George W. Bush says the White House should encourage land conservation with tax credits for private parties and local governments, instead of simply placing property off limits by fiat.

"One of the differences of attitude is the difference between command and control and seeking cooperation, the difference between setting standards and dictating all solution out of Washington, D.C.," the Republican presidential contender said Wednesday in a preview of his speech today at Sand Harbor State Park on Lake Tahoe's eastern shore.

Bush took aim at President Clinton, who has steadily enlarged the government's grasp of forests, monument properties and the seashore.

"Before the president moves unilaterally to remove vast tracts of land, it seems like to me we ought to consult with the Congress, consult with stakeholders, people who have an interest, maybe make a living off the land," the Texas governor said during a news conference in Phoenix.

On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt asked Clinton to declare four new national monuments in Arizona, Washington state, Oregon and Colorado.

If Clinton approves the request, as expected, he will have used the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect nearly 3.7 million acres - the second most by a U.S. president.

Last Friday in Assateague, Md., the president pledged to place unique stretches of sea and beach beyond danger from fishing, drilling or other human activities.

In mid-April in California, Clinton set aside 328,000 acres of federal forests to permanently preserve 34 groves of giant sequoia.

The decision to order formation of a national monument will halt commercial timber sales, mining and some recreational activities, while motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles will be allowed only on regular roads.

"This is not about locking lands up," the president said at the time. "It is about freeing them up for all Americans for all times."

While environmentalists have praised the decisions, Republicans especially have been angered by what they term "land grabs."

Roads open forest areas to development, erosion and pollution. They also disrupt wildlife, plant life and natural systems. But roadless federal land also contains some of the most desirable timber owned by the Forest Service. Timber companies and their allies in Congress oppose efforts to close off future development.

Bush's speech was set in Nevada's GOP heartland.

In the three counties bordering Lake Tahoe, Republican voters outnumber Democrats by more than 25,000 registered voters. By contrast, Democrats hold the majority in the Las Vegas area.

While in the area, Bush had fund-raisers generating $250,000 for the Republican National Committee and $250,000 for his presidential campaign.

The host for one event, Larry Ruvo, has development plans in the tony community of Glenbrook that have upset many neighbors. Ruvo is senior managing director of Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, a major liquor distributor in the state.

Ruvo and lobbyist Harvey Whittemore, a partner in the Glenbrook property, were caught up in controversy during the 1999 legislative session when Whittemore slipped an amendment into a Senate bill that would have helped their plans for a private pier at Glenbrook.

The "Piergate" bill was gutted in the Nevada Assembly after clearing the Senate with the controversial provisions intact.

The Sierra Club, meanwhile, was spending less than $10,000 to air a radio ad in conjunction with Bush's visit to Reno, criticizing him for a voluntary air pollution clean-up program in Texas.

"George Bush has a plan to clean up the air and water: Just ask the polluters to stop," a narrator says. "Problem is, that hasn't worked in Texas."