REAL ESTATE AND WATER ASSETS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended										12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Fish Springs Assets		Dec. 31, 2010 Fish Springs Assets		Dec. 31, 2009 Fish Springs Assets	Dec. 31, 2010 Carson River	Dec. 31, 2011 Carson River	Dec. 31, 2011 Leasehold Improvements	Dec. 31, 2010 Leasehold Improvements	Dec. 31, 2009 Leasehold Improvements	Apr. 15, 2010 Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Apr. 29, 2009 Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Nov. 30, 2002 Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Dec. 31, 2009 Tule Desert Basin	Dec. 31, 1998 Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Dec. 31, 2008 Tule Desert Basin	Jan. 31, 2008 Fish Springs Ranch, LLC	Sep. 30, 2007 Fish Springs Ranch, LLC acre-foot	Dec. 31, 2011 Fish Springs Ranch, LLC acre-foot	Dec. 31, 2008 Fish Springs Ranch, LLC	Apr. 15, 2010 Available Immediately Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Apr. 15, 2010 Subject to Conditional Staged Development Tule Desert Basin acre-foot	Dec. 31, 2011 Direct Construction Costs Fish Springs Ranch, LLC	Dec. 31, 2011 Water Credits Fish Springs Ranch, LLC	Dec. 31, 2011 Capitalized Interest Costs Fish Springs Ranch, LLC	Dec. 31, 2011 Real Estate Operations	Dec. 31, 2010 Real Estate Operations	Dec. 31, 2009 Real Estate Operations
Amortization of leasehold improvements											$ 879,000,000	$ 880,000,000	$ 852,000,000
Fair value of Fish Springs asset				84,890,000						26,600,000
Real estate and water assets, net	333,840,000	355,570,000		101,100,000		36,946,000			36,946,000
Impairment loss on real estate and water assets	21,404,000	10,316,000	12,378,000	16,224,000	[1]	10,316,000	[2]	12,400,000	10,316,000
Impairment of real estate assets																													5,180,000	0	0
Water rights, permit application filed (in acre-feet)																		14,000
Water rights, permit awarded (in acre-feet)														7,240	2,500	2,100								2,900	4,340
Water rights, potential additional permit awarded (in acre-feet)																7,240
Water basin, estimated perennial yield, minimum (in acre-feet)															2,500
Water basin, estimated perennial yield, maximum (in acre-feet)															5,000
Water basin, unappropriated water (in acre-feet)															396
Water rights, permit awarded, incremental (in acre-feet)														6,844	396
Carrying value of water rights applications	111,400,000	127,600,000																	16,400,000
Water rights, projected revenue from incremental award															4,000,000
Loss on impairment of water rights applications																	12,400,000
Pipeline rights and water credits	84,890,000	101,114,000																								92,700,000	6,400,000	2,000,000
Water credits held (in acre-feet)																						7,987
Litigation settlement																					7,300,000
Water rights, permitted annually (in acre-feet)																						13,000
Water rights, annual limits specified by settlement (in acre-feet)																					8,000
License fee, percent of gross revenue from volume in excess of limit																					12.00%
Litigation settlement, expense																							7,300,000
Payments for legal settlement																				3,100,000
Liability for litigation settlement																						$ 3,600,000

[1] As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a non-recurring fair value measurement for an intangible asset with a carrying amount of $101.1 million that was written down to its implied fair value of $84.9 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $16.2 million, which was included in earnings for December 31, 2011. The implied fair value was calculated using a discounted cash flow model that incorporated a wide range of assumptions including current asset pricing, price escalation, discount rates, absorption rates, and timing of sales, and costs. Given the continued dramatic and prolonged slow-down in housing starts and sales in the North Valleys of Reno, Nevada, and the recent decline in market prices for similar assets, the Company adjusted its assumptions and judgments in the model by reducing the price and lengthening the timing of absorption of water sales from the original projections.

[2] As of December 31, 2010, the Company had a non-recurring fair value measurement for an intangible asset with a carrying amount of $36.9 million that was written down to its implied fair value of $26.6 million, resulting in an impairment charge of $10.3 million, which was included in earnings for 2010. The implied fair value was estimated based on a discounted cash flow model that incorporates estimates and assumptions about recognition of revenues and costs for the intangible asset. See Note 4, Real Estate and Water Assets