WINNEMUCCA - The Bureau of Land Management, Winnemucca District is making significant progress toward the completion of its many Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) projects. The projects focus on the resource impacts caused by last year's Holloway, Hanson, Long Canyon, Buckskin, and Buffalo Fires, all which burned over 250,000 acres. Additional seeding treatmetns are being completed on previous season fires, primarily the Hot Springs and China Garden Fires which burned in October 2011.
As of March 16, 2013 all aerial seeding projects are now complete. The projects were flown by Morris Ag-Air, who spread the seed using two fixed-wing aircraft. BLM personnel from the ES&R program monitored the quality and progress of the drops by walking the ground for hours each day while counting seeds at random points to ensure proper spread. Aerial seeding was conducted on the Hanson, Buffalo, Long Canyon, and Holloway Fires for a total of 60,000 acres within severely burned Sage Grouse Preliminary Priority Habitat (PPH) and Preliminary General Habitat (PGH). "We continue to appreciate our partners: NV Muleys, the Chukar Foundation, and Newmont who paid for the flights to make this seeding project happen," said Gene Seidlitz, Winnemucca BLM District Manager.
Fence repair along the perimeter of grazing allotments are approximately 75% complete and BLM fire crews continue to repair fence within the Holloway Fire area. Due to the hard work of the crews, in sometimes freezing temperatures, in excess of 100 miles of fence has been repaired since operations first started last fall.
Ground-based seeding and planting projects cover approximately 4,000 acres and continuing with remaining seed. BLM firefighters work with Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) broadcast seeders and tractors which pull seed drills or broadcast planting grass, shrubs and forbs in an attempt to restore the natural habitat for wildlife species such as sage grouse, mule deer, and pronghorn, and big-horn sheep. In addition, BLM has been planting live stakes of various species of willows and cottonwoods in severely burned riparian areas in the Montana Mountains with approximately 3 miles of stream channel receiving treatment.
In an attempt to get the community more involved in habitat restoration and to become aware of the impacts of devastating wildfires, the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW), in cooperation with the Winnemucca District BLM, coordinated volunteers to go out and plant sagebrush. Ed Partee, Game Biologist for NDOW, called the event, "a huge success", stating that, "there were a total of 18 volunteers on the project and they were able to plant 1500 sagebrush seedlings in the Bilk Creek Range".
The BLM is currently coordinating with Nevada Outdoor School to host a day of fire rehabilitation education for Paradise Valley students, Grades 5-8. This will take place on April 18 and will provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the effects of fire on stream systems. The students will have hands-on experience planting live stakes of willow and cottonwood and riparian seedlings.
For information call the Winnemucca District BLM office and ask to speak with Terah Malsam, our Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist, at (775) 623-1500.
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