BATTLE MOUNTAIN - Lander County commissioners voted unanimously (with Commissioner Brian Garner absent) at their June 13 commissioner meeting to approve a drought resolution expressing concerns over the ongoing drought conditions in northern Nevada and encouraging cooperation among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Interior, the state of Nevada and local governments.
The cooperation is to help identify and implement appropriate actions to avoid, minimize and mitigate the adverse economic and environmental consequences of the drought, according to the resolution. The resolution also requests that Gov. Brian Sandoval declare a drought emergency within Lander County.
The resolution was passed with changes that focused on local ranchers' requests to make it clear that the resolution state it was not in any way in support of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) taking ranchers off of grazing lands, according to the county clerk's office.
Several local ranchers attended the meeting and a few spoke in favor of signing the resolution with those changes. The resolution is similar to the ones passed in Elko and Eureka counties.
One section in the resolution reads "be it further resolved, the Board of Lander County Commissioners opposes and hereby protests any efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and/or the U.S. Department of Interior to implement grazing restriction, including 'hot season' grazing restrictions on any grazing allotments within or adjacent to Lander County."
It also reads, "be it further resolved, this resolution is not to be construed to endorse reductions of grazing. Lander County is on public record to encourage federal management to increase grazing to prevent and reduce wildland fire for the protection of wildlife, including Greater Sage Grouse."
Commissioners voted unanimously at their May 23 meeting to defer the signing of an earlier similar version of this resolution that excluded the above parts about grazing.
Around 15 local ranchers were in attendance at the meeting.
Elko County Commissioner Grant Gerber, who is also an attorney, appeared at the May 23 commission meeting and urged commissioners to wait to sign the resolution until after Elko County commissioners met in May sometime to redefine the wording of the resolution to ensure the ranchers were protected if a state emergency is declared. Lander County commissioners agreed to wait.
He said he wanted to make it clear that grazing should be increased and not decreased. He added that Elko and Lander counties should unite their resolution language.
"What our experience is is that if you send something in that the BLM and the Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can then twist and use it against the users of the land they will do so, so that's why I say that ... in Elko County, we are going to make that very, very clear that we agree we are in a drought but that resolution is not in any way to be an endorsement of a reduction in grazing but our resolution is specifically designed to let the governor and others know that we need an increase in grazing to stop the fires and it's best for wildlife to do so," Gerber told Lander County commissioners at the May 23 meeting.
Some of the ranchers in attendance spoke on the topic.
Lynn Tomera said her big fear was that without specific wording and having the region called a drought area it will give the federal agencies a green light to close down allotments
"I think that, you said last year you voted it down, and I think unless we have some good language in your resolution that makes it very clear ... I really think that maybe this resolution isn't necessary, or else if you do adopt the resolution, be very careful how it is worded that it doesn't give them this free rein to take everyone over because I'm thinking that's what they are going to do," Tomera said.
After the May 23 meeting, Doug Furtado, the Battle Mountain BLM district manager, said that the Battle Mountain District has been actively monitoring conditions in the district since last summer and range conditions have deteriorated due to the drought.
"Where drought impacts are occurring, our first intent is to try and reach voluntary grazing agreements within existing permit terms and conditions," he said. "These agreements are intended to cooperatively address and mitigate drought impacts in order to conserve the resource during these difficult circumstances."
He added, "When we determine that these grazing agreements are either not being followed or are not being implemented successfully, the BLM has a responsibility to follow its grazing regulations and take appropriate temporary actions to prevent livestock grazing and drought-related resource damage. It would be irresponsible to both the public and the public lands for BLM to take a reactive or hands off approach in the face of the worst drought on record since the 1950s."
No motion was made by commissioners at the July 9, 2012, commission meeting on a similar resolution so it was not passed.
Commission Chair Dean Bullock said last year that he was concerned about the resolution because acknowledging the drought could lead to the listing of the sage grouse as an endangered species and it was like "putting a target" on the county's back.
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