WINNEMUCCA - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Winnemucca District, working cooperatively with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as other public stakeholders has begun first-year fire rehabilitation projects intended to address the large scale resource impacts caused by the Holloway Fire, Hanson Fire, Long Canyon Fire, Buckskin Fire, and Buffalo Fires, which collectively burned over 250,000 acres across the District. The BLM has received commitments of funding or resources from Nevada Muleys, Nevada Chukar Foundation, Nevada Bighorns-Reno, Nevada Bighorns-Midas, Newmont Mining, and Nevada Department of Wildlife.
"The support offered by these organizations is greatly appreciated," said Mike Fettic, BLM Fire Management Officer. "It will allow for habitat restoration projects on our valuable public lands to occur on a much larger scale than the BLM could accomplish with 2013 federal funds alone."
According to Jim Rackley, President of Nevada Muleys, "The Board and Membership of Nevada Muleys are extremely happy to be in a position to provide much needed funding at a critical time in the rehabilitation of the Holloway and Hanson Fires in Humboldt County. Our constituents have entrusted the Board and Associates of the Nevada Muleys with the prudent expenditure of their hard earned money in a fashion that supports our mission of restoring, improving and protecting mule deer habitat, resulting in self-sustaining and healthy deer populations in Nevada. It is our goal to partner with the land management agencies, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and fellow conservation organizations to restore these damaged landscapes to their most productive state."
Projects focus on the habitat rehabilitation of Greater sage-grouse and other critical wildlife species, such as Lahontan cutthroat trout, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Treatments occurring during the 2012/2013 fall-winter-spring season include approximately 55,000 acres of aerial seeding within severely burned Sage Grouse Preliminary Priority Habitat (PPH) and Preliminary General Habitat (PGH), approximately 4,000 acres of ground-based seeding using tractor-pulled seed drills and all-terrain vehicles broadcast seeders, repair of permanent grazing allotment fences damaged by the fire, and construction of 10 miles of temporary fence which will allow for burned areas to recover without impacting utilization of unburned portions of fire-affected grazing allotments
Last year, BLM fire crews initiated ground seeding and fence repair operations early in the fall. Ground seeding operations are approximately 70 percent complete, with drill seeding continuing as weather and access allow. Crews also began fence repair work early in the fall, with high elevation work areas on the Holloway Fire given priority due to access concerns later in the year. Ground seeding and fencing projects have been completed within the Hanson and Buffalo Fire areas. Aerial seeding projects commenced in mid-February and will likely be completed within the next few weeks.
For more information please contact Derick Messmer, at (775) 623-1500 or by e-mail at dmessmer@blm.gov.
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