From a distance, Porter Springs is an isolated clump of trees on the edge of a vast “sagebrush ocean” known as Granite Springs Valley. Natural springs support the tiny oasis and that makes it a rare desert haven for a surprising number of birds, reptiles, mammals and all kinds of people.
The tiny oasis has a long history according to the Bureau of Land Management. There’s evidence it was used by Native Americans for over 5,000 years, discovered by white explorers, occupied by miners, exploited by squatters and, more recently, vandalized by “bad actors.”
Now, human activity must be regulated to protect the place for the future, BLM officials say. A steel fence protects the sensitive riparian area from vehicles and wild burros and no firearms are permitted in the Porter Springs Recreation Area.
An impressive group of government officials from the BLM’s Winnemucca District greeted visitors. The contingent included wildlife and plant biologists, archaeologists, a hydrologist, a wild horse and livestock specialist and new Winnemucca District Manager Ester McCullough.
“This is a really special place and we want to keep it special,” she said. “When you have a special area, things can be as we call it, loved to death. You get visitors that want to enjoy it but don’t know how to protect it. If you have too many people parking (near the trees), it can kill the tree roots. The fencing will help to maintain that distance so the trees can last.”
New interpretive signs explain the natural and human history of the former mining camp. Tons of tungsten ore from the nearby Holiday Mine were processed at the Porter Springs mill. Residents created ponds and installed spring-fed irrigation for their apple trees, cottonwoods and willows.
Some of those trees are dead or dying but BLM officials plan will to enhance the irrigation system to save survivors. Two wooden shacks hauled to Porter Springs from another mining camp will get foundations to prevent them from sinking into the ground, BLM officials said.
BIRDER PARADISE
Porter Springs is “one of northern Nevada’s best birding sites” with over 130 local and migratory species observed according to the BLM. Lahontan Audubon Society members were on hand and armed with their binoculars to prove the point. Warblers, flickers and other songbirds were spotted as Redtail hawks circled overhead and screeched in protest of the human intrusion.
Reno birder Don Molde said he’s been observing Porter Springs birds for twenty years or more.
“The way that Porter Springs got on the birding map was by virtue of the efforts of Jack Walters,” he said. “Jack knew every backcountry road, every pond, every place that had a bird in Nevada. He noticed that some unusual birds had been reported in a place called Porter Springs.”
Walters made friends with the Porter Springs caretaker and, as a result, “Jack’s Pond” always had water for the birds. Walters documented more than 240 species of birds at Porter Springs.
“In my opinion, this is the best migrant bird hotspot we have in northern Nevada,” Molde said. “The next closest birding hot spot in Nevada is Miller’s Rest Stop in Tonopah. If you hit this place on a hot day in the middle of migration, you can have some really nice times out here.”
MULTIPLE USE
Just below the recreation area fence, cattle drink from a spring-fed pond. More gravity-fed watering areas may be installed to be sure livestock, burros and other wildlife have full access.
With the mix of grazing and recreation, Porter Springs is an example of multiple use on public land according to BLM Humboldt River Field Office Manager David Kampwerth. Pre-existing mine water rights stipulated that water always be available for livestock as well as wildlife.
“We plan to improve the irrigation system so all these trees stay vibrant and healthy,” he said. “We also want to make sure that our partner, C Punch Ranch, has enough water for livestock. These ponds right below us are the outfall of the water system and there might even be more ponds once we make it an efficient system for our livestock and burros. This water resource is extremely important for our horses, burros and livestock and we have no desire to change that.”
A small band of domestic sheep with lambs made a surprise visit during the event. As the sheep grazed near the fence, a concerned BLM official said the strays had wandered away from the safety of the herd and the lambs could be lost to predators. The sheep owner would be notified.
BAD ACTORS
Last year, the BLM’s Porter Springs gate was destroyed, holes were shot in the fence, there was graffiti and trash and wooden signs installed by Boy Scouts on Seven Troughs Road were stolen. Dead coyotes and jackrabbits, not protected by the state, were hung from the trees.
“This place is so far out and we have had some bad actors out here, without a lot of information, because some of it is kind of gross,” said Kampwerth. “They’ve really been disrespectful of some of our wildlife and just kind of made a mess of things.”
By making more people aware of Porter Springs, BLM officials hope that will help to protect it.
“We are really looking for anybody who like to come out and just check on it from time to time,” said Peggy McGuckian. “Give us a call and let us know everything is okay or, you guys need to come out and fix things. As we do future projects, if you want to help, that would be great, too.”
