In last week’s update, a BLM official said formal agreements are in the works to help subsidize Pershing County law enforcement during new events that may happen on the Black Rock Playa.
“There are two events you are probably aware of that could be on the playa,” said Mark Hall of the BLM Black Rock Field Office. “The first is Everywhen which was wanting to have their event during 4th of July week on the lower end of the playa. They have currently withdrawn their application for an SRP (Special Recreation Permit). They ended up selling less than a hundred tickets and they have let BLM know the event, as they were planning it, is not viable.”
Everywhen organizers might instead apply for an SRP for about one hundred people to “set up on the playa” and an unknown number of other visitors could camp on the playa, Hall said.
“We anticipate there will be other unorganized campers out there and the BLM is working with the Pershing County Sheriff to develop a safety and monitoring plan depending on population sizes,” Hall said. “Historically, for the 4th of Juplaya, we’ve seen anywhere from about a thousand to five thousand people out there so we’re scaling accordingly.”
District Attorney Bryce Shields inquired about a written reimbursement agreement between BLM law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office for “dual responses” to the playa. Hall said there’s a “standing” MOU with county law enforcement but a formal contract situation is in the works.
“We are also looking at providing financial assistance through contracting to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office,” Hall said. “That is underway…We’re currently grappling with SAMS and DUNS numbers for the county. I guess those had to be renewed. Generally the county bills us at the end of the working year, well after the Burning Man event.”
Burning Man’s “peak population” will be 80,000 meaning no more than that will be allowed at the festival otherwise organizers could be in violation of the SRP. But, if the festival population exceeds 79,999, organizers will owe more money for county law enforcement and other services due to the 2013 settlement agreement between Pershing County and Burning Man.
MINING
An EA is in the works to allow expansion of the Colado Mine, a BLM official said.
“We’ve been working with them for a couple of years. They’ve had some non-compliance issues out there,” she said. “We’re going to do an EA to make sure we get their acreage right and so they can do some expansion. We got their Plan of Operations and we should be starting on that EA in about a month and we hope to get it completed by the end of the year.”
GEOTHERMAL
A geothermal lease sale DNA was posted May 25 for a 30-day comment period. The August sale includes 92 public land parcels in Nevada with 23 parcels in the BLM Winnemucca District.
“All the maps are up there with all the parcels. If you need additional maps or information, I can send them over to you,” she said.
Ormat’s proposed New York Canyon transmission line is still in the works due to route changes.
“We’re finally getting scoping done and that is going to be an Environmental Assessment,” she said.
Most of the Winnemucca District’s proposed geothermal projects are in Washoe County and north Humboldt County according to Hall.
ROUNDUPS
Three wild horse and burro roundups are scheduled for July, August and September. The Buffalo Hills roundup will be mostly in Washoe County while the Blue Wing roundup will be in the Blue Wing and Selenite Range Herd Management Areas in Pershing County. The Calico roundup will impact wild horse and burro herds in Washoe, Pershing and Humboldt Counties.
“In all cases, they are going to low AML (Appropriate Management Level) with fertility control,” Hall said. It was clear whether helicopter or bait trapping will be used to roundup the animals.
A roundup in the East Pershing Complex is planned for 2023 if funding is available.
After numerous animal deaths due to helicopter roundups, a bill to outlaw the practice was introduced in February, 2022 by Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus. She believes the BLM should use more humane, less costly methods to reduce and stabilize horse and burro herds such as expanded on-the-range birth control and cowboys instead of helicopters.
Due to drought, the BLM this year plans to roundup at least 22,000 wild horses and burros, remove at least 19,000, treat with fertility control and then release about 2,300 animals. According to the BLM press release, this will be the largest number of animals rounded up and removed or treated and released in one year.