How the BLM is Addressing Drought

Find out how BLM programs are addressing drought in the drop-down boxes below. 

Range

• Livestock grazing on public lands is vulnerable to the impacts of drought and aridification, including reductions in forage growth and water availability. 
• Livestock operators recognize the need for adjustments in livestock use of public lands during drought to protect the long-term health of the range. 
• Based on the condition of the land, the BLM may work cooperatively on a case-by-case basis with permittees and other stakeholders to adjust livestock use through a mutual agreement. These adjustments can include delaying turnout, changing season of use or shortening period of use, adjusting stocking levels, and using rested pastures, among other options.
• In cases where mutual agreement on necessary actions cannot be reached, it may be necessary for BLM to issue a decision; however, that is a last resort. 
• The BLM allows for water hauling, when appropriate water rights exist, for livestock in areas that have good land health and adequate forage. The BLM can also authorize the use of salt, minerals, and certain mineral supplements as necessary to overcome natural shortages and provide for proper range management.
• The BLM generally prohibits supplemental feeding on the lands it manages, with the exception for emergencies (e.g. for livestock that are trapped by a snowstorm). 
• Supplemental feeding concentrates animals, which can cause trampling and soil compaction as well as lead to increased soil erosion and reduced water quality in an area. In addition, supplemental feed could lead to the spread of invasive species. 

Fish and Wildlife

• During drought, the BLM seeks to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife habitat.  
• The BLM works closely with State and Federal fish and wildlife agencies to develop contingency plans and response actions to protect and conserve fish and wildlife resources during emergencies. 
• The BLM also routinely coordinates with State fish and wildlife agencies to gather and incorporate wildlife population levels/trends, winter mortality, fawning/calving success, and threats from disease, wildfire, drought and other environmental conditions into land use planning and resource allocation decisions. 
• The BLM works closely with State fish and wildlife agencies, private landowners, grazing permittees, and volunteers from conservation organizations to strategically site, construct, and maintain water developments to help improve quantity and distribution of water for wildlife, which is especially critical in drought. 

Plant Conservation and Restoration

• The BLM works to ensure the availability of native plant seed for building drought-resilient native plant communities on public lands that are more resilient in the face of climate-related disasters such as drought, invasive species, or wildland fires. 
• Seeds of Success (SOS) adapts native seed collection plans in response to drought conditions with the goal of preserving the health and longevity of native plant populations while also representing the genetic diversity of drought-resilient native plant communities in SOS collections.
• The Plant Conservation and Restoration Program focuses on restoring drought-prone ecosystems and promoting the longevity of the Greater Sage Grouse despite drought conditions.
• The Plant Conservation and Restoration Program is developing virtual and field training courses in collaboration with the Society for Ecological Restoration to educate BLM employees in making informed restoration decisions on landscapes affected by drought.
• The Plant Conservation and Restoration Program is also working with NatureServe on an inventory and analysis of 1,800 rare plants on BLM lands to guide seed collection, conservation actions, and land-use decisions for drought-stricken areas.

Air Resources

• The Air Resources Program ensures air quality conformity requirements are met on BLM-managed lands. Drought can contribute to dust pollution, reducing air quality. 
• The Air Resources Program also monitors windblown dust and soot on snow, which reduces reflectivity and increases early snowmelt, contributing to drought conditions. 

Water Rights and Uses

• States manage the use and allocation of water through their respective water management divisions or agencies. 
• The BLM is responsible for protecting BLM-administered water rights and uses and ensuring the availability of water for public land management purposes. 
• The BLM cooperates with state and tribal governments to ensure that the BLM’s drought response actions are compatible with state and local drought plans to the extent consistent with federal law and policy.  
• The BLM monitors the status of BLM-administered water rights. If BLM-administered water rights are curtailed due to drought conditions, the BLM will comply with all curtailment notices and certification requirements within the allotted timeframes.
• The BLM builds drought resiliency on public lands by proactively ensuring that water of sufficient quantity is physically and legally available to support public land management purposes. 
• The BLM monitors instream flows, springs, and waterholes to improve our response to water right curtailments and water shortages caused by drought. 
• The BLM provides information that is essential to western states’ understanding of water availability during drought and facilitates their allocation of water and administration of water rights, decrees, and interstate compacts.

Aquatic Habitat Management

• Reduced water availability due to drought negatively impacts aquatic habitats on public lands and the species that depend on them.
• The BLM has identified several proactive strategies for improving the drought resiliency of riparian, aquatic, and water resources, while yielding other benefits for water supplies, habitats and species, and local economies.
• Low-tech restoration techniques improve water availability. These simple, cost-effective techniques mimic, promote, and sustain natural processes by adding structural elements to control erosion, protecting native riparian vegetation and restoring floodplain connectivity. 
• Drought planning and response prioritizes implementation of aquatic restoration projects to improve the resistance and resilience of riparian and aquatic resources on public lands to climate change and wildfire.
• The BLM can improve real-time and long-term analysis and understanding of drought impacts on public lands by utilizing recently available long-term satellite imagery, remote sensing techniques, and newly developed web-based tools (e.g. The Desert Research Institute Climate Engine allows users to quickly process satellite and climate data, create maps, and perform time-series analysis within a single web browser). 

Wild Horse and Burros

• Drought reduces water and forage availability required to sustain wild horse and burro populations.  Where population needs exceed the available supply of water and forage, the health of wild horses and burros is negatively impacted and can result in increased mortality.
• BLM district and field offices across the West are monitoring conditions on public lands, including the health of the wild horse and burro herds under BLM management. 
• The damaging impacts of drought will further reduce availability of water and forage for wild horses, wildlife and livestock in areas of public lands where wild horses and burros are chronically overpopulated. 
• Off-range corral facilities are prepared for intake of imperiled animals as conditions continue to deteriorate in many places on public lands.
• In emergency situations, the BLM may haul water temporarily to animals in need until further action can take place. 
• Hauling water is not an ideal long-term solution because it can prevent migration of animals to other natural water sources, and can cause animals to become habituated to a single area, which causes further deterioration. 
• The BLM’s long-term goal is to use a combination of removals and fertility treatments to manage self-sustaining populations of healthy wild horses and burros in balance with other uses and the productive capacity of their habitat.

Forestry

• Drought causes forests to become more susceptible to external factors such as wildfire and insects. When tree densities are well below carrying capacity with normal precipitation conditions, forests are more resilient to threats from wildfire, insects, and disease. 
• Tree mortality can occur from drought stress when the tree lacks sufficient water to perform essential functions. 
  Forests that are experiencing both drought and water stress from high density populations are more susceptible to catastrophic wildfire and epidemic insect attack. 
• The BLM promotes healthy forests and woodlands by thinning stands to increase resiliency to drought, insects and disease, and catastrophic wildfire.  
• When mortality occurs, BLM utilizes salvage projects to remove large pockets of dead trees, reducing the potential fire hazard. 

Wildfire

• During periods of drought, the BLM will cooperate with other land management and forestry agencies on a state-by-state basis to implement fire restrictions as appropriate to reduce the potential for wildfires. 

Recreation

• During drought years, the BLM may consider temporary closures to Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) near surface water sources or important wildlife habitat to mitigate OHV use impacts. 
• The BLM also may develop special recreation permit stipulations as appropriate to mitigate drought effects near water sources and important habitats or may work with permit holders to adjust uses in drought conditions. 
• The BLM will monitor the status of BLM-administered water rights, post closure signs where BLM water rights have been curtailed and inform recreation users of where backcountry water can be found. 

Cultural Resources and Paleontology 

• Sustained dry environmental conditions can increase erosion, damaging sensitive cultural and paleontological resources. The BLM will work with partners, Native American tribes and the public to minimize these impacts. 

Fluid Minerals

• BLM considers drought conditions prior to approving the surface use plan of operations within Applications for Permit to Drill, requiring proper practices such as adequate dust suppression, and mitigation such as using drought tolerant reclamation seed mixes. Operators are required to identify the source of water supply and haul routes in their plans.  
• Water sources may be limited in drought conditions and subject to Conditions of Approval to mitigate effects to water sources during droughts. In addition to drought, the BLM also considers other climate related-conditions, including heavy precipitation events which require appropriate runoff control design features prior to approving oil and gas operations.  

Solid Minerals

• BLM considers drought conditions prior to approving plans of operation to ensure that proper practices and mitigations are in place, and to encourage long-term sustainability such as using drought-tolerant reclamation seed mixes.  
• In addition to drought, BLM also considers other climate related conditions including heavy precipitation events, which require appropriate runoff control design features prior to mine plan approval. 

Lands, Realty and Cadastral Survey

• Rights of way is currently working on an instruction memorandum (new policy) to add fire prevention and suppression standard stipulations. Additionally, planning also considers Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans requirements on Rights of Way which, addresses climate related conditions such as heavy precipitation events.