BLM and NDOW to Seed Fire-Damaged Public Lands in Eastern Nevada
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The Bureau of Land Management and Nevada Department of Wildlife this week will begin seeding thousands of acres in eastern Nevada to stabilize and rehabilitate public lands burned by wildfire.
“We’ll apply a mixture of grasses, forbs, shrubs and legumes to stabilize soils and compete with non-native and invasive plant species, such as cheatgrass. The treatment will improve wildlife habitat, including that of the Greater Sage Grouse; and restore the overall health of the watersheds,” Chris McVicars, BLM Ely District natural resource specialist, said Tuesday.
McVicars said the effort will concentrate on areas burned in 2016 by the Overland, Pinto and Strawberry fires, as well as the east bench of the Schell Range which suffered multiple fires in the 1980s.
The agencies will seed nearly all of the 7,695 acres burned in August’s Overland Fire south of the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. They will apply seed to 1,252 of the 1,900-plus acres burned in July’s Pinto Fire southeast of Eureka. Approximately 1,450 of the more than 4,600 acres of National Park Service and BLM-administered lands burned by the Strawberry Fire in August also will be seeded, as will 1,500 acres along the east bench of the Schell Range.
McVicars said the seeding will be done by helicopter and is expected to take two to four weeks to complete.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.