BLM demonstrators arrive in Carson City on horseback to deliver petition
A group of horseback riders who left from Elko on Memorial Day arrived Friday in Carson City to present Gov. Sandoval with a petition regarding the BLM and its position on grazing reductions on federal lands and the closure of an allotment in Lander County.
Sandoval met with about 40 ranchers and told them he would make sure their concerns were heard by top brass at the BLM. Many said they were concerned about ongoing allotment reductions throughout Nevada, including those in the Battle Mountain District.
However, the BLM announced Tuesday it had reached agreement on May 23 with the permittees of the Argenta Allotment. The agreement becomes valid for a full grazing year following a two-week temporary measure to allow the paperwork to be finalized. The District staff has been working with the permittees and local county commissioners since February 2014 to come to equitable solution.
“Over the past year BLM Nevada managers have been working with stakeholders who use and enjoy the public lands in Nevada to find ways to cope with drought throughout the state,” said BLM Nevada State Director Amy Lueders. “We will continue to work collaboratively to find solutions that allow for resource recovery and meet the needs of the many hunters, ranchers, hikers, mining industry, wildlife enthusiasts and others who rely on these lands.”
The following is from the BLM news release.
As reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor – operated out of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln – dry conditions are prevailing across most of the West, with severe, extreme, or exceptional drought now covering all of California, most of Nevada, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The BLM is taking measures in response to these drought-related challenges. BLM field offices where drought is occurring are working with livestock operators to implement temporary changes in grazing practices, which may involve livestock adjustments, grazing rotations, water hauling, or rest of pastures. In Nevada, there has been a voluntary reduction of more than 400,000 Animal Unit Months (AUM) by livestock permittees. This is a 20 percent reduction from total AUMs.
Although the drought’s impact on ecosystem process and function is beyond the control BLM staff, the agency will continue to address issues and manage uses with a view toward the long-term health and productivity of the public lands, which includes working with affected ranchers to minimize impacts to their operations.