BLM

With neighborhood outreach as the theme, Carson City Sheriff's Office organizers say the National Night Out event at Mills Park on Tuesday will also highlight a number of new community wide initiatives.

The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and brings thousands of Carson City residents to the park annually in a open house environment, providing partnerships between law enforcement and the community. In Carson City, this event represents the culmination of efforts made to address crime, drugs, and violence and is the largest event of its kind in the area.

Fire officials report progress on the Bison Fire overnight, with plans Thursday to do continued work on hot spots and to begin the rehabbing process.

Voluntary evacuations for 78 homes were lifted Wednesday at around 6:30 p.m. The fire is 65 percent contained as of Thursday morning with the size of it being reduced to 24,136 acres at this time, said Lisa Ross, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management.

Below is the Thursday morning press briefing from the BLM:

With the Bison Fire reaching 65 percent containment by Wednesday afternoon, fire officials have notified the Lyon County Office of Emergency Management that it can lift the evacuation in Smith Valley.

The Incident Command Post has confirmed with Lyon County officials that it is safe for evacuees to return, said County Manager Jeff Page.

Firefighters worked the fire along a ridge above the evacuated homes early Wednesday. The weather forecast calls for evening thunderstorms and dry lightning, said BLM spokeswoman Dorothy Harvey.

Voluntary evacuations of a Smith Valley subdivision are underway as firefighters held flames along a ridge above to stop them from spreading into homes, the Bureau of Land Management reports this morning. Firefighters overnight were able to reinforce the line, with the day shift continuing its efforts today.

The Bison Fire burning in Douglas County grew to 25,733 acres by early Tuesday morning, with 25 percent containment and Douglas County declaring a state of emergency to allow for more resources. More than 700 personnel are assigned to the fire.

Overnight the fire burned actively from the north side until about 3 a.m. the on the northeast and southeast sides. The night crews were able to make significant progress, said Lisa Ross, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management.

The Bison Fire in Douglas County has grown to 17,000-plus acres, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch at its 2:18 p.m. Monday press briefing. The fire is 15 percent contained.

Several road closures are now effective immediately. They are: Pine Nut Road at Out-R-Way, East Valley Road at Grandview; Brunswick Canyon Road, Mexican Dam Road and Sunrise Pass Road at Artesia Road, according to Sierra Front. These roads will be open to residents only with proof of residency.

Containment of the Bison Fire burning in Douglas County is expected by July 14 as firefighters had a series of setbacks because of windy conditions, the Bureau of Land Management reports in its Monday morning briefing.

The fire has been downgraded to 15 percent contained with the wind event that occurred Sunday afternoon, according to the Great Basin Management Type II Team, operating under Incident Commander Mike Whalen

UPDATE 6PM: With one agency saying one thing, and another reporting something else, there's bound to be confusion and mistakes. Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center now reports the Bison Fire listed as burning 9,300 acres as stated in its 5:40 p.m. media briefing here.

California has two Free Fishing Days in 2013 which are close to holidays. The first Free Fishing Day in 2013 is today, July 06 (associated with the Fourth of July) and the second is on September 07 (associated with Labor Day).

So, on Saturday, July 6, you will be able to fish wherever you like in California, without the need for a fishing license.

However, you will need to abide by the rules and regulations that govern whatever water(s) you will be fishing.

UPDATE 5PM: Bison Fire grows to 2,000 acres, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. At least 350 firefighters are battling the blaze burning in southeast Douglas County.

The Bison Fire burning in southeast Douglas County is between 1,200 to 1,300 acres in size with 15 percent containment as of Friday morning, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch.

Photo submitted by David Riske of the fire burning southeast of Carson City on BLM land. The fire is said to have burned about 50 to 70 acres as of around 9 p.m.

Carson City firefighters and crews from the Nevada Division of Forestry and the BLM are on the fire.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.

UPDATE 4:21PM July 4: The Tarnahan Fire burning southeast of Carson City is 10 percent contained. No structures are threatened at this time. After GPS of the area was made, the fire was downsized at noon to 25 acres, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. Sierra Front had reported about 100 acres early this morning but re-adjusted the figure based on an overhead GPS reading.
Wind conditions are light.

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UPDATE 10:30AM MONDAY: The Sierra Front Type 3 team battling the Pedlar Fire in Silver City took control of the fire at 11 p.m. Sunday night. As of 7:30 Monday morning the fire was 75 percent contained, according to the latest from Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch. Highway 341 from Highway 50 to the truck route "Y"was reopened. Highway 342 from the "Y' through Silver City to Virginia City will remain closed this morning.

With a heat wave developing throughout the region, the Carson City Fire Department has now implemented fire restrictions on city and privately owned lands within Carson City, according to the city's website.

Tinder-dry vegetation, lingering drought conditions, increasing daytime temperatures and several human-caused fires have prompted the Bureau of Land Management Carson City District Office, the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Nevada Division of Forestry’s to announce the implementation of fire restrictions today, Friday, June 28.

Local residents gathered at the Bureau of Land Management field office in Carson City Wednesday, amid concerns over pending action that may include removal of wild horses.

The area known as Fish Springs, three miles southeast of Gardnerville, is home to scattered bands of wild horses that have become part of the landscape to property owners over the past 20 years. The situation came to a head recently, when residents provided supplemental watering tanks for the horses.

UPDATE 8:05PM: State Route 207 Kingsbury Grade is now open to motorist with controls. Please use caution around firefighters and equipment that remain working the fire.
Fire personnel will remain on scene to gain further containment of this fire. The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

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An open house to welcome the new Carson City District Manager, Bernadette Lovato, will be held Tuesday, June 11, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carson City District Office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road in Carson City, Nev. The district has approximately 110 full time employees and manages about 4.8 million acres of federal public lands in 11 counties throughout western Nevada and eastern California through the Sierra Front and the Still Water field offices.

An independent report released today by The National Academy of Sciences is critical of the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States and urges changes to its current roundup policies.

Wagons Ho! Just imagine an SUV trek for the entire family that traces the same route used by 8,000 early pioneers in more than 1,500 covered wagons from 1849 to 1852 that brought a flood of immigrants to California, most of whom had the Gold Rush fever.

The overland emigrant trip would take five to six months crossing mountains, deserts, rivers, and some of the most hostile country in the world.

Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27) is coming up, just around the corner, the weather is forecast for gorgeous conditions, and for countless folks in this general area, it will be their first big outdoor adventure of 2013.

So, where to go on that weekend? Well, be advised that no matter where you go (unless it is to some God forsaken location in the middle of nowhere), you can expect to encounter big crowds of people also wanting to enjoy an outdoor outing for the holiday.

So, be prepared for lots of company wherever you go or whatever you do.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Honor Guard and Chaplain dedicated a new flag pole at the administrative complex on Wednesday. The ceremony kicked off a second presentation where three deputies were awarded the “Life Saving Medal” for assertive medical actions resulting in the saving of a life. Deputy Matt Putzer, John Hitch, and Chris Ramos all received medals for their service. The ceremony was concluded as Deputy Bill Richards was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei announced Wednesday the re-introduction of his "Small Lands Tracts Conveyance Act" (H.R. 1633) to accelerate the process for transferring small parcels of federal land to local communities.

In western states, straightforward, non-controversial public land sales to decrease the vast federal inventory and promote local control can take more than a decade to complete. While Amodei believes there should be scrutiny for any sale, he cites the bureaucratic regulatory maze and slow legislative process as the main culprits in dragging out the transfers.

The Bureau of Land Management detailed a proposed land-rehabilitation program for the Pine Nut Range Thursday night.

If you have a 2013 California fishing license and if you are looking for somewhere to fish that is fairly close to the Carson City area, look no further than Indian Creek Reservoir (ICR) in nearby Alpine County.
You just might want to seriously consider ICR as it contains cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout, plus even some bass.

That trout-filled reservoir is a mere 39 miles from our front door and it is easily reached from here by two different directions:

Several wild horses bought at a Bureau of Land Management auction in Carson City on Saturday, have been delivered to a 2,000 acre ranch in Northern California.

A herd of wild horses removed from an area off of Deer Run Road last month were purchased Saturday at a Bureau of Land Management adoption in Carson City.

The BLM-sanctioned silent bid adoption was held at Silver Saddle Ranch. The horses were bought for $850 by the Deer Run Preservation Group in a collaborative effort with the American Wildhorse Preservation Campaign.

About 100 people attended the auction, many of whom were supporting the group and its efforts to save the horses.

Orwellian NEW-Speak: Budget Cut Language Engineering

The Reno Gazette-Journal's Mark Robison, who authors the "Fact Checker" blog, looks into the claim that the Bureau of Land Management was justified in removing a family of wild horses off Deer Run Road near Carson City.

Earlier this year, Leon Thomas — the BLM’s new Sierra Front field manager — ordered the removal of 11 horses near Deer Run Road. Some were sent to a Colorado ranch; eight are up for auction Saturday. That much is agreed upon, nearly everything else is in dispute.