BLM land in Lyon County changes to day-use only to discourage long-term camping, Lyon County Manager 'unaware' of evictions

In Nevada and across most of the Western United States, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Land has generally been available to anyone who wishes to camp for up to 14 days in one spot.

However, in certain areas those rules have now changed. In some high-trafficked locations in Lyon County as well as Washoe County, new rules have changed the areas to day-use only to discourage long-term camping or “Boondocking.”

Boondocking is a term used for RVers or those in vans who camp on BLM land without access to a power grid.

According to Lisa Ross, Public Affairs Specialist for BLM, the camping restrictions are being made for public health and safety reasons, and on less than 1 percent of overall BLM land.

“These camping restrictions are being implemented for public health and safety because of trash left behind in the area when the camps are vacated, which includes abandoned vehicles, hazardous waste, and resource damage,” said Ross.  “Also, many public land users will not recreate in these areas because of the concentrated camping.”

Currently, the BLM is educating the campers on the new camping regulations and are not issuing tickets, said Ross.

“The BLM Carson City District has been doing outreach for a few weeks now with the campers and the last few months with the counties and other agencies involved. BLM has partnered with MOST (Mobile Outreach Safety Team) to offer the campers services if wanted. Signage has also been installed.”

While the new restrictions went into effect on April 1, Lyon County Manager Jeff Page stated he wasn’t aware of the changes, or that evictions would be taking place.

When asked about the evictions, Page stated that he had “no clue;" that it was a "BLM issue on BLM property;" and that his office “has not been made aware of evictions taking place” but that a phone call last year took place in which BLM notified the county that "much of the land will be changed from camping to day-use only," according to Page.

According to Heather Benson, Adult Services Division Manager for Lyon County as well as Program Coordinator for FASTT/MOST, MOST was on scene to offer assistance to those being evicted from the land.

“MOST assisted with screening individuals for behavioral health crises, followed by providing resource connections to various service providers,” said Benson. “We offered assistance with connecting individuals to a large variety of services, depending on individual needs.”

Some services included, but were not limited to:

• access to health insurance
• access to health care services (primary, mental health, substance use, speciality, vision and dental)
• nutrition programs
• housing
• employment/volunteer
• children services
• disability
• Veteran
• senior services
• transportation
• and more, according to Benson.

“There has not been an ask or a need shared by someone camping, that our team didn't have a resource to provide,” said Benson. “Although some of the resources are immediately available, some others such as housing, have processes and wait lists. Many individuals expressed the need for more than one resource, or had barriers connecting to the resources. Each individual was offered some hygiene items and contact information for the Dayton Lyon County Human Service office location.”

Lyon County Human Services has case managers available to assist individuals with navigating, accessing, and connecting to available resources and programs, said Benson.

Lyon County Human Services is the lead Coordinated Entry Site for anyone experiencing homelessness in Lyon County, so individuals are able to work with a Case Manager who can help them get connected to permanent housing options and other programs and services to help people retain housing.

“On the day of the BLM outreach, if an individual was interested in receiving assistance, the MOST team was able to schedule individuals with appointments to meet with a Lyon County Human Services Case Manager,” said Benson. “The MOST team valued the opportunity to collaborate with BLM, as we are all aware many people are going through challenging times. Offering assistance to people is important, so they know there are options and help available in the community. Finding and securing permanent and affordable housing is a challenge, as the rental prices are high and continue to rise, and the availability of housing options are scarce.”

There are two maps available at the BLM website for the Lyon and Washoe County areas where these new camping restrictions went into effect on April 1 which can be found here, on the right hand side of the page: https://www.blm.gov/office/carson-city-district-office