BLM, Nevada Land Conservancy Announce Home Camp Ranch Acquisition

A tract of wildlife-rich, high desert rangeland in northwest Washoe County is now accessible to the public, following acquisition of the Home Camp Ranch by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The purchase was funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA), a program that provides for purchase of environmentally significant lands for public ownership using proceeds from public land sales near Las Vegas.

The 14,838-acre Home Camp Ranch property is about 170 miles north of Reno.  The BLM’s Surprise Field Office in Cedarville, Calif. will manage the area which will be open to the public for a wide variety of recreation pursuits. 

The acquisition was nominated for SNPLMA funding by the Nevada Land Conservancy, an independent conservation organization that assisted the BLM through the purchase process. 
 
“The public benefits will include protection for specially designated species include the greater sage grouse, Wall Canyon sucker, California bighorn sheep and pika,” said Craig Schriber, chairman of the board of directors for the Nevada Land Conservancy, “There will be significantly improved access for hiking, hunting, bird watching and other recreation.”
 
Shane DeForest, manager of the BLM Surprise Field Office, said the Nevada Land Conservancy deserves thanks for helping with a land acquisition that will have far-reaching benefits. 
 
“This acquisition blocks into public ownership most of the scattered tracts of private land bordering the Wall Canyon Wilderness Study Area, which improves management efficiencies for the BLM,” he said.  “Public ownership will enable the BLM and partners to complete projects to conserve and improve habitat, including water resources that are critical to wildlife.”
 
The Home Camp property also supports a number of sensitive plant species, historic sites associated with cattle and sheep ranching, and prehistoric sites such as remnants of villages and base camps that contain information about the first humans to occupy the region.

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