Tom & Ellen Gardner Grazing Term Permit Renewal on the Duckwater Allotment (Operator No. 2703175).  NEPA number NV-043-09-004.

The legal location of that portion of the Duckwater Allotment permitted to Tom & Ellen Gardner is as follows:

T. 12N., R. 52, 53E., many sections.
T. 13N., R. 52, 53, 54E., many sections.
T. 14N., R. 52, 53, 54, 55E., many sections.
T. 15N., R. 54, 55E., many sections.
T. 16N., R. 54E., many sections.

The entire Duckwater Allotment encompasses approximately 808,000 public land acres.
That portion of the allotment permitted to the Gardner’s (Bull Corner/Poison Patch, Pogues Station, Little Smoky Valley, and Pancake East Bench/Duckwater Valley Use Areas) together encompass approximately 368,000 acres.

The purpose and need for the action is to fully process and renew the grazing term permit and reissue the permit for Tom & Ellen Gardner on the Duckwater Allotment.  The current term permit for Tom & Ellen Gardner has been issued for the period 11/01/2007 to 10/31/2016 and authorizes 2,814 AUMs of active permitted sheep use with a season of use from 11/01 – 04/15.  Grazing use occurs in four primarily unfenced pastures of the allotment.  The sheep numbers, areas of use, and season of use vary each year.  An evaluation of the range monitoring data and rangeland health will be conducted for those four pastures of the Duckwater Allotment permitted to the Gardner’s.  This data will be summarized in a Standards Determination Document.  The grazing permit area occurs within both White Pine and Nye Counties, Nevada and is situated in the west portion of the Ely District BLM, approximately 50 to 65 miles west of Ely, Nevada.  The permit area occurs within the North Little Smoky Valley (143), Central Little Smoky Valley (122), South Little Smoky Valley (176), Park Range (175), and Duckwater Watersheds (154).  The permit area occurs within the Pancake Wild Horse Herd Management Area.  Approximately 30,000 acres of the Park Range Wilderness Study Area (#154) occur within the Little Smoky Valley Use Area portion of the permitted area.   The term permit will be issued in accordance with Title 43 CFR 4130.2(a), “Grazing permits or leases shall be issued to qualified applicants to authorize use on the public lands and other lands under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management that are designated as available for livestock grazing through land use plans.”

Contact:  Mark Lowrie
Phone:  775 289-1888

The status of this project is public scoping