U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Ely District
Ely District
| Contacts: | Chris Hanefeld | , 775-289-1842 | , chanefel@blm.gov |
BLM Holds Commercial Pine Nut Sale
Ely, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management’s annual pine nut auction brought in $2,100 for 8,400 pounds for potential commercial harvest. Harvest units in the Elko and Ely districts were sold during the oral auction conducted on Aug. 14 in Ely.
Commercial bidders must speculate on the probability of the pine nut crop. They pay a price per pound, this year the bids were all 25 cents per pound, but there is no guarantee they will be able to harvest the total pounds purchased. Additionally, commercial harvesters must agree to a number of stipulations, one of which is to allow the public to harvest pine nuts for personal use within the sale area.
Members of the public may collect up to 25 pounds of pine nuts per person for free. There is a 25 cent per pound charge over 25 pounds. Maps and information for recreational harvesting are available at each BLM district office.
Woodland products on public lands in Nevada provide an economic value at the commercial level, particularly for fence posts, firewood and biomass chips. But these woodland products also provide a quality of life benefit. Friends and families go on outings to gather firewood and pine nuts. Many families have cherished memories of outings to cut their Christmas tree. The public lands provide a multitude of resources for the benefit of all Americans. These lands are an asset to the nation and especially benefit local communities where citizens have the opportunity to use the public lands every day.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.