BLM Nevada News Release RSS Feed

SOUTHERN NEVADA: BLM to Host June 20 Red Rock Canyon Open House on ADA Trail (06-17-13)

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:12:40 -0600

Las Vegas – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Red Rock/Sloan Field Office will host meetings on June 20, 2013 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Red Rock Canyon visitor center classroom.

STATE OFFICE: Oil and Gas Sale Results (06-14-13)

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:13:06 -0600

Reno, Nev.— The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) generated $862,183 during its quarterly oil and gas competitive lease sale held in Reno on June 11, selling 33 parcels that comprised 53,923 acres. The sale high bid of $200,000 for a 1,600-acre parcel at $125 per acre was made by The Blanco Company, for a parcel in Nye County.

An additional 6 parcels totaling 10,400 acres were sold during the non-competitive sale on June 12 for $18,722.

The lease is for a period of 10 years with annual rentals of $1.50 per acre for the first five years and $2 an acre after that until production begins. Once a lease is producing, a royalty of 12.5 percent is charged. Half of the bid and rental receipts go to the state of Nevada.

The BLM offered 40 parcels totaling 65,846 acres. A complete summary of the parcels offered and the winning bids is available online at: www.blm.gov/nv.

The next quarterly oil and gas sale is scheduled for December 10, 2013. The sale will feature parcels in the BLM’s Ely District.

CARSON CITY: BLM Seeks Input on Nevada Royal Jasper Quarry Project (06-14-13)

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:18:25 -0600

Carson City, Nev.--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District, Stillwater Field Office will prepare an environmental analysis on a proposal from Neva-Rite LLC to develop, process, and reclaim a quarry pit operation in Churchill County, about 15 miles east of Fallon, Nev. Neva-Rite LLC is seeking approval for a mineral material negotiated sale contract on public lands administered by the BLM. The public is invited to submit comments through June 28, 2013.

The material sale contract would allow Neva-Rite LLC to extract approximately 200,000 cubic yards of material within a 19.7 acre area of public land over a five-year period, including plans for possible future consecutive negotiated sales within the project area in a phased development of the quarry pit.

Proposed development for the Royal Jasper Quarry would consist of:

An open pit which would be designed to have a visual buffer on north side of pit to reduce visual impacts to sensitive areas;
Waste rock dump, rock stockpiles;
Handling/staging area;
Public rock collection area;
Up to six full time employees working daily four or five days per week.

The projected quarry life is five years with possible future negotiated sale contracts. The materials would be processed on site and they would then be shipped off site for market sale. Reclamation and re-vegetation of disturbed areas would be completed at the end of the contract.

Information and maps are available on-line at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field/blm_information/nepa.html.

For more information, or to submit comments, contact: Ken Depaoli, 5665 Morgan Mill Rd, Carson City, Nev. 89701. Comments can be submitted by email to kdepaloi@blm.gov, faxed to 775-885-6147, Attn: Ken Depaoli.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

For more information contact Ken Depaoli at 775-885-6102.

ELKO: BLM Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council Schedules 2013 Meetings (06-13-13)

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:41:01 -0600

ELKO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will meet with the Northeastern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC) two times in Nevada in 2013: June 27, in Elko; and Sept. 12, in Ely. All meetings are open to the public.

The RAC advises and makes recommendations to the BLM on public land management. Discussion items will include, but are not limited to, renewable energy development and transmission, the Greater sage-grouse, BLM Battle Mountain district resource management plan, wild horse and burro program and ongoing drought issues.

Meeting information including starting times, public comment periods and other information will be listed in the agenda that will be available two weeks prior to each meeting.

CARSON CITY: BLM Seeks Input on Chimney Road Recreational Access Project (06-10-13)

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:07:46 -0600

Carson City, Nev.-The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District, Sierra Front Field Office in coordination with the Great Basin Institute, Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space, and the Sun Valley General Improvement District (SVGID) is proposing to construct and maintain a recreational staging area on Chimney Road, in Washoe County, Nev. The BLM will be preparing an environmental assessment in order to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. The public is invited to submit comments through July 9, 2013.

Key elements of this project include:

ELKO: Interagency Fire Team hosts Dispatch Center Open House (06-05-13)

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 18:46:11 -0600

ELKO, Nev. – Have you ever wondered what it’s like to coordinate resources on a wildland fire? Want to know how resources are ordered? Or maybe just get a closer look at wildland fire engines and equipment?

WINNEMUCCA: BLM Releases Drought Environmental Assessment (05-30-13)

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 17:39:27 -0600

Winnemucca, Nev.--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District will be releasing the Final Drought Environmental Assessment (EA) which provides the BLM and its livestock permitee’s and stakeholder’s a variety of management tools to help mitigate the ongoing impacts of drought on natural resources.

The EA establishes a District Drought Detection and Monitoring Plan (DDMP) and contains drought response actions (DRA) that will be used to inform land managers about how uses on public lands are impacting natural resources during drought. The DRAs provide guidance and instructions on how to properly identify what actions must be taken to mitigate impacts from authorized or unauthorized uses on public land.

“The Drought EA will not be a standalone document that can be used to authorize projects and activities to mitigate drought,” said BLM Humboldt River Field Manager Vern Graham. “It will provide documentation and a range of potential management actions that can be used to more quickly and efficiently make decisions in a rapidly changing environment.”

The Preliminary Drought Environmental Assessment was released for public review in February 2013. Comments were received from six entities with approximately 20 comments made to the EA. A list of the questions and the BLM’s response to each question will be available for the public to review.

The documents are available on the Winnemucca website at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_information/nepa0.html. Printed copies of the documents are available at the BLM Office, 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, Nevada, during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, or will be provided upon request.

For additional information, please contact Wes Barry, Assistant Field Manager-Range, at (775) 623-1500, or at the above address.

STATE OFFICE: BLM Reopens Nominations to Resource Advisory Councils (06-05-13)

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 16:22:51 -0600

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada announced today that it is reopening the public call for nominations for five open positions on its Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (SFNW RAC), which advises the BLM on public land issues. The BLM will consider the nominations for 30 days after June 3, 2013, when the agency is published its notice in the Federal Register announcing the reopening of nominations.

The BLM’s RACs, composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues, help the Bureau carry out its stewardship of 245 million acres of public lands. The Bureau, which manages more land than any other Federal agency, has 29 RACs across the West, where most BLM-managed land is located. Each RAC consists of 10 to 15 members with an interest in public land management, including such individuals as conservationists, ranchers, outdoor recreationists, state and local government officials, Tribal officials, and academics. The diverse membership of each RAC is aimed at achieving a balanced outlook that the BLM needs for its mission, which is to manage the public lands for multiple uses.

“I value the advice given to the BLM by these citizen-based Resource Advisory Councils,” said BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze. “The people who use and enjoy BLM-managed lands deserve a formal voice on public land issues, and their input enhances our agency’s ability to administer and conserve these lands for current and future generations of Americans.”

Individuals may nominate themselves or others to serve on an advisory council. Nominees, who must be residents of the state where the RAC has jurisdiction, will be judged on the basis of their training, education, and knowledge of the council’s geographical area. Nominees should also demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and collaborative decision making. All nominations must be accompanied by letters of reference from any represented interests or organizations; a completed background information nomination form; and any other information that speaks to the nominee's qualifications.

The five RAC positions open on the SFNW RAC are in the following categories:
One vacancy in Category One – Public land ranchers and representatives of organizations associated with energy and mineral development, the timber industry, transportation or rights-of-way, off-highway vehicle use, and commercial recreation.

One vacancy in Category Two – Representatives of nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations, archaeological and historical organizations, dispersed recreation activities, and wild horse and burro organizations.

Three vacancies in Category Three – Representatives of state, county, or local elected office; representatives and employees of a state agency responsible for the management of natural resources; representatives of Indian Tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the RAC is organized; representatives and employees of academic institutions who are involved in natural sciences; and the public-at-large.

The SFNW RAC would like to find nominees for the energy and minerals, wild horse and burro, environmental organizations, elected official and tribal representative positions but interested persons may apply for any position in the three categories.

Nominations should be sent by July 3 to Lisa Ross, SFNW RAC coordinator, 5655 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, Nev. 89701. Questions can be directed to 775-885-6107 or lross@blm.gov.

STATE OFFICE: Oil and Gas Lease Sale June 11 (06-05-13)

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 16:18:52 -0600

Reno, Nev.—The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada is holding a competitive oil and gas lease sale on Tuesday, June 11 at the BLM State Office in Reno at 1340 Financial Blvd.

The sale room will open at 8 a.m. for registration and bidding numbers and the sale begins at 9 a.m. Currently, there are 41 parcels encompassing 66,326 acres to be offered at the sale. The parcels offered are located in the Battle Mountain District.

The sale notice, parcel list, associated stipulations, and amendment are available in the Information Access Center at the BLM Nevada State Office at 1340 Financial Blvd., and online at the BLM Nevada website at: www.blm.gov/nv. The website also provides a Geographic Information System shapefile of the parcels.

Annual rental for an oil and gas lease is $1.50 per acre for the first five years, and $2 per acre for any subsequent year. Additional environmental analysis would need to be conducted to receive an application for permit to drill.

CARSON CITY: Bernadette Lovato named BLM Carson City District Manager (06-05-13)

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 14:02:10 -0600

Carson City, Nev. – 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.

“We’re fortunate to have Bernadette working with us at BLM Nevada. Her many years of natural resource experience will be a tremendous asset to us as we move ahead with our resource plans and implementation,” said Amy Lueders, State Director.

“I’m honored to work at such a great BLM District,” Lovato said. “I’m a supporter of BLM’s multiple use mission and hope to continue to build strong, healthy partnerships within the Carson City District.”

Lovato began her federal career in 1990 with the National Park Service and has worked in a variety of places and assignments over the past 23 years. Prior to coming to Nevada she served as the field office manager for the BLM’s Bishop Field Office in California. She also held various positions with the BLM in Arizona including associate district manager for the Colorado River District where she provided oversight to three field offices covering 5.1 million acres and as a member of the recreation and lands and realty staff for the Lake Havasu field office.

She attended New Mexico State University and completed the BLM Emerging Leader Program, a year-long intensive training for future BLM leaders. She has two adult children, Valerie and James.

“The BLM deals with complex issues as we preserve multiple uses and protect resources,” Lovato added. “I encourage the public to attend our open house and welcome an opportunity to meet the community and hear any concerns.”

For more information contact Lisa Ross at 775-885-6107.