BLM Elko Wells Field Office initiates 30-day comment period for greater sage-grouse habitat
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ELKO, Nev. –The Bureau of Land Management Wells Field Office invites public review and comment of the Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the proposed treatments and improvements to the greater sage-grouse habitat in Northeastern Nevada. The 30-day public comment period begins March 13, 2023 and concludes on April 11, 2023.
“The need for the project is identified as conservation, enhancement, and protection of sagebrush ecosystems within the O’Neil PPA, and is vital to the protection and future success of our greater sage grouse populations,” said Melanie Mitchell, Wells Field Office Manager.
The O’Neil Project Planning Area (PPA) was identified as an ecological assessment area by the Northern Great Basin Fire and Invasive Assessment Team (FIAT). This process is designed to identify strategies that consider threats to greater sage-grouse and their habitats. It incorporates emerging science, regional findings, and local data in identifying management opportunities that counter detrimental ecological trends in wildfire, invasive annual grasses, and conifer expansion.
The O’Neil PPA includes the FIAT PPA boundaries plus additional lands within the Elko District that border Idaho and Utah. The project encompasses an area of approximately 2.44 million acres, of which approximately 208 thousand acres are being analyzed for treatment. The proposed vegetation treatments are in conformance with the BLM’s Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment.
The Wells Field Office will implement vegetation treatment projects over a ten-year period to protect, improve, and restore habitat for various wildlife species, especially greater sage grouse, and restore natural vegetative conditions in the O’Neil PPA. The implementation of specific management strategies and conservation activities will maintain the status of the of the species and protect the habitat for other sagebrush-obligate species that are at substantial risk from wildfire due to hazardous fuels at the landscape level.
The public is invited to review and comment during the 30-day comment period for the PEA. To view the project information on ePlanning or submit comments online please go to – https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/58990/510.
Comments can also be submitted by mail to: BLM, Elko District BLM, Attn: O'Neil PPA, 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko, NV, 89801; by fax to (775) 753-0347; or emailed to BLM_NV_EKD_ONEIL_PPA_PROJECT@blm.gov
For additional information contact Tyson Gripp at (775) 753-0362 or email tgripp@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.