Assistance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the 2026 Rangeland Resource Assessment on Public Lands in California and NW Nevada
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825
United States
This Instruction Memorandum provides guidance regarding Bureau of Land Management (BLM) assistance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the purpose of collecting data from rangelands administered by the BLM in California and northwest Nevada.
Mission-Related
While conducting the 2026 NRCS Rangeland Resources Assessment as part of the National Resource Inventory (NRI), the NRCS may wish to dig soil pits or other small-scale ground disturbances on BLM lands. On average, a ground disturbance measures 20 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter. Depending on the location, actual size of the ground disturbance and the direction of the assigned Cultural Resource Specialist in each Field Office, Protocol Exemption A1 may apply to some, none, or all of these locations. If paleontological resources are encountered while digging soil pits all work should stop and the appropriate BLM authorized officer should be notified to ensure the discovery is evaluated.
Table 1 presents the breakout by Field Office and county for the number of randomly selected locations on BLM public lands for NRI assessment. The table provides a first approximation of workload for Field Offices in 2026. The CASO will provide exact locations to each Field Office once NRCS finalizes selection.
GIS assistance may be required to open the zipped files when you receive the locations. NRCS will provide further details about its data collection activities on BLM-managed lands, after its review to eliminate any site locations that do not meet NRI rangeland definitions or are deemed inaccessible due to slope, distance from roads, etc.
Table 1: Distribution of Randomly Selected NRI Point Locations by California Field Office and County in 2026:
| County Name | County FIPS Code | # of Segments 2026 | # of Points 2026 | Prospective BLM Field Offices |
| Fresno | 19 | 2 | 6 | Central Coast |
| Glenn | 21 | 1 | 3 | Ukiah |
| Imperial | 25 | 24 | 72 | El Centro |
| Inyo | 27 | 29 | 87 | Barstow, Bishop, Ridgecrest |
| Kern | 29 | 5 | 15 | Bakersfield, Ridgecrest |
| Lake | 33 | 2 | 6 | Ukiah |
| Lassen | 35 | 16 | 48 | Applegate, Eagle Lake |
| Mendocino | 45 | 1 | 3 | Arcata |
| Modoc | 49 | 4 | 12 | Applegate |
| Mono | 51 | 9 | 27 | Bishop |
| Monterey | 53 | 1 | 3 | Central Coast |
| Riverside | 65 | 17 | 51 | Barstow, Palm Springs-South Coast |
| San Bernardino | 71 | 92 | 276 | Barstow, Needles, Palm Springs-South Coast, Ridgecrest |
| San Diego | 73 | 3 | 9 | Palm Springs-South Coast, El Centro |
| San Luis Obispo | 79 | 1 | 3 | Bakersfield |
| Santa Barbara | 83 | 1 | 3 | Bakersfield |
| Shasta | 89 | 3 | 9 | Redding |
The NRCS may request your assistance to:
- Review site locations to confirm that assessment locations are on BLM-administered lands.
- Ensure that the NRCS can access those sites through any locked gates or other barriers.
- Identify sites that have no access (e.g., surrounded by restricted private land).
- Identify sites with military contamination or hazard.
- Provide guidance to NRCS on best methods to access sites in Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) to assure preservation of wilderness character.
- Ensure compliance for protection of cultural resources and special-status plant and wildlife species.
The NRCS staff and partners understand that they must not use motorized and mechanical vehicles or equipment in Wilderness Areas and WSAs.
The NRCS will report findings periodically to the BLM before publication of the national final annual report. Fieldwork for the inventory is scheduled for early March 2026. A representative from the NRCS NRI will be contacting each Field Office in advance of field work for advice on logistics.
Policy and associated actions become effective on the date of the signature of the State Director.
No additional costs. Funding for BLM staff to assist the NRCS with its data collection is part of base programs for each Field Office.
The Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting legislation mandate the NRCS to assess the condition and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s non-federal lands using the National Resources Inventory (NRI). Since 2011, the NRCS NRI has conducted the Rangeland Resource Assessment on lands managed by the BLM as well. The work being conducted at this time is being done through a reimbursable agreement between NRCS and the National Headquarters Office of the BLM. The BLM National Office has reviewed and approved the NRI on BLM lands and has authorized its continuance. The NRCS jointly conducts the Rangeland Resource Assessment with the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.
None.
Raven Chavez, AIM Coordinator at 916-978-4663, email at [email protected]; Nicole Keefner, State Rangeland and Weeds Coordinator at 760-326-7051, email at [email protected]; Amy Girado, Associate State Archaeologist at 760-384-5422, email at [email protected]; and John Fogerty, Deputy Preservation Officer at 916-978-4306, email at [email protected]; Phil Gensler, Regional Paleontologist at 505-954-2172, email at [email protected].
BLM CA930 staff in L1020, L1050, L1610, and L1210 programs contributed to preparing this IM.