BLM Announces Proposed Decision on the Argenta Settlement Agreement Range Improvement Environmental Assessment
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BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Battle Mountain District Office (BMDO), Mount Lewis Field Office (MLFO) has issued a proposed decision on the Argenta Settlement Agreement Range Improvement Environmental Assessment (EA). The project is located within the Argenta Allotment, southeast of Battle Mountain, NV.
The proposed decision authorizes the construction of exclosures along segments of riparian areas within the Maysville South and North Fork Use Areas in the Argenta Allotment as analyzed in the Proposed Action of the EA. The stream segments are currently degraded from the impacts of current and historic livestock use. The fenced area would protect the riparian habitat by excluding livestock to the stream segments, reducing soil compaction and erosion. This measure will also increase stream bank stabilization as well as allowing for vegetation to be restored.
“These range improvements should allow for vegetation to be restored which will drastically improve the physical conditions of these important riparian areas,” says BMD Lead Rangeland Management Specialist Adam Cochran.
The proposed activities would exclude livestock grazing from approximately 29.7 acres of BLM administered land. The Argenta allotment is comprised of 330,000 acres of which approximately half is public land and half is private. The proposed decision was signed May 31, 2016 and construction cannot begin until this decision is made final.
The EA may be viewed at: http://1.usa.gov/1IVZyHs. A printed copy can be picked up at the Battle Mountain District Office at 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV.
If you have any questions or require clarification on this EA, please call Adam B. Cochran, Lead Rangeland Management Specialist, or Andrea Dolbear, Planning and Environmental Coordinator at (775)-635-4000.
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.