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Forest Service outlines fuels projects, NEPA timeline and hiring pause affecting recreation work in Elko County
Summary
District Ranger Josh Nichols and Deputy District Ranger Wendy Marthem reported on planned roadside treatments, the Shantytown fuels break, Soldier Canyon work, East Humboldt–Ruby Mountains NEPA schedule, Deer Mountain fuels, Angel Lake dam design and a hiring pause that may limit seasonal work.
Josh Nichols, district ranger for the Forest Service in Elko, updated the board on fuels and NEPA work and said several projects are scheduled for implementation subject to weather and review timelines.
Nichols said roadside treatments with a masticator are planned in the Cherry Springs area (near Overland Pass) and that he has signed the decision for a Shantytown thousand‑foot fuels break. The Forest Service intends to hold a public meeting in Shantytown to inform residents about implementation, to allow comment and to arrange local access to fuelwood. Implementation is expected in March or April, depending on weather.
Nichols reported Elko County Fire Protection District and Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) are cooperating on fuels work in Soldier Canyon, removing hazard trees and doing roadside maintenance and light thinning to maintain a fuel break corridor.
On NEPA, Nichols said specialist reports for the East Humboldt–Ruby Mountains project (EHRM) are nearly complete and the Forest Service is drafting an environmental assessment (EA) with contractors including Stantec and the Great Basin Institute. He said the agency expects to sign a decision around June and, if that schedule holds, implementation could start this fall. Nichols said the Deer Mountain Fuels project in the Jarbidge area is slightly behind EHRM and may be roughly a month later; combined, the projects would cover about 70% of the ranger district under fuels NEPA.
Nichols also said a current hiring pause following an administration change will reduce seasonal hires in areas such as recreation and weeds; the fire module remains fully staffed but some non‑fire program work may require contracting or partner support.
Deputy District Ranger Wendy Marthem said the Forest Service is coordinating with county staff, State Parks and the Wildlife Refuge on a proposal to host a shared trail crew for summer work and that they are awaiting engineering reports on the Angel Lake dam. Marthem said engineers are finalizing a preliminary design, a SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office) consultation step remains, and if approvals proceed, contracting for construction could occur this fall. Marthem said a risk review had already been completed and that spillway sizing was updated to account for the spring melt.
Nichols and Marthem said Elko County, NDF and Nevada Department of Wildlife are cooperating agencies on the EHRM project and will have opportunities to review draft documents before public release.
No formal actions were taken by the board on these projects at this meeting; the agencies provided status reports and timelines for public review and future meetings.
