Churchill County hears updates on public-lands projects, Lahontan wild-horse gather and proposed county lands legislation

County staff and outside consultants briefed the Churchill County Board of Commissioners on multiple public-lands topics Tuesday, including an upcoming Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lahontan wild-horse gather, slow progress on land-transfer work tied to military and federal funding, and continued interest from other counties in a “Common Sense Lands Act” that would expand local requests for land conveyance.

The most immediate item was an informational notice about a planned BLM gather in the Lahontan range. "They are looking to do a horse gather out in the Lahontan range. They're currently expected to be 518 horses in that range," County staff member Joe Sanford told the board. Sanford said the appropriate management level (AML) for herd units there is about "7 to 10," and that current population levels exceed that range.

Resource Concepts principal Jeremy Drew gave a broader update on federal actions that affect county land use and infrastructure. He said the Navy Gantt chart for implementation of the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC) modernization remains subject to National Defense Authorization Act authorizations and MILCON funding, but that some initial funds have arrived and projects such as Lone Tree Road are advancing. Drew told commissioners that BLM realty staffing losses are delaying surveys and land-transaction work: "They've lost a pretty significant portion of their realty staff, which is key to moving forward our components," he said. Drew also reported that BLM’s Sage Grouse Resource Management Plan for Nevada is under administrative review and that the agency appears to be preparing a Record of Decision that borrows elements of prior alternatives rather than issuing a full supplemental EIS.

Commissioner and staff discussion also covered mining and energy project updates: Drew noted a recent ownership change at Bell Mountain and said a Record of Decision for NV Energy’s Greenlink North project is expected in July.

On a related bill, county staff summarized earlier and ongoing efforts by other counties — especially Elko County — to advance a Nevada lands-transfer bill sometimes described as the Common Sense Lands Act. Jim (staff) reviewed the bill’s history and told the board it had earlier legislative support and was signed by the then-governor, but stalled afterward. He urged the board to be cautious about taking a formal position: Churchill County, he said, already has a specifically authorized lands bill in Congress, and taking a stance on broader statewide legislation could complicate local negotiations with BLM over the county’s own transfers.

No formal county action was required on the BLM gather notice; the board treated the item as informational and did not vote. Commissioners asked questions and received the updates. "While we're not batting a thousand in terms of being within HMA or AML in the HMAs, we're doing a lot better than a lot of the other counties in Nevada," Drew said in reference to Churchill County herd areas.

Looking ahead, staff said BLM program reviews under the new federal administration may slow or alter previous rulemaking, including the BLM solar programmatic EIS and conservation rules approved under the prior administration.

Ending: County staff said they will continue to track the Lahontan gather public comment period and the progress of land-management and land-transfer actions, and to coordinate with neighboring counties when requested.