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County hears BLM and consultants on grazing, wild‑horse gather, geothermal leases and sage‑grouse planning
Summary
BLM and Resource Concepts briefed commissioners on a prescribed grazing pilot, an ambitious wild‑horse gather, geothermal lease activity and the BLM’s sage‑grouse plan; the board authorized continued engagement and renewed a contract with Resource Concepts.
Zach Riel, Stillwater Field Manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Carson City District, told the Churchill County Board of Commissioners the agency’s prescribed grazing pilot with Pleasant Valley Livestock showed “early indications that is positive” for reducing fuels along fire breaks and may be expanded to other allotments.
Riel also said the BLM has postponed census flights but has a Lhatan Herd Management Area gather scheduled to begin July 26 and run about two weeks; the goal is to reduce the herd to an appropriate management level of “7 to 10 animals” from a current estimated population of around 800. “It’s going to be a large gather,” he said, calling the goal “ambitious.”
Riel reported limited movement on the Dixie Meadows geothermal EIS but said Ormat and other developers are beginning resource‑confirmation drilling across areas that include parts of Churchill County. He said BLM plans a 2026 lease sale covering roughly 320 acres east of the Lahontan reservoir; an initial environmental assessment would allow the lease sale, and successful bidders would face further NEPA work before on‑the‑ground development.
At a separate presentation, Jeremy Drew of Resource Concepts, the county’s consultant on public‑lands matters, walked commissioners through several items the county is tracking: mapping differences between the state and the BLM in the Greater Sage‑Grouse Resource Management Plan amendment, changes in allocation tables (which affect uses such as solar and rights‑of‑way), and implementation issues including disturbance caps, allocations, and exceptions for emergency and maintenance activities. Drew warned that BLM mapping now shows habitat in places the state does not, including parts of the Stillwater Range, and said that discrepancy could affect how projects are reviewed and permitted.
The board voted to renew the county’s contract with Resource Concepts at an annual not‑to‑exceed amount of $85,000 through June 30, 2028 and authorized the county manager to coordinate with RCI and the Nevada Association of Counties to remain engaged in BLM’s implementation of the 2025 sage‑grouse plan. Commissioners also were invited to cooperating‑agency meetings; Drew said the BLM will offer training for cooperating agencies and that county staff plan to attend.
Why this matters: BLM actions and mapping decisions can directly affect land uses inside Churchill County — from grazing permits and road maintenance to renewable energy siting and wildlife protections. County engagement during implementation and in cooperating‑agency forums preserves the county’s ability to request clarifications, map corrections and exceptions for routine operations.
What’s next: The county expects cooperating‑agency briefings and BLM training in late April/early May; commissioners were offered the chance to participate in those meetings and to weigh in on mapping, exceptions and implementation language as federal and state agencies roll out the plan.
