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Commissioners press for coordinated wildfire and habitat recovery efforts after large burns
Summary
Commissioners expressed concern about recent large wildfires and invasive cheatgrass replacing native habitat; members urged collaboration with stewardship groups and federal agencies to improve post‑fire rehabilitation and reduce future catastrophic burns.
A commissioner sharply urged more coordinated action on wildfire prevention and habitat recovery, citing the Martin Fire (reported as about 1,000,000 acres), the South Sugarloaf Fire (about 250,000 acres) and the Cottonwood Fire (about 130,000 acres) as examples of landscape‑scale damage. He described widespread replacement of native vegetation by cheatgrass and called for creative, cooperative solutions involving ranchers, state and federal partners.
Other members pointed to the Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group (NENSG), founded in 1999, as a model of collaboration that produced a successful sage‑grouse habitat plan and post‑fire rehabilitation demonstration projects. Commissioners said the BLM’s increasing willingness to engage with local stewardship groups and cooperative mandates could open opportunities for coordinated projects to restore ecosystem resilience.
