SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
WINNEMUCCA — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District (WD), will begin preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the impacts of implementing new Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fuel breaks and maintaining existing fuel breaks around the greater Winnemucca and Grass Valley areas of Humboldt County. The BLM would appreciate receiving substantive comments on the proposal by June 10, 2010.
“The communities of Winnemucca and Grass Valley are surrounded by private and public lands with a history of large, fast moving wildfires that pose threats to public safety and property,” said Jeff Johnson, BLM fuels manager. “Constructing new and maintaining the existing fuelbreaks will help protect additional areas along the Water Canyon Road.”
The following types of treatments would be utilized to perform the needed maintenance and/or new construction of fuelbreaks: mowing or manual removal of vegetation, herbicide application, and drill seeding (a seeder would be used to plant fire resistant perennial plants).
The BLM is seeking input identifying issues and concerns or applicable knowledge to assist with developing the EA. A scoping letter and map are available on the Winnemucca webpage at: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_information/nepa0.html.
Please send written comments to Angie Arbonies, BLM, Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445, or e-mail to [email protected]. E-mail comments should reference “Winnemucca (WUI) Fuelbreak (A. Arbonies)” in the subject line.
Public comments submitted for this project, including names and addresses of commentors, will be available for public review at the WD Office during regular business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
For further information, please call Angie Arbonies, fire ecologist at (775) 623-1545.
