The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District is asking the public to review and provide comment on the preliminary Ely District Drought Management Environmental Assessment (EA), available online at http://on.doi.gov/ZyuCar. The 30-day public comment period concludes Thursday, March 21, 2013.
Nevada is experiencing record drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 60-percent of the state was in severe or extreme drought conditions as of Jan. 1, 2013. While recent rains and snowfall have improved conditions in a few areas, the state overall remains abnormally dry.
The Ely District Drought Management EA identifies drought indicators and responses. Monitoring conducted so far indicates that the 2012 growing season produced little forage, and the remains of that forage are of poor quality. Many water sources are dry or dried up much earlier in the grazing season, resulting in additional grazing pressure on areas around remaining water sources by all users, including livestock, wildlife and wild horses; causing long-lasting damage to plants, stream channels, spring areas, and water quality.
Interested individuals should address all written comments to the BLM Ely District Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV 89301-9408, Attn: Mindy Seal. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
From the Bureau of Land Management
