State and Federal agencies partner to improve health of Nevada’s federal lands
LAS VEGAS — The state of Nevada, Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service signed agreements on August 15 that make it easier for state and federal agencies to partner on forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration projects on more than 53 million acres of federally managed lands in Nevada.
At a signing event at Galena Creek Visitor Center in Reno, Nevada, the Forest Service signed a 10-year Good Neighbor Authority Master Agreement with the Nevada Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Wildlife. The agencies were joined by the BLM Nevada State Office in signing a Memorandum of Understanding for coordinated planning under the Good Neighbor Authority.
The Good Neighbor Authority allows the Forest Service and BLM to easily transfer funds to state agencies to complete project planning, implementation, or monitoring on public lands or adjacent private lands. The state agencies can use their own staff or subcontract with third parties, including counties, to complete work, providing even more capacity for restoration. Eligible projects include those that reduce wildfire risk, address invasive plants, protect water supplies and wildlife habitat, and meet other forest and public lands management objectives.
“The Forest Service values our partnership with the State of Nevada, and we look forward to using the Good Neighbor Authority to explore new ways to work together to maximize state and federal resources, skills, and ideas to ensure the health and productivity of National Forest System lands,” said Forest Service Intermountain Regional Forester Nora Rasure.
The agreements cover 48 million acres of BLM lands in Nevada, and nearly six million acres of National Forest System lands in Nevada, crossing the Forest Service Intermountain and Pacific Southwest Regions. This includes 5.6 million acres on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, more than 118,000 acres on the Inyo National Forest, and more than 33,000 acres on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
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[[{"fid":"43528","view_mode":"fs_width_0424px","fields":{"format":"fs_width_0424px","field_fs_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_fs_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_fs_image_caption[und][0][value]":"Left to right: Nora Rasure, Regional Forester, Forest Service Intermountain Region; Randy Moore, Regional Forester, Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region; Sheila Anderson, Policy Advisor for the Office of Governor Brian Sandoval; Jim Barbee, Director, Nevada Department of Agriculture; Marci L. Todd, Acting State Director, BLM Nevada State Office; Brad Crowell, Director, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Tony Wasley, Director, Nevada Department of Wildlife. Forest Service photo by Erica Hupp.\r\n","field_fs_image_copyright_notice[und][0][value]":"","field_fs_image_credit[und][0][value]":"Forest Service photo by Erica Hupp","field_fs_internal_notes[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"fs_width_0424px","field_fs_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_fs_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_fs_image_caption[und][0][value]":"Left to right: Nora Rasure, Regional Forester, Forest Service Intermountain Region; Randy Moore, Regional Forester, Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region; Sheila Anderson, Policy Advisor for the Office of Governor Brian Sandoval; Jim Barbee, Director, Nevada Department of Agriculture; Marci L. Todd, Acting State Director, BLM Nevada State Office; Brad Crowell, Director, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Tony Wasley, Director, Nevada Department of Wildlife. Forest Service photo by Erica Hupp.\r\n","field_fs_image_copyright_notice[und][0][value]":"","field_fs_image_credit[und][0][value]":"Forest Service photo by Erica Hupp","field_fs_internal_notes[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"height":"283","width":"424","class":"media-element file-fs-width-0424px","data-delta":"1"},"link_text":false}]]