Cheatgrass

As part of the Carson Ranger District’s Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest recently released sheep in the Jacks Valley Wildlife Management Fuels Reduction Project area just south of Jacks Valley Road in Carson City, Nev.

Think of standard firefighting equipment, and the mind will likely conjure up images of big fire trucks, protective gear, hoses, chainsaws and heavy machinery.

But this fire season, the Nevada Division of Forestry and NV Energy are using a different kind of fire prevention technology — a herd of more than 300 goats.

NV Energy and Nevada Division of Forestry have partnered to reduce the risk of wildfire in Carson City in the Clear Creek watershed through targeted goat grazing. More than 300 goats from High Desert Graziers in Smith Valley, NV, will be grazing on over 100 acres of private property off of Highway 50 through September and October of 2020 in an extreme wildfire risk area.

Watching the news on the Numbers Fire south of Gardnerville reminds us how important it is to create and maintain defensible space around your home. The fire burned 18,380 acres in the week it took to get it contained. Have you taken responsibility to make your home/landscape defensible and survivable?

Yes, we all love the nice weather. However, with the sun and lovely temperatures come weeds, the plants we all love to hate. For a weed is simply a plant out of place, or better yet, a plant you wish was any place other than your place!

Hundreds of sheep will arrive in the hills west of Carson City this week and next week, with heightened alert and expectations as fire season arrives when the rain and snow stops and the heat settles in.

Thanks to a partnership between the Nevada Department of Corrections, Bureau of Land Management, and Institute for Applied Ecology, more than 200,000 sagebrush will be planted in Nevada wilderness scarred by wildfire.

Nature’s gifts to our planet are the millions of plant and animal species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. In recognition of this year’s official Earth Day theme, “Protect our Species,” the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (NDCNR) is helping to educate communities about the many wonders of Nevada’s native species, and strategies underway to help advance biodiversity and foster thriving ecosystems.

Our favorite sheep friends are working hard to reduce cheatgrass for fire season, and while people are permitted to go and coo over how adorable they are, multiple people have been also bringing their furry friends without leashing them, which scares the sheep and makes it difficult to perform their important work.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has stepped up its efforts to educate communities about the threats posed by invasive plants, animals, and microorganisms in Nevada during National Invasive Species Awareness Week, now through March 3, 2019.

My friend Jose asked me if he sprayed cheatgrass would it sterilize the seeds. He hoped if he applied an herbicide before weed-eating, it would kill the seeds, which were going to be spread all over as he cut.

The answer, unfortunately, is “no.”

Managing weeds, particularly with chemicals, is more complicated than most people realize.

A neighbor was spraying cheatgrass recently. He didn’t realize that with the cheatgrass already going to seed and turning brown, his use of chemicals was ineffective and costly in time and money. The seeds will still spread, and he will still have to mow or weed-eat the dead plant residue.

The Carson City Fire Department is holding a Green Waste Collection Day this Saturday May 19, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Residents can bring pine needles, pine cones, branches and other vegetation to Carson River Park, located at 5013 Carson River Road.

May is Nevada Wildfire Awareness month. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the fire agencies across the State are asking people to prepare their homes and communities to reduce the risks of a wildfire.

As part of the Carson Ranger District’s Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, sheep will be released to graze on two separate fuel reduction project areas. These sheep will help remove cheatgrass and other non-native vegetation from National Forest System (NFS) lands.

Fire crews from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Carson Ranger District are wrapping up pile burning in the North Washoe Valley Fuels Reduction Project area, north of Carson City.

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources aims to educate residents about threats posed by invasive plants, animals and microorganisms in the Silver State during National Invasive Species Awareness Week, being recognized now through March 2.

I was recently reading a magazine called “Garden Design” that featured award-winning eco-friendly gardens. In it was a story by Louisa Jones about ecologist and landscape architect, Gilles Clément. He is renowned for his concept of the “Moving Garden.” It is a concept of biological gardening, the idea of working with, not against nature.

The hills are alive with sheep. About 700 sheep and 1,000 lambs are once again grazing 2,000 acres around the west side of Carson City, eating up cheatgrass and other weeds to clear out potential wildfire fuel.

A sagebrush ecosystem conservation program that will guide management of more than 1.5 million acres of habitat in Nevada, protecting both sensitive ecosystems and mining interests was announced Tuesday by Gov. Brian Sandoval and federal land managers.

As part of a Carson City hazardous fuels reduction and invasive weed project, sheep will be placed along the west side of Carson City to reduce the fuel load by removing fine fuels, including cheatgrass and other non-native vegetation, from the wildland urban interface.

Participants in the annual Wildfire Awareness Half Marathon and 5K Runs in Washoe and Clark counties raised more than $15,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

This warm winter weather makes weeds grow. A few weeks ago, I saw filaree blooming. Cheatgrass is growing, even with the drought. As these and other winter annual weeds grow and before the spring weeds get started, people are thinking of spraying. They want to kill weeds that have started and prevent any new weeds from germinating in the first place.