During Fire Restrictions within Nevada, please call one of the following numbers to see if a campfire permit is required for your hunting area located on federal land. If you are hunting on a Nevada Wildlife Management Area, please check special regulations in effect on WMAs.

(Fire data updated spring 2001)
The summer of 1999 was the worst fire season on record for Nevada. In excess of 1.8 million acres of the state burned, an area equal to 2% of the state’s total landmass and twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. This area provided critical or important habitats for more than 40% of Nevada’s wildlife.

The 2000 fire season saw over 1,000 ignitions totaling more than 660,000 acres burned statewide. Many of last year’s fires burned in areas, which were not monotypic cheatgrass habitat but habitat in fairly good condition, which supported good numbers of mule deer, antelope, chukar and particularly sage grouse. Non-game species affected included short-eared owl, vesper sparrow, sage sparrow, yellow breasted chat, Swanson thrush, pinion jay, a variety of small mammals, rodents, bats, reptiles and various predator species.

REPORT BY REGION OF MAJOR FIRES

Western Region

UNIT 034 – BLACK ROCK RANGE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY

The Mahogany Creek fire in the Black Rock Range, Unit 034, Humboldt County, burned 10,000 acres. The species affected included mule deer, antelope, sage grouse, Lahontan cutthroat trout, northern goshawk, vesper sparrow and Swanson thrush. The habitat affected included stream bank riparian, stringer meadow riparian, aspen, big sagebrush and mahogany. Rehabilitation is pending.

UNIT 035 – DOUBLE H RANGE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY

The Double H fire in the Double H Range, Unit 035, Humboldt County, burned 70,902 acres. The species affected included mule deer, antelope, sage grouse, valley quail, chukar, California bighorn, short-eared owl and vesper sparrow. The habitat impacted included Wyoming sagebrush, low sagebrush, meadow riparian and 14 water developments. Rehabilitation proposed by the BLM includes 30,391 aerial and 6,663 drill.

UNIT 041 – SEVEN TROUGH RANGE, PERSHING COUNTY

The South Willow fire in the Seven Trough Range, Unit 041, Pershing County burned 14,065 acres. The species affected included mule deer, antelope, sage grouse, chukar, sage sparrow, and yellow breasted chat. Habitats impacted included seep/spring riparian, low sagebrush and Wyoming sagebrush. Rehabilitation proposed is 13,992 by aerial seeding.

UNIT 043 – WEST HUMBOLDT RANGE, PERSHING COUNTY

The Prince Royal fire in the West Humboldt Range, Unit 043, Pershing County, burned 5,404 acres. The species affected was mule deer. The habitat affected included Wyoming sagebrush and four-wing saltbrush. The rehabilitation proposed by the BLM includes 756 aerial and 422 drilled.

UNIT 183 – CLAN ALPINE RANGE, CHURCHILL COUNTY

The Twin Peaks fire in the Clan Alpine Range, Unit 183, Churchill County, burned 39,210 acres. The species affected included mule deer, chukar, sage grouse, desert bighorn and pinion jay. The habitat affected included pinion pine, seep/spring riparian, low sagebrush and big sagebrush. The rehabilitation is pending.

EASTERN REGION

UNIT 061, BRUNEAU RIVER BREAKS, Elko COUNTY

The McDonald Creek Fire burned 6,984 acres. The wildlife species impacted include deer, antelope, elk, sage grouse, raptors and numerous non-game species. The habitat affected includes the sagebrush steppe community. Boise BLM is not hopeful that they will receive funding due to extent of fires in Idaho. NDOW rehabilitation effort would include reseeding approximately 1,000 acres with sagebrush and would be in addition to any federal rehabilitation effort.

UNIT 066, SOUTHWEST SNOWSTORM RANGE, ELKO COUNTY

The Kelly Creek Fire burned 26,095 public acres and 11,622 private acres. Primary wildlife species impacted include bighorn sheep, sage grouse, deer, antelope, and chukar.

UNIT 072, O’NEIL BASIN, ELKO COUNTY

The Camp Creek Fire (in the O’Neil Basin Complex) burned 31,194 acres. The wildlife species impacted include mule deer, elk, antelope, sage grouse numerous non-game species as well as fisheries. The habitats impacted include Wyoming big sage, bunch grass and mountain brush. This area maintained significant wildlife habitats and resources prior to the fire. It is essential that an adequate fire rehabilitation effort be accomplished and that appropriate steps in post fire livestock grazing are taken.

UNIT 076 AND O81, EAST GOLLAHER MOUNTAIN, ELKO COUNTY

The Chokecherry Fire burned 31,051 acres. Wildlife species impacted include mule deer, antelope and sage grouse. The habitats impacted included mountain brush, Wyoming big sage and bunch grass. Significant sage grouse habitats burned in this fire. Between this fire and the adjacent West Basin Fire, a total of 35 strutting grounds and attendant habitats were burned.

UNITS 076 AND 081, NORTH GOLLAHER MOUNTAIN TO GOOSE CREEK, ELKO COUNTY

The West Basin Fire burned 33,221 acres. The wildlife species affected include mule deer, antelope, sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse. The habitat affected includes mountain brush, Wyoming big sage and bunch grass. This fire effecting significant sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse resources and habitats. An additional 22,010 acres burned within the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho.

UNIT 077, WINDERMERE HILLS/BLACK MOUNTAIN, ELKO COUNTY

The South Cricket Fire burned 66,500 acres of public and private ownership. Primary impacts of the fire included loss of deer transition habitat between summer and winter areas, loss of sage grouse and antelope habitats.

UNIT 141, CORTEZ RANGE, EUREKA COUNTY

The Beware Fire burned 13,360 public acres and 569 private acres. The wildlife species impacted include deer, antelope and sage grouse. The habitat impacted include salt desert shrub, Wyoming big sage, bunch grass and riparian. The state proposed rehabilitation effort include applying forage kochia on private lands. Federal effort, if approved, will be adequate to address wildlife issues.

UNIT 152, NORTH END SHOSHONE RANGE, LANDER COUNTY

The Whisky Fire burned 1,553 acres. The wildlife species affected include mule deer, sage grouse and fisheries. The habitat affected include Wyoming big sage, bunch grass and riparian. BLM has requested help with construction of a protective fence on private lands. NDOW may assist if partnership can be developed.

SOUTHERN REGION

UNIT 173, TIOYABE RANGE, NYE COUNTY

This 7,530 acre fire was located in the Wall Canyon drainage of the Toiyabe Range. A mix of plant communities were consumed including: pinyon/juniper, sagebrush, mountain mahogany, meadow and perhaps aspen. Outcome of the fire is considered negative primarily for mule deer and sage grouse (i.e. historical lek). Bighorn sheep may benefit by the opening of canopy in the upper elevations. U.S. Forest Service is monitoring the area’s natural response. Decisions on acting on the monitoring are anticipated for next year.

UNIT 231, WHITE ROCK PEAK AREA, LINCOLN COUNTY

The Coyote Fire burned 15,780 acres in both pinyion/juniper and mountain brush (including aspen, white fire and mountain mahogany) habitats. Of the 6,900 acres of mule deer habitat burned, 3,000 acres were critical fawning habitat. About 4,000 acres of sage grouse habitat was burned; most was in mountain brush dominated by low sage. Rehabilitation efforts by the BLM will focus on the lower elevations where pinyon/juniper stands were burned

CONCLUSION

Fire and fire cycles are natural events and result in the recycling of nutrients locked in plant material back to the soils and the environment. These nutrients are utilized by young colonizing plants and can increase the overall health of a habitat over time. At higher elevations, above the zone commonly inhabited by cheatgrass, small cool burning fires may improve the health of the system, but in lower elevation sites where the native bunchgrass-shrub community has been replaced by cheatgrass or substantially invaded by cheatgrass, hot, wind driven fires like those that occurred both in 1999 and 2000 can be devastating. Because cheatgrass normally out competes shrubs, owing to its rapid seed dispersal, late winter germination capability, and the maintenance of an accelerated fire regime; cheatgrass can become a monotypic grassland community with little or no wildlife values.

Natural re-vegetation of burned areas occurs after all fires, but with the introduction of cheatgrass in the early part of this century and its rapid invasion into our rangelands, this natural cycle has been altered considerably at the landscape scale. Fires in Nevada now burn earlier in the year, more frequently, and with greater intensity over larger areas.

For these reasons, and the continued loss of wildlife habitat, in 1999 NDOW greatly expanded its wildland fire rehabilitation program. We are working cooperatively with federal land management agencies to rehabilitate and restore critical wildlife habitats across the state. We have successfully developed a program to identify and prioritize fires for restoration efforts and are developing a cooperative agreement with the BLM to identify post fire treatment actions that will enhance the revegetation of these burned habitats.