3.1 Demographics, location, topography, and climatic data

Nye County is located in south-central Nevada and is approximately 11.6 million acres in size.A summary of land management acreages is provided in Table 3-1 and presented in Figure 3-1.

Table 3-1. Land Management Acreage within Nye County

Land Administrator	Acres	Percent of total
Bureau of Land Management	6,553,000	56%
US Forest Service	1,962,000	17%
National Park Service	108,000	1%
State of Nevada	19,000	<1%
Private	247,000	2%
Bureau of Indian Affairs	8,000	<1%
Department of Defense	1,852,000	16%
Department of Energy	863,000	7%
Total	11,612,000
Approximate values derived from BLM land ownership GIS database.

The Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain Field Office and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Austin and Tonopah Ranger Districts manage a combined 73 percent of the land in Nye County. As such, these agencies need to work closely with the communities and other agencies to ensure that the risk for loss of life and property from a wildfire in the wildland-urban interface areas is minimized.

Nye County spans from central to southern Nevada. Elevations within the county range from 11,773 feet at Arc Dome to 2,650 feet at Pahrump. The northern portion of the county has numerous mountain ranges including the Toiyabe Range, the Monitor Range, the Hot Creek Range, and the Grant Range. The largest valleys are Big Smoky Valley, Monitor Valley, and the Amargosa Valley Desert. The majority of the lands in the southern portion of the county are administered by the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.

The current population estimate for Nye County is 36,600 persons (Nevada State Demographer 2003). The main employers in Nye County include the Nevada Test Site and mining. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation also lists Bechtel Nevada Corp., and Round Mountain Gold Corp. as the largest employers in the County (Nevada Commission on Economic Development, 2004).

3.2 Wildfire History

The fire history of Nye County was researched through the Nevada BLM State Office and Humboldt-Toiyabe Supervisor’s Office. There have been a moderate number of wildland fire occurrences in Nye County between 1980 and 2003; however, less than one percent of the land in the county has been affected by wildfire in the last 24 years. Many small fires that are caused by lightning in the mountains go unreported, and in the past, many large fires were not reported to or were not recorded by public land management agencies. Table 3-2 summarizes the fire histories and fire ignitions by year. Figure 3-2 illustrates the location and distribution of historic fires in Nye County. Amargosa Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roger Bright indicated that a 100-acre fire in 2003 and another 250-300-acre fire in 1999 were additional wildfires that were not included in the fire datasets.

Table 3-2. Summary of Fire History Data 1980-2003

Year	Number of Fire Ignitions	Total Fire Acreage
1980	15	77
1981	10	968
1982	11	30
1983	13	1,252
1984	14	737
1985	23	297
1986	18	1,262
1987	21	1,170
1988	39	10,295
1989	12	0
1990	23	8
1991	29	19
1992	25	6
1993	15	2
1994	7	1
1995	5	5,041
1996	7	21
1997	17	20
1998	29	1,391
1999	24	23,598
2000	19	18,762
2001	23	182
2002	16	4,380
2003	12	52
TOTAL	427	69,571
Fire ignition and base acreage data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, Idaho. Additional fire history information provided by BLM Nevada State Office and USFS Humboldt-Toiyabe N.F. Supervisor’s Office.

3.2.1 Ignition Risk Factors

Ignition risks for wildfires fall into two categories: lightning and human caused. Human caused ignitions can come from a variety of sources: fires started along highways and county roads from burning material thrown out of vehicle windows or ignited during auto accidents, off-road vehicles, railroads, faulty power lines, agricultural fires, debris burning in piles or burn barrels, unattended camp fires, target shooting, and fireworks. Of the 427 wildfire incidents in Nye County, 267 were recorded by ignition source between 1980 and 2003; 177 of these were due to lightning and 90 were human caused. The cause for the remaining fires was not reported.

3.2.2 Fire Ecology

The science of fire ecology is the study of how fire contributes to plant community structure and species composition. A “fire regime” is defined in terms of the average number of years between fires under natural conditions (fire frequency) and the amount of dominant vegetation replacement (fire severity). Natural fire regimes have been affected throughout most of Nevada by twentieth century fire suppression policies. Large areas that formerly burned with high frequency but low intensity (fires more amenable to control and suppression) are now characterized by large accumulations of unburned fuels, which once ignited, will burn at higher intensities.

Big sagebrush is the most common plant community in Nevada with an altered fire regime, now characterized by infrequent, high-intensity fires. Sagebrush requires ten to twenty or more years to reestablish on burned areas. During the interim these areas can provide the conditions for establishment and spread of invasive species and in some cases inhibit sagebrush reestablishment. The most common invasive species that reoccupy burned areas in Nye County are cheatgrass and red brome.

Effect of Cheatgrass on Fire Ecology

Cheatgrass and red brome are commonly introduced annual grasses that aggressively invade disturbed areas, especially after a fire. Replacement of a native shrub community with a pure stand of cheatgrass or red brome increases the susceptibility of an area to repeated wildfire ignitions, especially in late summer when desiccating winds and lightning activity are more prevalent. The annual production or volume of cheatgrass or red brome fuel produced each year is highly variable and dependent on winter and spring precipitation. Plants can range from only a few inches tall in a dry year to over two feet tall on the very same site in wet years. In a normal or above normal precipitation year, cheatgrass and red brome can be considered high hazard fuel types. In dry years, these grasses are generally sparse and low in stature and pose a low fire behavior hazard because they tend to burn with relatively low intensities. Nevertheless, each year dried cheatgrass and red brome have the potential to create highly flammable fuel beds that are easily ignited with the propensity to rapidly burn into adjacent cover types that may be characterized by more severe and hazardous fire behavior. The ecologic risk of a fire spreading from a stand of cheatgrass or red brome into adjacent, unburned, native vegetation is that additional disturbed areas are thereby opened and vulnerable to cheatgrass invasion. Associated losses of natural resource values such as wildlife habitat, soil stability, and watershed functions are additional risks.

Eliminating cheatgrass and red brome presents a difficult challenge. Mowing defensible space and fuelbreak areas each year before seed maturity is effective in reducing cheatgrass growth. In areas where livestock may be utilized, implementing early-season intensive grazing up to and during flowering may aid in depleting the seed bank[1]. The use of pre-emergent herbicides has also proven effective in reducing growth and depleting the seed bank. Any herbicide treatment on public lands must be done in accordance with federal guidelines, and private landowners should proceed with caution and consult with the label’s instructions and their local extension agent. It may take years of intensive treatment efforts to control cheatgrass in a given area, but it is a desirable conservation objective in order to revert the landscape to the natural fire cycle and reduce the occurrence of large, catastrophic wildfires. Community-wide efforts in cooperation with county, state, and federal agencies are necessary for successful cheatgrass reduction treatments.

Fire Ecology in Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands

Singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper are the dominant components of a plant community commonly referred to as Pinyon-Juniper (P-J). P-J woodlands were primarily confined to the steeper slopes commonly found at higher elevations in the Great Basin prior to European settlement. These woodland communities were characterized by a discontinuous distribution on the landscape and a heterogeneous internal fuel structure: a mosaic pattern of shrubs and trees resulting from the canopy openings created by small and frequent wildfires.

Both pinyon and juniper trees have relatively thin bark with continuous branching all the way to the ground. In dense stands, lower tree branches frequently intercept adjacent ladder fuels (e.g. shrubs, herbaceous groundcover, and smaller trees). This situation creates a dangerous fuel condition where ground fires can be carried into tree canopies and create crown fires. A crown fire is the most perilous of all wildfire conditions and is usually catastrophic in nature since the danger to firefighters is generally too great to deploy ground crews.

Over the last 100 years, wildfires in most of the western United States have been aggressively suppressed and P-J woodlands have encroached over areas traditionally occupied by other plant communities. Tree canopy coverage has been greatly expanded and has reached as high as sixty percent or more in some areas, contributing to the loss of diverse shrublands. These dense woodlands are perceived as desirable for urban expansion in contrast to the surrounding deserts. In areas where human occupation in P-J woodlands has grown over the last fifty years, the option of returning to a natural fire regime becomes increasingly problematic.

3.3 Natural Resources and Critical Features Potentially At Risk

Critical features at risk of loss during a wildfire event can be economic assets such as agricultural and industrial resources or cultural features, such as historic structures, archaeological sites, and recreation-based resources.

3.3.1 Historical Registers

There are fifty sites listed on the National Register of Historical Places for Nye County. Of these, 44 are located within Tonopah. The Nevada State Register of Historical Places lists eight of these sites on their registry for Nye County. The sites listed on both the Federal and the State Registers reflect this region’s turn of the century mining history including sites such as: Board and Batten Miners Cabin, Brann Boarding house, Brokers Exchange, several row houses, and the Tonopah Mining Company House. Archeological sites and historic trails are not necessarily vulnerable to wildfire impacts. Historic districts, historic buildings, and cultural resources that lie in the wildland-urban interface that could be negatively impacted by wildfire are summarized in Table 3-3.

Table 3-3. At Risk Historical Places in Nye County

Site Name	Location	Source Register
44 sites	Tonopah	National Register of Historic Places
William H. Berg House	Round Mountain	National Register of Historic Places
Belmont Historic District	46 miles NE of Tonopah	National Register of Historic Places; Nevada State Register of Historic Places
Berlin Historic District	Berlin	National Register of Historic Places; Nevada State Register of Historic Places
El Rancho Gardens	Pahrump	Nevada State Register of Historic Places
Gatecliff Rockshelter	Austin	National Register of Historic Places

3.3.2 Natural Resources and Recreation

The mountain ranges in Nye County provide particularly valuable recreation areas including the Toiyabe Range, the Monitor Range, the Hot Creek Range, and the Grant Range. These areas provide scenic, aesthetic, and wildlife resources. The 22,000-acre Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately ten miles southeast of Amargosa Valley. The refuge provides habitat for 24 endemic species as well as four endangered fish and one endangered plant. If these areas burned, wildlife habitat would be substantially altered for a period of time and recreation/visitation rates would likely decrease for a period of time. Table 3-4 lists designated campground areas that are recreation resources at risk of loss or damage in the event of a wildfire. Figure 3-2 illustrates their locations.

Table 3-4. Recreation Areas in Nye County

Name of Site	Elevation	Uses	Location
Barley Creek	7,700 ft.	Camping, trailhead, wilderness access, scenic drive	Monitor Range
Columbine	9,000 ft.	Camping, trailhead, wilderness access, scenic drive	Toiyabe Range
Peavine	6,700 ft.	Camping, scenic drive	Toiyabe Range
Pine Creek	7,300 ft.	Camping, trailhead, wilderness access, scenic drive	Toquima Range
San Juan Creek	7,600 ft.	Camping, trailhead, wilderness access, scenic drive	Toiyabe Range
Washington Creek	7,200 ft.	Camping, trailhead, scenic drive	Toiyabe Range
Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park	6,800 ft.	Camping, ghost town, natural history display	Shoshone Range
Ash Meadows NWR	2,400 ft.	Wildlife habitat, wildlife observation, picnicking, hunting, swimming	Ash Springs

3.3.3 Flora and Fauna

The fifty species that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act or are protected by state legislation with potential habitat in Nye County are listed in Table 3-5 (Nevada Natural Heritage Program database, 2004). The vast majority of the species are associated with springs or other water bodies. The Nevada Natural Heritage Program, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and/or the Nevada Departmentof Wildlife should be consulted regarding specific concerns and potential mitigation to minimize impacts to these species. Project recommendations for federally listed threatened or endangered species require consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Table 3-5. Federal and State Listed Flora and Fauna At Risk in Nye County

Scientific name	Common name	Legislation
Plants
Astragalus lentiginosus var. sesquimetralis	Sodaville milkvetch	NRS 527.260.300
Astragalus mohavensis var. heigyrus	Halfring milkvetch	NRS 527.260.300
Astragalus phoenix	Ash Meadows milkvetch	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Centaurium namophilum	Spring-loving centaury	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Enceliopsis nudicaulis var. corrugata	Ash Meadows sunray	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Frasera gypsicola	Sunnyside green gentian	NRS 527.260.300
Grindelia fraxinoptratensis	Ash Meadows gumplant	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Ivesia kingii var. eremica	Ash Meadows mousetail	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Mentzelia leucophylla	Ash Meadows bazingstar	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 527.260.300
Nitrophila mohavensis	Amargosa Valley niterwort	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 527.260.300
Opuntia pulchells	Sand cholla	NRS 527.060.120
Polyctenium williamsiae	Williams combleaf	NRS 527.260.300
Sclerocactus blainei	Blaine pincushion	NRS 527.060.120
Sclerocactus nyensis	Tonopah pincushion	NRS 527.060.120
Sclerocactus polyancistrus	Hermit cactus	NRS 527.060.120
Insects
Ambrysus amargosus	Ash Meadows naucorid	ESA-Listed Threatened
Fish
Catostomus clarki intermedius	White River desert sucker	NRS 501
Crenichthys baileyi thermophilus	Moorman White River springfish	NRS 501
Crenichthys nevadae	Railroad Valley springfish	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 501
Cyprinodon diabolis	Devils Hole pupfish	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501
Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes	Ash Meadows Amargosa Valley pupfish	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501
Cyprinodon nevadensis pectoralis	Warm Springs Amargosa Valley pupfish	ESA-Listed Endangered
Gila bicolor ssp.	Big Smoky Valley tui chub	NRS 501
Gila bicolor ssp.	Hot Creek Valley tui chub	NRS 501
Gila bicolor ssp.	Little Fish Lake Valley tui chub	NRS 501
Gila bicolor ssp.	Railroad Valley tui chub	NRS 501
Lepidomeda albivallis	White River spinedace	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501
Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi	Lahontan cutthroat trout	ESA-Listed Threatened NRS 501
Rhinichthys osculus lariversi	Big Smoky Valley speckled dace	NRS 501
Rhinichthys osculus nevadensis	Ash Meadows speckled dace	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501
Amphibians
Bufo nelsoni	Amargosa Valley toad	NRS 501
Reptiles
Gopherus agassizii	Desert tortoise (Mojave Desert pop.)	NRS 501
Heloderma suspectum cinctum	Banded gila monster	NRS 501
Mammals
Brachylagus idahoensis	Pygmy rabbit	NRS 501
Euderma maculatum	Spotted bat	NRS 501
Birds
Accipiter gentiles	Northern goshawk	NRS 501
Athene cunicularia hypugaea	Western burrowing owl	NRS 501
Buteo regalis	Ferruginous hawk	NRS 501
Buteo swainsoni	Swainson’s hawk	NRS 501
Centrocercus urophasianus	Greater sage grouse	NRS 501
Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus	Western snowy plover	NRS 501
Chlidonias niger	Black tern	NRS 501
Coccyzus americanus occidentalis	Western yellow-billed cuckoo	NRS 501
Empidonax traillii extimus	Southwestern willow flycatcher	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501
Ixobrychus exilis hesperis	Western least bittern	NRS 501
Oreortyx pictus	Mountain quail	NRS 501
Otus flammeolus	Flammulated Owl	NRS 501
Phainopepla nitens	Phainopepla	NRS 501
Plegadis chihi	White-faced ibis	NRS 501
Rallus longirostris yumanensis	Yuma clapper rail	ESA-Listed Endangered NRS 501

3.4 Previous Fire Hazard Reduction Projects

The Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain Field Office conducted site assessments of fuel conditions surrounding the communities of Carvers, Hadley, Ione, Manhattan, and Tonopah between 2002 and 2003. The site assessments include narrative descriptions of fuels, expected fire behavior, treatment alternatives, reference photos, and maps of proposed project areas. Environmental Assessments were also completed for the proposed fuel reduction treatments in the communities of Carvers, Hadley, and Manhattan.

Treatment alternatives to reduce fuel hazards included mowing, greenstripping, imprint- and drill-seeding, prescribed fire, implementation of shaded fuelbreaks, and prescription thinning. Additional recommendations included the use of monitoring techniques for fine fuels, training, and the establishment of fire safe community programs in some locations.

Documentation and additional details on these projects are available at the Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain Field Office. At the time of this report, the BLM fuel reduction treatments for Carvers were reported as being complete and an interagency fuel reduction project planned by the BLM and USFS in Manhattan was initiated in 2004, with additional work planned in 2005. The BLM also expects to begin work on fuel reduction treatments in Ione and Yomba in 2005.

The BLM Battle Mountain Field Office fuels management team was recognized in 2004 with a national award from the BLM for their work in the planning and implementation of fuels reduction projects in the communities within its district.

The Nevada Division of Forestry has initiated fuels reduction treatments along the access road and within the campground at the Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park. At the time of the interview, twelve acres had been treated with another 28 planned for late winter 2004-2005.

The Manhattan chapter of the Nevada Fire Safe Council completed a fuel reduction treatment of approximately twenty acres on private lands within the town.

Figure 3-1 Community Locations and Land Ownership, Nye County, Nevada small | large | x-large
Figure 3-2 Ignition History, Fire History, and Potentially at Risk Resources, Nye County, Nevada small | large | x-large