LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As wildfires continue to threaten our neighbors to the west, the Department of Agriculture announced more than $490 Million for 11 key landscapes, one of which borders Nevada.
The Sierra and Elko fronts are two major areas of focus, where more than 30 projects to mitigate wildfires have already gone through the clearance phase. According to a release from the department, the Nevada Division of Forestry will be directly receiving $57.3 Million of those funds to continue efforts in those areas.
In a call with project leaders, Chris French, the Deputy Chief of the National Forest System tells me more projects are set to be added.
"The projects that are there range from as small as 40 acres up to nearly 30,000 acres," French told KTNV.
It comes on the heels of a different Biden Administration Department — the Department of Energy — providing a $700 Million loan to an Australian mining company to produce Lithium.
Ioneer, the company receiving the loan, estimates the site could produce enough Lithium to support the production of 400,000 electric vehicles annually for decades.
But the site encroaches on the habitat of Tiehm's Buckwheat, an endangered wildflower native to Nevada — one of the reasons why Ioneer has to complete an environmental impact study.
When asked about the balance between protecting the land and providing resources needed across the country, French told KTNV, "As we approach any of this work, we are required to ensure that we are creating conditions that create long-term viability for species that are sensitive or at risk and that we are creating long-term recovery of species that are threatened or endangered."
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, also added that this particular area is "a very good example of the need for continued partnership."
The federal funds will be directly contributing to Nevada's Shared Stewardship Agreement, which is a collaborative strategy among multiple public, private and tribal partners in Nevada focused on talking about the wildfire crisis.
Over the past 20 years, many states have had record catastrophic wildfires, and officials like French are hoping the collective efforts of the federal government, individual states and private owners can really make a difference.
