The City Council of Elko discussed various road improvement programs during their meeting last Tuesday. They underwent a selection process regarding which road projects to endorse to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

This is a response to the request from the city staff. The City analyzed various road projects and then selected the most important ones to endorse to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

They also discussed several other important matters during the meeting.

View full story at elkodaily.com

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Elko building and property improvement permit values for July were higher than last year, with permit fees of more than $1 million collected to date.

Elko’s Building Department issued 532 permits up to the end of July this year, 69 more than last year, collecting more than $1 million, more than double the amount received by this time last year. Most of those were from permit applications received prior to this year.

A possible sign of the slowdown in the economy, applications are down 11%, at 226, for the first seven months of the year.

Building permits can be quite complex, sometimes much more, depending on the purpose of the permit. Approvals are almost always needed from

• Elko Building Department
• Elko Fire Department
• Elko Engineering Department (Drainage & Grading)
• Elko Planning Department

Depending on the purpose of the permit, approval may be needed from

• Health Department
• FEMA
• EPA
• Other agencies

View another story at elkodaily.com

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The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently approved rights of way for the Ruby Pipeline from Wyoming to Oregon, through Elko County. A few days later, The Sierra Club filed an appeal with the Interior Land Board of Appeals.

The Ruby Pipeline project, was started to address growing demand for natural gas and gas transportation infrastructure. The company filed their application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January, 2009, requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing the construction and operation of the Ruby Pipeline Project. The Federal Regulator approves the application in April this year, and additional approvals are pending from various regulatory agencies.

The Bureau of Land Management approval is one of those, but there are sure to be appeals against the project. FERC approved the company to proceed and begin construction in July this year, and construction began July 31, 2010. Planned completion date is March 2011.

See Ruby Pipeline Receives FERC Approval to Begin Construction

See a Ruby Pipeline reforestation story.

See a more in-depth story about the Sierra Club appeal at elkodaily.com

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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) concluded their Tuscarora wild horse gather outside the Rock Creek Herd Management Area (HMA) on Monday. This was the final HMA gather planned by BLM to reduce wild horse numbers.

In all, 1,224 wild horses were rounded up and moved from the area, the BLM said, because of rangeland resources degradation on public and adjacent private lands due to the over-population of wild horses. The condition of the water-starved wild horses triggered what BLM called the “emergency rescue operations.” BLM brought in 46,000 gallons water for wild horses within the Owyhee HMA from July 12 to July 18.

Wild Horse Injuries

34 animals died or were euthanized during gather operations:  13 animals died due to insufficient water resources on the range, succumbing to water starvation/dehydration-related complications; 12 animals had pre-existing injuries or conditions such as lameness, blindness, pneumonia, or birth defect/physical injury-related deformities and were humanely euthanized.  Four wild horses died or were euthanized as a result of gather-related injuries, and five animals died from assorted causes after transportation to the short-term holding facility.

Two additional wild horses (a mare and foal) that were not being gathered were also found on the range during reconnaissance activities and were humanely euthanized because of life-threatening injuries.  The contractor found the two animals while rescuing a group of approximately 28 wild horses stranded on a steep cliff as he guided the horses down the steep mountain.

The BLM contractor transported 1,064 animals, including 346 studs shipped to the Gunnison Prison Wild Horse Training Facility at the Central Utah Correctional Facility, and 718 mares, foals, and studs to the Palomino Valley Center (PVC) near Sparks, Nev., without incident.  The animals are receiving good quality grass hay, water and veterinarian care as needed.

The animals will be de-wormed, vaccinated, freeze marked and gelded (all studs 12 months and older), all animals will be made available for adoption to qualified applicants through the BLM’s Adopt-A-Wild Horse or Burro Program. The public may visit the BLM’s website at www.blm.gov for more information about adopting a wild horse or burro.

Wild Horse Fertility Control

The BLM applied fertility control on 64 mares (PZP-22 – Porcine Zona Pellucida) and released them back into their respective HMAs. The BLM re-released a total of 126 mares and studs back into the Rock Creek and Little Humboldt HMAs.

More information may be available at the website: www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/elko_field_office.html. For further comments and questions about the wild horse gather, the public may call 1-866-468-7826.

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