NRCS, BLM Meet to Assess Reindeer Range

For one week in the summer each year, reindeer range specialists from the NRCS and the BLM get together and work cooperatively on assessing the condition of the lichen range on the Seward Peninsula.  This cooperative effort has gone on for decades and allows the specialists from the different agencies to compare notes and ensure continuity in the assessment of lichen and reindeer utilization.

Critical winter range in two or three grazing allotments is focused upon each year, with the data and results presented in a report and presentation given to the Kawerak Reindeer Herder’s Association at their annual meeting held each March in Nome.  This work not only fills a requirement for the BLM to monitor the lands they manage, but also gives the reindeer herders important information on areas of their range which are ready to be grazed and areas that need a rest from grazing pressure.