Date: December 16, 2004

CONTACT: Jamie Thompson, Public Affairs Officer, (775) 623-1500

HOT SPRINGS ON PUBLIC LANDS:
UNIQUE HABITATS FOR NATIVE SPECIES BUT HAZARDOUS FOR PEOPLE

The Bureau of Land Management Winnemucca Field Office announces the completion of fencing projects for Soldier Meadow Hot Spring and Double Hot Spring, located in the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NCA). The fencing is part of a continuing effort to heighten public awareness of the dangers inherent in using hot springs for recreational purposes, and the need to protect the unique habitats they provide. Two species of animals and one plant species that are listed under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as amended live in the Soldier Meadow Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) that encompasses the Soldier Meadow Hot Springs. These include the threatened Soldier Meadow Desert dace, the candidate Elongate Mud Meadow springsnail and the candidate Soldier Meadow cinquefoil.

The second phase of fence construction at Soldier Meadow encloses 3,031 acres of the spring complex. When the project is completed, 6.27 miles of new 4-wire, antelope-friendly fencing will have been constructed by the BLM Winnemucca Range Team. This fencing helps to keep grazing cattle and wild horses and burros away from the most sensitive habitat and prevent indiscriminate cross country vehicle travel through the area.

The fence building was complemented by a National Public Lands Day project involving 45 BLM and volunteer workers. The volunteers, including many members of Friends of Black Rock-High Rock, removed several pick-up loads of trash and debris from Soldier Meadow and obliterated and revegetated unauthorized vehicle routes.

As a Soldier Meadow Recreation Plan tiered to the new NCA Resource Management Plan is implemented, recreation uses will be concentrated in less sensitive areas away from the springs, streams and riparian areas. In combination, these actions will reduce compaction, trampling, grazing, and water quality degradation caused by camping, further damming of the streams, erosion and the presence of foreign material in the springs and streams, while providing recreation opportunities compatible with protection of the sensitive resources and species in the area.

Volunteers from High Rock Trekkers, a four-wheel-drive club, working under BLM supervision have built a temporary T-post and barbed-wire fence around Double Hot to discourage people from getting too close to the steep, slippery banks. Plans call for replacing the temporary fence with a permanent, low profile fence or barrier designed and constructed to fit with the surrounding landscape and to provide a warning to the public of the hazard at this site.

Every hot spring is unique. More than half of those found on public lands in Nevada are hotter than 140o Fahrenheit (skin is scalded within three seconds in 140o water). Some, like Double Hot with its 165o to 191o water, are hot enough to kill. However, while extreme hot water is one serious danger posed by hot springs it is by no means the only danger. Others include loss of consciousness from chemical fumes, cuts from sharp rocks or broken glass, and bacterial infections. So, it's wise to follow the advice on BLM billboards and flyers: "Hot springs on public lands – stay out and stay alive!"

"BLM needs public understanding and support to protect visitors to the area as well as the sensitive habitat and species native there and the cultural resources, both historic and prehistoric, that are often associated with them," said NCA Manager Dave Cooper. "These projects in the NCA are two more steps in an ongoing process to protect the public and protect hot springs," added Cooper. Further information about the fences at Soldier Meadow and Double Hot is available by contacting Mr. Cooper at the Winnemucca BLM office at 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd. (775-623-1500).

- BLM -