760 sheep feasting on fire fuels

There's a very small window when cheatgrass is delicious to eat. This week, 760 sheep, chased after by their stumbling lambs, squeezed through that window to begin a six-week feast that could save the city from a devastating fire.

Ann Bollinger, natural resource specialist for the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department, said the Borda family's ewes and their lambs took to the hills for the fifth spring to graze on flammable cheatgrass near urban areas on the city's west side.

The cheatgrass is a tasty treat for sheep when it is juicy and tender, and the goal is to herd sheep through at just the optimal time.

Bollinger said the hungry sheep also eat other grasses and brush, all of which serve little purpose outside fuel for wildland fires.

The sheep are watched by two men who camp out on the hillsides with them for the duration of the project. A grant funds the $5,000 needed to transport the animals from their ranch at Topaz Lake, said Bollinger.

The sheep, which graze seven hours a day, eating about 5 pounds of forage matter, will cover 2,000 acres during their time here, said Bollinger.

"This is a very unique project, and other states have looked at this as a pilot project," she said.

But to determine its effectiveness, Roger Moellendorf, director of Parks and Rec said, you need look no further than the hills since the 2004 Waterfall fire, which prompted the sheep project.

"We haven't had any fires up there, have we?" he said.