For the 16th year in a row, Carson City’s fuel-grazing sheep are back. Borda Land and Sheep Co. released two herds April 8 and April 13 to cover the north and west sides of the city. Their goal: eat as much fire-fueling grass as possible.
“The idea is to reduce the fuel in the landscape so that we can be safer as a community from another potential large wildfire,” said Lyndsey Boyer, open space manager. Each sheep can eat approximately five pounds of hay daily, and there are 1,400 sheep total. They will graze on invasive grasses until the end of May. This program comes at no cost to Carson City, Boyer said. It’s a win-win partnership for Borda Land and Sheep and the city. It was the Waterfall Fire in 2004 that sparked calls for a fuel-reduction program. The fire burned 8,700 acres and destroyed 18 homes, and it was caused by a neglected campfire in Kings Canyon. “We know fires are still going to happen. This project won’t prevent a wildfire, but it will ensure that the wildfire is smaller, not as hot, not as serious, doesn’t grow to be as large,” Boyer said. The city surveys the grazed areas before and after to see the impact, added Georgia Vasey, senior natural resource specialist. “Before the sheep come, we go out there and we have vegetation transects, looking at the species that are growing here now. … Then we’ll come back after they’ve grazed and take those same measurements, so we have a good idea of what this is doing overall for the site,” Vasey said. She and Boyer both encourage hikers to keep their dogs on a leash while the sheep are out grazing. This helps the shepherds avoid conflicts between pets, sheep, and the sheep dogs. Signs are posted in areas where the sheep are grazing. The herds change locations every four to five days.
