High Desert Grange Happenings

By Suzann Gilliland Peterson

National Grange Award goes to Ruth Miller

Few of have the ability to draw a straight line much less design a flyer, a poster, or a social media post. Ruth Miller, graphic designer for the High Desert Grange, enthusiastically does all of this with very little effort.

Born in California but raised in the Chicago suburbs, Ruth grew tired of the city life and moved to Elko where she lived for ten years. Fernley was her next stop, albeit it brief. In 2012, she and her family relocated to Fallon where they discovered the High Desert Grange. The High Desert Grange is a familyoriented organization that focuses on community service and offers many opportunities for learning. Their Lego Robotics program was the steppingstone for the Miller family’s entry into the organization. She, her ten-year old daughter and nineteenyear old son love Legos, so three years ago they became Grange members and immediately signed up for the program. Ruth quickly filled a need to “tune up” the Grange Legos laptops used by the students. One thing led to another and she found herself designing flyers, handouts, and Facebook posts for the organization. She even improved their website and is now its administrator. Because of her unique creative abilities, Ruth was recently awarded second place in the 2020 National Grange Publicity Item Contest. The contest is open to all Grange organizations and it requires entrants to submit a publicity item that promotes the Grange. This item can be a flyer, poster, advertisement, short video, radio commercial or announcement, a social media post, a press kit or media release, a shirt, a button or other wearable item, or anything else that promotes the Grange. She found out about the contest from The Patrons Chain, the official newsletter of the National Grange and, with encouragement from fellow Granger Gloria Montero, decided to enter her work. She submitted all she had designed for the High Desert Grange in the twelve months prior to the deadline, including a very detailed brochure that features Grange members doing what they love. In addition to her second place ribbon, her efforts secured a cash prize of $100.00 for the High Desert Grange. Ruth’s talents are a testimony to the fact that a person doesn’t need a degree to be a designer. Mrs. Miller has no formal education in graphic design. In fact, she says, her abilities were earned with the guidance and encouragement of her grandfather and her uncle. Her grandfather, a magazine editor, gave her tips, tricks and suggestions for posterboard layouts for school projects. Her uncle taught her about photography and how to frame a good picture. In high school, she became involved with her local public access cable TV station where she discovered she was an excellent camera person. Over the years, her talents have blossomed. When asked what inspires her designs, she said, “I keep in mind the audience and how the product will be used. From Facebook posts to printed brochures, I follow the same idea – keep it simple, easy to read, and eye-catching.” Earning second place and representing the Grange and Fallon was an honor for Ruth. She was proud to show her creations but was surprised to place. Competition came from the many Grange clubs throughout the country. This contest was not her only experience with the National Grange. She is an amateur webmaster and has reached out to the National Grange for help on web design as well as for help with resources for graphics. She says that everyone she has ever been in contact with from the National Grange has been amazing. Working with the High Desert Grange has brought many personal rewards for Ruth and her children. They have made many friends. She finds Grange members amazing and very supportive. She has also found resources and knowledgeable people from whom she can learn as she plans a long-desired garden. The High Desert Grange has made a positive impact on Ruth’s life. “I’m proud to be a part of a group that contributes to this community and offers opportunities to learn new skills,” she said. She feels more a part of our community through her Grange membership. To see Ruth’s contest submissions, visit www.nationalgrange.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/12/2020-In-House-2ndHigh-Desert-Grange-22-NV-TrifoldBrochure.pdf

Plants donated to Logos Christian Academy

Cool, aromatic, gnarly, aggressive, opposing pairs, hint of menthol. Do you know what this is? It’s a plant. Does that help? OK. It’s mint!

Mint has many uses, including culinary and medicinal. But did you know that it can help boost a child’s test scores, reduce childhood symptoms of ADD, and promote good health in children by purifying the air? Studies have shown that plants improve a child’s mental and physical well-being. Inspired by National Grange President Betsy E. Huber’s September 11, 2020 article titled “Digging into the School Year” in The Patrons Chain, the High Desert Grange recently donated a dozen young mint plants to Logos Christian Academy in their hometown of Fallon, NV for use in their pre-K through eighth grade classrooms. According to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture, classrooms with plants have many positive effects for both students and educators and are an important component of creating a healthy classroom environment. High Desert Grange is a familyoriented organization focused on community service. What better way to serve the community than to assist in the healthy development of its children? Kristi Olivo, Grange member and second grade teacher at Logos, delivered the plants with the help of Granger and Logos fifth grader Ally Mackay, her pre-K brother Jade, and their second grade sibling Ash. Kristi’s delight in delivering the plants was evident as she recounted the event. “It was great to know that with our plants we were going to help classrooms purify the air during this time of COVID-19. Schools need a way to keep their air pure and we were able to help with a low cost solution by providing mint.” She went on to say that the mint plants were happily received by the teachers and the students were excited to have the plants in their classrooms. If plants inside the classroom are beneficial for the health and wellbeing of students, imagine what health benefits an entire outdoor garden would have! In her article in the Sept. 14, 2019 edition of Psychology Today, Susan McQuillan MS, RDN, talks about the “11 Ways Plants Enhance Your Mental and Emotional Health.” She pulls from data analyzed by researchers Charles Hall and Melinda Knuth at Texas A&M University and published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Their research “supports the notion that living in or near green spaces, and spending as much time as possible in both natural settings and cultivated gardens, can improve mood, reduce the negative effects of stress, encourage physical activity and other positive behaviors, improve cognition, reduce aggression, and enhance overall well-being in people of all ages under many different circumstances.” Ms. McQuillan went into greater detail: “Specifically, the researchers found that people who surround themselves with plant life and other forms of natural beauty, indoors and out, experience emotional and mental health benefits that have a positive impact on their social, psychological, physical, cognitive, environmental, and spiritual well being.” Some benefits include reduction of stress and depression, stronger memory retention, and higher levels of creativity, intellect, productivity and concentration in schools and workplaces. With the level of stress many students are under, especially with COVID restrictions, adding plants to not only the classroom but also to the home sounds like a prescription for greater well-being for all who enter. Last year, Mrs. Olivo and her class had the opportunity to germinate and grow some peas. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “Having plants in the classroom was very exciting for my students. More that that, though, it really brought

some calmness and focus to our class. My second graders took great pride in watering and observing their plants every day.” Kristi personally knows the health benefits of growing a garden. She knows it is good for emotional, mental and physical health. She and her eleven-year old son grow a garden every year at home. Peas, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini are their favorites. Leveling ground, carrying bags of soil, setting up planting rows and planting seeds all require physical activity. All of that leads to the joy and wonder her son experiences as he watches the seeds start to grow and turn into vegetables. In spring and summer, her son’s favorite thing to do each day is to check on the plants. “Being out in the garden in the morning is calming and can be very relaxing. To see the ‘fruits of your labor’ is such a rewarding experience. Growing a garden seems like a small accomplishment, but it gives great rewards emotionally and mentally,” she said. The High Desert Grange mint donation has shown Kristi and her students that they can use natural resources to solve some of their health-related issues. She makes an additional observation: the excitement of growing plants in the classroom fosters the desire to learn more about other subjects. Kristi is glad to have been asked to bring this special donation to Logos. She and her son have been Grange members for four years, helping them support their community in ways never available to them before. They have taken advantage of Grange programs and activities that focused on family and community, many of which are open to members and non-members alike. Kristi believes that Grange community involvement has made Fallon and the neighboring towns better because the organization consistently looks for areas where it can serve and meet community needs, especially in the areas of agriculture and education. The High Desert Grange is looking forward to touching base with Kristi during the school year to see how well the mint is growing and how the donation continues to influence the students’ behavior and their excitement in learning.

Logos Christian Academy 2nd grade teacher and High Desert Grange member Kristi Olivo, Logos 5th grader Ally Mackay, pre-K brother Jade Mackay & 2nd grade sibling Ash Mackay

Meeting restoration needs with native seeds grown by Nevada farmers by Sara Cobble, The Nature Conservancy in Nevada and Rebecca Allured, the Nevada Department of Agriculture

A surprising fact: most native seeds planted in Nevada are not actually grown here. Most seeds come from sources outside the state, in other parts of the West and North America, often from places that differ from

Nevada’s unique, dry climate. The Nevada Native Seed Partnership (NNSP) is trying to change that. The coalition of 11 agencies and organizations in Nevada, including The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA), has a mission to keep Nevada lands diverse and functioning by using the right seed in the right place and time, and a goal of creating an adequate supply of locally adapted native seeds that can meet Nevada’s restoration and rehabilitation needs. “Our goals for participating in the partnership are to help growers ensure Nevada will have the right seeds available at the right time to address the needs of restoration, reclamation, and rehabilitation,” Meghan Brown, Plant Industry Deputy Division Administrator for NDA, said. “The NNSP supports the NDA’s mission to protect, preserve and promote Nevada agriculture by providing farmers with opportunities for diversification of production, providing the possibility of successful restoration and rehabilitation after wildfire for livestock operators, and creating important partnerships across the state.” Kevin Badik, rangeland ecologist for TNC in Nevada, says there are many ecological benefits of native seeds. By increasing native seed use, more materials are available for restoration, leading to using less water, preventing wildfires and providing a new source of income for local growers. “Every native seed that successfully establishes is one less opportunity for cheatgrass to come in. It’s one more step in reducing extreme fire behavior,” Badik added. “Using seed that’s locally adapted increases the likelihood that the seed will successfully establish.” How It Started Inspired by the National Seed Strategy, which was developed in 2015 by the Plant Conservation Alliance to address widespread shortages of native seed, three federal agencies in northern Nevada (Bureau of Land Management [BLM], U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] and U.S. Forest Service [USFS]) began having conversations in early 2016, laying the foundation for what is now the NNSP. The partners came together to understand each agency’s role and ability and opportunities that could be created by working together to increase the availability of native seed in Nevada. Monthly meetings began in Fall 2017, and the partnership has now grown to include TNC, NDA, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Division of Forestry, Nevada Division of Conservation and Natural Resources Conservation District Program, Nevada Department of Wildlife, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and Walker Basin Conservancy. Why native seeds are important for ecology and economy Healthy native plant communities (sustained by native seeds) not only support humans and wildlife; they are “resilient and resistant to disturbances and are instrumental in combating some of our biggest ecosystem challenges such as drought, wildland fire, and invasive species,” Sarah Kulpa, restoration ecologist and botanist for USFWS, said. “We are trying to change how restoration is currently being done in Nevada,” Kulpa said. “This is quite ambitious, but the loss of the sagebrush ecosystem to wildfire and invasive or non-native species is what keeps me up at night. The loss of the sagebrush ecosystem would be devastating to Nevada’s wildlife, people, communities, and economies.” The process of increasing native seed availability starts with identifying a source population, such as seeds from wildland collections. Once enough seeds are collected, they are turned over to a farmer or grown in a small greenhouse to increase a bank of starter seeds, then given to another farmer to grow pounds of it in fields for use in restoration projects.

Attend the virtual Nevada

Native Seed Forum in March 2021 Now that the NNSP has a strategy and vision in place, the next steps will be doing more outreach, connecting with communities on the importance of native seeds, and raising awareness of the importance of investing in them in Nevada. This includes participating in the Nevada Native Seed Forum, an annual meeting first hosted by NDA in 2017, that connects growers with other native seed stakeholders. After surveying attendees and other stakeholders, the NNSP will host the Nevada Native Seed Forum virtually in short sessions spread out over the course of two days, March 16-17. The forum will focus on sharing the stories of growers, how they go into the native seed business, and began selling. The benefit of a virtual form means Nevada growers will get to hear from producers who have been successfully selling native seed in their states. To register to attend, please email your RSVP to Melissa Russell at NDA: m.russell@agri.nv.gov “We could have all the seed technology we want, but if the seed is not available, it’s doesn’t matter. It’s not just about having seed, it’s about increasing the likelihood that each one will be successful,” Badik said. “We are looking for smarter, more efficient and innovative solutions to our restoration problems. We are exploring different ways we haven’t been thinking about before.” There is a market for native grown seed in Nevada, and the long-term success of the Nevada Native Seed Strategy depends on continued collaboration between all the partners of the NNSP and Nevada’s growers. “In the long term, if we are successful, we will end up with a flourishing native seed market, including Nevada growers increasing plants sourced from Nevada, and managers putting them out on the landscape where they are most likely to establish and persist,” Beth Leger, a biologist with UNR, said. “Establishing plants in the desert is a major challenge, but we have to try.”

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More prescribed burning, logging sought after nightmare wildfires of 2020

by The Modesto Bee https://www.modbee.com/news/ local/article248387570.html A task force has called for more prescribed burning, logging and other actions to deal with the wildfire fuel choking California forests and rangeland. The Governor’s Forest Management Task Force released a plan earlier this month that affirms an emerging consensus on what to do about the crisis. The 46-page plan recognizes that the fuel has grown so dense in part because of exclusion of gentle fires that used to clear the undergrowth. They were sparked by lightning and Native Americans. Read about the full plan here: https://fmtf.fire. ca.gov/media/cjwfpckz/ The plan follows a 2020 that was the worst fire season on record — more than 4 million acres of timber, brush and grass statewide. About a tenth of this was in an expanse from western Stanislaus County to the fringes of the Bay Area. The task force endorsed an August 2020 agreement between the state and federal governments to roughly double fuel treatment to about 1 million acres per year. The new plan calls for achieving this by 2025, about half on federal land and the other half on private land protected by Cal Fire and other agencies. Prescribed burning, done for decades in national parks, would expand in national forests and on private rangeland. Logging would increase about 20 percent on national forests, aligning with the thinning already done on private timberland. The largest single owner is Sierra Pacific Industries, whose operations include two sawmills in Tuolumne County. The plan also calls for increased efforts to reduce flammable trees and brush around rural homes, and to bolster firefighting crews and equipment. The recommendations drew qualified support from state Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, whose district includes the central Sierra Nevada and eastern Stanislaus County. He would like to see more logging, which has been curtailed since the 1990s due to environmental rules. ”Responsible timber harvesting is essential in order to reduce the density of dead or dying trees that increase the amount of fuel for a fire,” Borgeas said in an email to The Modesto Bee.

Ranchers get grants for non-lethal methods to protect livestock from wolves

by The Bulletin| bendbulletin.com Two ranching operations in Union County received more than $17,000 total for nonlethal means to protect their livestock from wolves. The Union County Commission voted Thursday, Jan. 21, to award $9,584.04 to Krebs Livestock and $7,745.96 to Eric Harlow, according to a county staff report. Krebs Livestock, a company in Morrow County that uses Union County to raise some of its sheep, will use the money to pay for secure night pens, four fox lights, Bluetooth speakers, spotlights, additional herders and the removal of dead livestock. Harlow, a Union County rancher, will use the funding to pay for two additional herders. The Oregon Department of Agriculture provides the funding for the grants, and commissioners awarded the grants at the recommendation of the Union County Wolf Depredation Compensation Committee. Colorado senators ask President Biden to to keep BLM National Headquarters in Grand Junction by KJCT News 8 | www.kjct8.com The Bureau of Land Management’s national headquarters could move out of Grand Junction under President Joe Biden’s new administration. Both Colorado senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, sent a letter to the President this weekend, asking for his administration’s support in keeping the national BLM headquarters on the Western Slope. Former President Donald Trump relocated the national headquarters to Grand Junction in July 2019. The letter reads, in part: “We continue to support a full BLM headquarters in Grand Junction. A full headquarters in Colorado would not only grow the Western Colorado economy, but also send an important signal that rural America is an appropriate place for such a prestigious institution.” The Biden administration has reportedly discussed relocating the headquarters from Grand Junction, yet Colorado’s senators are hoping for an even greater commitment from President Biden than the previous administration. In the letter, they specifically asked for more BLM jobs to be assigned to the national headquarters. There are currently 41 Bureau of Land Management staff members working out of Western Colorado.

From ashes of Creek Fire comes a citizens group appealing for sensible forest management

By Robert Longatti www.fresnobee.com Despite the terrible forest fires the West, particularly California and Oregon, suffered this past year, several environmentalists’ groups have filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S government to block approximately 11,000 miles of fuel breaks. They contend this would violate the Endangered Species Act in what they call a misguided effort to slow the advance of wildfires in six Western states. They say the fuel breaks, in conjunction with proposed widespread clear-cutting, herbicide spraying, grazing and prescribed fire could threaten the survival of more than 100 rare wildlife species across potentially more than 340,000 square miles of federal land. The groups involved in the suit are the Center for Biological Diversity in Nevada, Sierra Club, Western Watersheds Project, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

These groups fail to accept well recognized and scientifically documented evidence that the Western forests are unhealthy, overly dense and carry a huge fuel load. Continuous fire suppression has allowed the fuel load to grow. Allowing dead stands to remain increases the lower story fuel load over time. Negative reaction to thinning and prescribed burns have prevented the Forest Service from treating nearly enough acreage. Given the situation, it is imperative that fuel breaks be made now and not delayed with legal action. The Forest Service must contend with masses of paperwork often under the threat of legal action. Much of this can be traced back to National Environmental Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, which environmental groups continue to use to suppress sensible forest management. The Forest Service estimates that for every 1,000 acres of land they plan to treat, they have to create 500 pages of supporting material, with successful projects taking years. Vicki Christiansen, the head of the Forest Service, estimates there are a billion acres of forest land at risk in the US, with 80 million acres belonging to the Forest Service. If these groups genuinely wanted to protect species, their actions over the years have failed miserably. The destruction of animals just in the Creek Fire alone was tragic. According to a January article in Bloomberg Law, California’s 2020 wildfire season thwarted the state’s fight against climate change, spewing enough carbon dioxide into the air equal the emissions of 24 million passenger vehicles driving over the course of a year. I fail to understand how anyone who suffered from the poor air quality, was saddened by the number of animals killed and their habitat destroyed can continue to support these lawsuits. The reality, though, is the Sierra Club and their counterparts are so powerful that change will only come from within their memberships. During the Creek Fire, a nonpartisan, grass-roots organization was formed to build a vast community of citizens to encourage common ground between environmentalists, the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management as well the state and individual landowners. The nonpartisan group, Citizens for Sensible Forest Management, has a website, (http://csfm.net), and a change.org petition, (https://www. change.org/ForestManagement) that I encourage people, especially members of the above organizations, to visit. Wildlife, our children’s health and future, as well as the economic survival of mountain communities, are dependent on each of us taking a stand. How will we explain to our children and grandchildren our inaction today was the reason they could not enjoy the beauty and restoring power of healthy forests that were once ours?

NCBA warns cattle producers to take more

FMD precautions

thecattlesite.com The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is calling for vigilance after an additional outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was reported in Namibia. The NCBA’s Senior Director of International Trade and Market Access, Kent Bacus issued the following statement in response to reports of another reported occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Namibia: “The unfortunate and continued presence of FMD outbreaks in Namibia is a serious concern for US cattle producers. While the latest outbreak occurred in the buffer zone and north of the cordon fence, this is the second occurrence of FMD in a matter of months.” “As stated October 2020, FMD is a grave and persistent threat to the US cattle industry and warrants every available caution and protection to ensure that the problems plaguing cattle production in other parts of the world do not reach our shores. While NCBA supports regionalisation as a tool to protect against the spread of disease while facilitating science-based trade, NCBA encourages USDA to remain vigilant in ensuring all preventative measures are in place to protect the US cattle industry from exposure.” “In regard to FMD, Namibia is divided into two zones. The northern zone, where FMD continues to occur and is not approved for export to the United States, and the southern zone— an area that is free of FMD and is designated as safe for export. Namibia has extensive measures in place, including a cordon fence and a buffer zone to prevent the spread of FMD from the northern zone to the southern zone. “NCBA supports research to develop protocols and determine the economic impact of regionalisation of states or an area to establish risk avoidance for animal diseases. With that said, FMD is a highly contagious disease that would devastate the US cattle industry and NCBA will continue to support USDA’s efforts to prevent our herd from exposure.”

Benefits of grazing livestock

District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin’s Office gtgazette.com Local ranchers are collaborating with the El Dorado County Agriculture Department, Natural Resources Conservation Service and University of California Cooperative Extension to provide education about the benefits of grazing livestock to reduce vegetation that can become fuel for wildfires. Livestock grazing has a long history in El Dorado County and it is desirable to bring grazing back to the forefront as a tool to reduce fuel loads in rural areas. Recent studies show that properly managed livestock grazing is an environmentally sound way to manage lands and maintain defensible space from wildfires. Federal, state and local organizations are recognizing these benefits and promoting livestock grazing in rural areas. Things to consider when deciding to graze livestock include available water sources and grasses on a portion of the land. Areas considered should be fenced or there should be a plan to fence the area and there should be several acres to maintain as well. Sometimes coordinating with neighbors works out for a rancher to rotate the livestock. For those who think livestock grazing might work for their property and to be connected with a local rancher, call the El Dorado County Agriculture Department’s information phone line (530) 6217498. For more information visit edcgov.us/Government/ag/Pages/ Livestock-Grazing.aspx