skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hegseth could lead troops who'd face getting fired for actions he's done in the past; Strong Santa Ana winds return for SoCal; Southeast Asian refugees in MA fear deportation, seek Biden pardon; RSV rise puts Indiana hospitals on alert; CT lawmakers urged to focus on LGBTQ+ legislation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Special Counsel's report says Donald Trump would have been convicted for election interference. Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth faces harsh questioning from Senate Democrats, and law enforcement will be increased for next week's inauguration.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

"Drill, baby, drill" is a tough sell for oil and gas companies in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, rising sea levels create struggles for Washington's coastal communities, and more folks than ever are taking advantage of America's great outdoors.

Seeding effort covers more than 26,000 acres in eastern Nevada

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 27, 2024   

A cooperative effort has seeded more than 26,000 acres in eastern Nevada. It's all in an effort to increase desirable grasses, forbs and shrubs while decreasing the prevalence of invasive annual grasses and weeds that can take root in fire-burned areas.

Neil Frakes, emergency stabilization and rehabilitation program manager with the Bureau of Land Management, said the initiative was a joint effort among the BLM, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition, and added seeding can help stabilize ecological conditions after a fire, starting with soil.

"We use the soil survey information to look at what are the most common soil types in the burn. From that we can look at the ecological site descriptions that are correlated with those soils, and we can use that information to figure out what species are best adapted to those sites," Frakes explained.

Frakes added they primarily use native seed species, but said seed mixes can vary and are determined by various factors including elevation, slope, annual precipitation and existing vegetation. He added they will only use native seeds when seeding what he calls a "wilderness area." The BLM will monitor the seeded acreage for the next five years.

Frakes said seeding also helps prevent what he calls a vicious "fire cycle" from happening. He adds previously burned areas are more susceptible to burning again due to invasive and resilient grass species such as cheatgrass that provide dry fuel for fires to propagate. Within his district there have been areas that have burned five to six times in the last 25 years.

"Trying to get something in that is a little more fire resistant so we don't keep having more fires in the future in those areas," he explained.

Frakes said that the aerial seeding contractor disperses the seeds using GPS technology to know where to lay the seed. He added it can be challenging to find what he terms a "good weather window," and adds they only want to seed when there are wind speeds below 10 miles per hour, otherwise there is too much seed drift.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Wisconsin is one of nine states where voters are required to present photo identification to vote. The current state law has been in place since 2011. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A proposal to make Wisconsin's strict Voter ID law a constitutional amendment passed Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Assembly on Tuesday. Voters …


Social Issues

play sound

In Mississippi, where thousands of people are serving life sentences, the impact of long-term imprisonment falls disproportionately on Black …

Social Issues

play sound

One topic expected to make a big splash during Wyoming's general legislative session is property taxes at many levels. First on the agenda for the …


Feral hogs breed year-round and can have up to 12 piglets per litter, making population control difficult. (byrdyak/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The last Farm Bill allocated $75 million to reduce feral hog populations around the country but this year, funding has expired, which could be a …

Social Issues

play sound

In this year's state budget, Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing a $500 million investment to tackle a critical issue for Savannah and surrounding areas - …

Volunteer Hector Silva of Hunger Action Los Angeles prepares burritos for distribution to fire victims in Pasadena, Calif. (Sara Donis)

Social Issues

play sound

Food donations are pouring in to help victims of the Los Angeles fires, to the point donors are being asked to hold off a bit so it can all be …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Coll…

Social Issues

play sound

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers set goals for cutting climate pollution by at least half by the year 2030, and by 90% by 2050 - compared with 2005 levels…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021