The Bureau of Land Management's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.  

The Applegate Field Office manages nearly 1.75 million acres in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada across the Cascade Range, Modoc Plateau, foothills of the Warner Mountains, and the Great Basin.

Bureau of Land Management Applegate Field Office 

A prescribed burn in the study unit in 2020. Geophytes are plants with underground storage organs- such as bulbs, tubers, corms, or rhizomes.  Edible geophytes are important traditional foods and historical accounts indicate that some of these plants were actively managed over long periods of time by means of burning, selective harvesting, tilling, and weeding.  Species of Periderdia, known as yampah to the Northern Paiute, epos to the Modoc and Klamath, and pahhá to the Pit River people, are highly regarded and occur in vast patches across the volcanic plateaus in this region.  The plant produces umbels of white flowers which bloom in early July. 

In the early 2000s, the University of Utah began to investigate how prescribed fires may have been used by indigenous people to affect the density, distribution, size, and nutritional quality of this plant.  An eight-acre fenced exclosure was constructed to prevent livestock grazing and half of the enclosure is periodically burned.  Data are collected on a yearly basis and compared to meteorological data. 
 Preliminary results suggest that burning increases the density of yampah. 

The root can be eaten fresh, boiled, or lightly roasted. It can also be dried and pounded into cakes and cooked for storage. The root is also highly nutritious and is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and amino acids. The leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds can also be eaten. But beware- there are similar looking plants that are toxic to humans so inexperienced collectors should be cautious.  

Barrel Springs Geophyte Investigations

View from Rowland Spring in 2022.  Springs in the high desert are important places.  Located at 6300 feet above sea level and south of the Warner Mountain range, Rowland Springs is one such place.  Its riparian area provides important habitat for many species including pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and greater sage-grouse.  Livestock, such as sheep and cattle, and wild horses rely on the area for forage and the spring for water.  

In 2022, BLM partnered with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to continue restoration efforts at the spring.  The fence enclosure was expanded to protect more of the riparian habitat.  Water troughs were
constructed outside the fence enclosure to provide clean water for livestock and wild horses.  Greater sage grouse chicks rely on the grassy areas near springs to provide cover and food.  The skeletons of juniper trees burned in the 2012 Rush Wildland Fire were removed in order to reduce the number of perches in the area for raptors who prey on the chicks.   To encourage drivers to stay on the designated road, the creek crossing was improved with gravel.  Erosion along the creek has disconnected it from its associated riparian area; instead of allowing the surrounding soil to absorb the water, the creek has become more like a ditch.  Beaver dam analogs made from local natural materials will collect sediment and slow the pace of the water allowing the riparian area to rehydrate itself.  Native vegetation- such as willows and native grasses- were also seeded and planted within the enclosure. 

Some of the native plants you can see in the area include western juniper, wild rose, chokecherry, elderberry, wax currant, and gooseberry.  Flowering forbs include yarrow, globe mallow, and balsamroot.  Near the spring grows seep monkey flower wild mint and wild iris.  

Rowland Spring

Severe erosion along Fitzhugh Creek in 1991.  The Bureau of Land Management partnered with CalTrout to enhance a six-acre wet meadow along Fitzhugh Creek in the western foothills of the Warner Mountains.  Six beaver dam analogs were installed along the creek to improve the hydraulic function of the meadow which will hopefully result in a greater diversity of native plants, wildlife species, and aquatic species.

Beavers create dams made form logs, sticks, and mud.  Beavers use the resulting pond created by the dam to build homes called lodges.   The lodges protect them from predators as the entrance to the lodges are underwater. The ponds keep the nearby areas lush and green and create fire-resistant patches in the landscape. 

Unfortunately, beavers haven't been observed in the area since the 1980s. Past overgrazing by livestock resulted in severe erosion along
the creek and the meadow system slowly dried out.  The beaver dam analogs are intended to do the job that natural beaver dams would do: slow the flow of the water in the stream and create small ponds that will rehydrate the meadow.  These beaver dam analogs are made from native juniper branches and willows.  

Bureau of Land Management Applegate Field Office

Nevada, California

3 chronologs managed by Bureau of Land Management Applegate Field Office

Rowland Spring

Fitzhugh Creek

Barrel Springs Geophyte Investigations

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