"The Sheldon, because of
the removal of
livestock and
limited numbers of
feral horses and
burros, is an
important living
laboratory for
studying key species like
pronghorn
antelope and
sage grouse"
Jim Yoakum, retired BLM
biologist and national authority
on pronghorn antelope
For more information contact
Tina Nappe
Toiyabe Chapter of the
Sierra Club
PO Box 8096
Reno, NV 89507
(775) 786-1178
tnappe@nvbell.net
Photos by
Dennis Ghiglieri
U,S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Warren Ronsheimer
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Charles Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Humboldt and Washoe Counties
Summary
The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge on the Nevada and Oregon border provides visitors with an unforgettable wilderness experience: 900 square miles of wildlife habitat, rugged landscape and solitude.
The Sheldon exists today because of a dedicated admirer, E.R. Sans, who believed back
in the 1920s that a sanctuary was needed. He found that regulated hunting and land managed
for wildlife did not exist in Nevada. He was able to get Washoe and Humboldt counties to
establish a closed season for pronghorn antelope, and he worked with the Nevada Legislature,
which passed a law allowing the governor to set aside lands for wildlife.
Then he convinced the National Audubon Society and the Boone and Crockett Club to purchase Last
Chance Ranch as the heart of the refuge. The refuge has grown to 574,000 acres and since
the early 1980s has been managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The special mission of the National Wildlife Refuge system for Sheldon is “to manage the
refuge as a representative area of high-desert habitat for optimum populations of native
plants and wildlife.”
The Landscape
There are deep canyons formed out of purple and brown volcanic rock covered with orange lichen. Waterfalls, narrow gorges and lush springs are hidden among the rimrock tablelands and rolling hills of sagebrush and mountain mahogany.
The region includes more than 270 wildlife species. Pronghorn antelope, sage grouse and bighorn sheep are seen in large numbers throughout the refuge. The limited water source provides refuge for wetland dependent
birds, including a pair of sandhill cranes. Historically, sheep and cattle grazed on refuge lands. But removing the demands and impacts of livestock in 1994 and managing the expanding populations of wild horses and burros today is an important part of refuge habitat maintenance.
The Threat
Private land known as “inholdings” which could be developed, lack of resources to manage the area and water exportation are among the largest threats to Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.
Recreation opportunities are of increasing interest as weekend getaways or hunting sites. There is a fear that owners of private inholdings will request permission to build roads and infrastructure to support possible developments.
Off-highway vehicle use is on the rise and could disrupt valuable habitat. Public and private interest in obtaining additional water sources to fuel growth in urbanized portions of Washoe County already has reached across the Sheldon Refuge to nearby Cedarville. With the increasing value of water, the sources at
Sheldon, limited as they are, must be preserved for wildlife.
The Solution
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland, Oregon currently manages the refuge. Officials there need to be proactive in acquiring land or water within the refuge for maximum protection. Also, there must be an inventory of the water sources and all titles governing those water sources. A planner has been hired,
but not ma biologist, which makes it diffult to monitor the changes and needs of wildlife. There is also a need to encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide suffcient staff.
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