The Lahontan Conservation District (LCD) has been coordinating a project to increase vegetation cover, control noxious weeds and improve water quality to adjacent lands in the Swingle Bench area. This project also attempts to reduce wind erosion and dust on abandoned farmlands by establishing vegetative barriers and creating surface disturbances. The re-vegetation was done on Mr. McCormick’s land that is located on Swingle Bench.   

The actual treated area was forty acres for a total cost of $10,000.00. LCD has only spent $5,000.00 in preparation and planting the native seeds.  LCD surveyed and staked forty acres. After this was completed, sixteen lister ridges for water control were built, this made eight checks approximately 40 ft wide, plus the total length of property. Before LCD could irrigate, TCID cleaned the existing ditch from one of the take-outs to Mr. McCormick’s property and cleaned all the ditches on McCormick’s property.  Also all the gates had to be checked and made to operate.  

LCD irrigated once before planting the native seeds.  Half was seeded in a cover, which was wheat or rye grass, and half in native wild seed, with polymer applied to half to see if it would hold moisture better. Mr. McCormick has done an excellent job irrigating the checks. The cover crops have done well and the native seed fair.  

In October we plan to plant the rest of the native seeds in the checks that have the cover crop, irrigate a couple more times before winter rolls around and see what happens next year. LCD will monitor the project to see if our re-vegetation project was a success or not because we will not be able to water next year and hopefully the native plants will have established enough to make it on their own. 

The benefits of this project include:

• Eliminate risk of fatal accident on US 50 due to dust hazard
• Improve soil quality (organic matter, soil carbon, infiltration, structure, etc.)
• Improve air quality
• Improve aesthetics and resale value

• Improve water quantity and quality
• Eliminate health (respiratory and ocular) hazard
• Eliminate off-site damage
• Provide wildlife habitat

Cooperating Agencies, Groups, Individuals include:

Churchill County
            Lahontan Conservation District
            Nevada Cooperative Extension
            Natural Resource Conservation Service
            (Fallon field office and Nevada State office)
            Aberdeen Plant Materials Center
            Tucson Plant Materials Center
            National Wind Erosion Laboratory
            National Agriforestry Center
            Truckee Carson Irrigation District
            Landowners of Swingle Bench
            Local Government Oversight Committee
           (City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe
           County, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe)
           Newlands Water Protective Association
           National Water and Climate Center
           Earth Team Volunteers

Plant species included:
Shrubs
Desert Willow
4- Wing Salt Brush
Quailbush
New Mexico saltbrush
Shadscale
Rubber Rabbitbrush
Spiny hopsage
Lahontan sagebrush
Forage Kochis (immigrant

Grasses
Alkali sacaton
Sand dropseed
Indian ricegrass
Big galleta
Desert needlegrass
Needle and threadgrass

Submitted by Joanne Hanks
Conservation Specialist,
Lahontan Conservation District