‘NOTICE OF APPEAL, STATEMENT OF REASONS, APPEAL, STANDING, PETITION FOR STAY of the DNA and Decision Record of Wells Field Office (Elko District) Manager Melanie Petersen for “Upper Spruce Chaining”

WildLands Defense (WLD) and Deep Green Resistance (DGR) file this Appeal and Petition for Stay of the Wells Field Office, Elko Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Project entitled “Upper Spruce Spring Mastication and Chaining” DOI-NV-EO-2015-0020-DNA. This authorizes bulldozing and destruction of pinyon-juniper forests occupying 650 acres of public wild lands. The DNA signed by Melanie Petersen and others on various dates is tiered to an older programmatic EA, DOI-BLM-NV-E000 – 2011-0501-EA and 2012 Decision. This Appeal is pursuant to all applicable authority, including the Federal Land Policy Management Act (“FLPMA”), 43 U.S.C. §§ 1701 et seq., the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq., and implementing regulations of the BLM and Department of Interior, including 43 C.F.R. § 4. Pursuant to 43 C.F.R. § 4.410, 4.411 4.412, and 4.413, Appellants Petition for Stay of the challenged decision.

In November 2015, Appellants visited the Spruce Mountain area to observe native pinyon-juniper forests and observe wildlife. We encountered vast chained areas, with the forests and wildlife habitat laid to waste. WLD’s Fite contacted BLM Manager Petersen, who said she did not know about chainings at Spruce, and this must have taken place under a previous Manager. Weeks later, we discovered that BLM had posted this new DNA and Decision for chaining and/or mastication deforestation on its web site, and that Manager Petersen’s signature was stamped on it in October 2015…’

Read the full appeal:

Spruce Appeal 12-30-15 to BLM