Crawford Cattle LLC has entered into yet another partnership to protect sagebrush habitat in Nevada, this time with Ormat Technologies in connection with its Baltazor Geothermal Development Project in Humboldt County near Denio.
The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources made the announcement earlier this week, touting it as an advancement in the development of clean energy infrastructure in addition to a conservation effort. The formalized partnership agreement was established through Nevada’s innovative sagebrush conservation tool called the Conservation Credit System (CCS), a market-based platform overseen by the stakeholder-driven Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem Program.
As part of the partnership, Ormat has purchased 292 conservation credits to preserve over 8,740 acres of sagebrush habitat in Humboldt County, benefitting the Greater Sage-grouse, and many other wildlife species, for the next 30 years.
Bradley Crowell, Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the success of Nevada’s credit system is evidence that sustaining healthy ecosystems and spurring economic growth are not mutually exclusive.
Ormat’s vice president, Paul Thomsen, agreed.
“Sustainability has been part of Ormat’s corporate DNA since our inception and continues to be the inspiration behind the products and services we offer,” Thomsen said. “The Conservation Credit program enables us to enhance Nevada’s natural lands and wildlife ecosystems while mitigating climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and advancing energy efficiency through the development of new, state-of-the-art renewable facilities.”
The Greater Sage-grouse is considered an “indicator species,” emblematic of the health of sagebrush habitat it shares with more than 350 other kinds of native wildlife, including world-class populations of mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and golden eagles. Experts say proactive and coordinated sagebrush conservation measures, such as the Nevada CCS program, are essential to ensure the long-term health and viability of the sensitive Greater Sage-grouse bird species, both in Nevada and across the West.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reported that more than 20,300 acres of sagebrush habitat have been protected and preserved through Nevada’s CCS program. Crawford Cattle’s prior partnership was struck in early June of this year with mining company Coeur Rochester, preserving more than 3,000 acres of Greater Sage-grouse habitat in Elko and Humboldt counties.
Learn more at sagebrusheco.nv.gov.
