Hundreds of Sheep Grazing Arrowcreek Hillsides
- Reno will bring in hundreds of sheep next week to graze steep Arrowcreek hillsides for vegetation management. - About 800 sheep and a handful of herders will be used, reducing fire fuel and invasive plants. - The grazing is part of Arrowcreek wildfire mitigation and habitat work, coordinated by local agencies (patch.com).
Reno will host hundreds of sheep starting April 27, 2026, to graze Arrowcreek hillsides and reduce wildfire fuels. (fs.usda.gov) The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest said roughly 900 sheep from Borda Land and Sheep Company of Gardnerville will be used in the operation. (fs.usda.gov) Officials named the work the Arrowhawk Fuels Reduction Project and placed the flock in the Thomas Creek and Whites Creek watersheds north of Timberline Road. (fs.usda.gov) Forest managers say the sheep will target invasive cheatgrass and other non-native plants that form early-season fine fuels for wildfire. (fs.usda.gov) Fuels specialist Jed Rudelbach said targeted grazing reduces wildfire risk by removing invasive vegetation and “creating fuel breaks.” (fs.usda.gov) The Forest Service says sheep have been used in the Arrowcreek area since 2013 and that about 1,500 acres are treated annually under similar programs. (fs.usda.gov) Washoe County’s parks page lists annual sheep grazing in Arrowcreek open space as an ongoing partnership with the Forest Service and Borda Land and Sheep Company. (washoecounty.gov) Officials warned that Forest Order 04-17-11-06 and Washoe County animal ordinances require dogs to be leashed in the Arrowhawk project area after reported attacks on sheep by off‑leash dogs. (fs.usda.gov) (apnews.com) “Targeted grazing can reduce the risk of wildfire,” Rudelbach said as herders move the flock into the Arrowcreek slopes beginning April 27. (fs.usda.gov)
