The Taylor Grazing Act gave the Secretary of the Interior the authority to place public lands valuable for grazing and forage crops into grazing districts. The Division of Grazing worked with local ranchers and governments to develop grazing policy and to determine grazing district boundaries.

 

Nevada has six grazing districts. The BLM Field Office boundaries generally follow the grazing district boundaries. The Taylor Grazing Act was passed in 1934. Five of Nevada's grazing districts were established by 1936. The sixth, Battle Mountain, was established in 1951.

 

No. 1 -- Elko, established April 8, 1935

 

No. 2 -- Winnemucca, established October 18, 1935

 

No. 3 -- Carson City, established November 3, 1936

 

No. 4 -- Ely, established November 3, 1936

 

No. 5 -- Las Vegas, established November 3, 1936

 

No. 6 -- Battle Mountain, established February 9, 1951*

 

*To establish a grazing district, the majority of the stockmen in an area had to petition the Secretary of the Interior. At a meeting held in central Nevada in 1937, area ranchers decided they were opposed to the establishment of a grazing district. In 1951, the ranchers requested that a grazing district be formed. The Battle Mountain District was the last grazing district to be established in the West.