Questions over compensation for ranchers affected by the Fallon Range Training Complex expansion and plans to relocate State Route 361 dominated the latest meeting of the Intergovernmental Executive Committee.
The IEC was established under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and brings together the Navy, federal and state agencies, six neighboring counties, and 17 tribes to share information and advise on the management of natural and cultural resources affected by the military land withdrawal.
Adrienne Snow, whose family operates the Lahontan grazing allotment, told committee members that the Navy’s compensation offer does not reflect the full economic loss caused by the withdrawal of grazing land for the B-16 range.
She said her family has been involved in the compensation process since 2016 and sold the cattle herd associated with the allotment this spring after paying to lease other grazing land and transport cattle to California last year.
The loss extends beyond annual forage, she said, because federal grazing permits are tied to a base ranch. The family developed its deeded ranch around access to the Lahontan allotment after obtaining the permit in the early 1980s.
Without the allotment, she said, the ranch property has less value, and the family has also lost cattle genetics developed over generations for Nevada’s difficult range conditions.
She cited the Taylor Grazing Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and federal agricultural risk management programs as the basis for requiring broader compensation.
According to figures presented to the committee, the Navy’s recommended payment for 100 years of forage losses ranged from approximately $280,000 to $435,000. She said the final offer equates to about $14,000 per year before taxes.
By comparison, she said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s county-based forage valuation assigns a value of $10.45 per acre to the Lahontan allotment. Applied to more than 78,000 acres, that would place the annual forage value at more than $815,000.
She also said the Navy’s offer did not account for legal and consulting costs, replacement feed, transportation, water improvements, changes in ranch value, or the cultural loss associated with ending a multigenerational ranching operation.
The family submitted a counteroffer in February 2025, but the Navy later responded that it was not persuaded that the original calculation was incorrect and issued a final offer in the same amount as its original proposal.
The Nevada Farm Bureau supported the ranchers’ position during public comment. Executive Vice President Doug Busselman said compensation should account for the seasonal role of an allotment, the value of forage and water rights, range improvements, and the effect on the long-term viability of the entire ranch.
The committee also received an update from the Nevada Department of Transportation on the planned realignment of State Route 361, which currently passes through land that will become part of the expanded B-17 range.
NDOT has completed the project’s environmental assessment and identified a corridor east of the existing highway. The new alignment would be about 13 miles long and approximately one mile shorter than the section it replaces.
Officials said the new highway would maintain the connection between Gabbs, Middlegate, and Fallon while avoiding the expanded military range. The Navy will fund the project through the Federal Highway Administration, and NDOT will design, build, and maintain the road to state highway standards.
The project would require approximately 630 acres of new right-of-way, all on Bureau of Land Management property. No private land would be affected.
Environmental studies examined wildlife, cultural resources, mining sites, water flows, air quality, and the potential presence of naturally occurring asbestos. Officials said the alignment avoids identified historic and mining resources and would not significantly affect golden eagles, raptors, or burrowing owls.
The design will include culverts to preserve natural drainage and provide passage for wildlife, horseback riders, and off-highway vehicles. Wildlife and livestock fencing is also planned along the new alignment.
Final design is expected to take approximately 18 months, followed by 18 months to two years of construction. Officials cautioned that delays in transferring federal funding could affect the schedule.
The BLM reported that four vacant grazing allotments, Belleville, Fault, McBride, and Little Huntoon, are undergoing environmental review and could be offered to eligible permittees this fall. Replacement forage is one option available to ranchers affected by the military expansion.
The public may comment on the preliminary environmental assessment for those allotments through July 22.
The Navy also reported progress on payments to mining claim holders affected by the range expansion. Twenty-eight claim holders with 181 claims were identified. Fifteen holders have accepted payment offers, including all affected holders in the Dixie Valley and B-16 areas and eight holders associated with B-17.
Thirteen B-17 claim holders, representing 104 claims, had not accepted the Navy’s offers at the time of the meeting. Navy representatives said they would continue contacting those holders and reviewing additional documentation submitted in support of higher payments.
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