09/16/2026
Lander County has a new roadmap for reducing wildfire risk. 🔥
On Sept. 10, the Lander County Commission adopted the 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan, the first major update to the County's CWPP since the original plan was developed in 2005.
The plan draws on wildfire risk assessments completed in 2025, input from local communities and volunteer fire departments and coordination among county, state, federal, Tribal, utility and natural-resource partners. Six public workshops were also held in Battle Mountain, Austin and Kingston during development of the plan.
What does it identify?
Recommendations range from fuel reduction projects around individual communities to improved emergency communications, evacuation planning, firefighter training, defensible-space assistance and more reliable access to water for wildfire response. The plan also calls for a countywide Ready, Set, Go program to improve evacuation communication between residents and first responders.
The work isn't starting from scratch. Nearly 200,000 acres of vegetation treatment have been completed or planned across Lander County since 2010 by state and federal agencies, including mowing, targeted grazing, thinning, seeding and other fuel-management work.
The CWPP is not regulatory and does not mandate projects or actions by private property owners. Instead, it identifies priorities that can move forward as funding, partnerships, landowner participation and other requirements allow. An approved CWPP can also help communities compete for wildfire mitigation funding.
Want to see what the plan identifies for your part of Lander County?
📄 Read the full 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:7e7580fb-d3bd-4d3d-82dd-8619f5096b18
