Community Location Map
📍 Location: Great Basin & Humboldt River Basin, Nevada, USA
Overview & Cultural Background
Nevada rangeland ranchers operate across the cold desert basins and sagebrush steppes of the Great Basin in western North America. Managing vast landscapes composed predominantly of public land federal grazing leases (BLM and US Forest Service), Nevada ranchers move cattle between seasonal desert allotments and irrigated valley hayfields.
Modern rangeland management in Nevada relies on outcome-based targeted grazing to reduce fuel loads for wildfires, restore riparian streams, and combat invasive weed species. Western ranching culture preserves historic buckaroo horse-riding traditions, roping techniques, and open-space stewardship.
Key facts
- Estimated Population: Approximately 3,200 commercial ranching operations
- Primary Livestock Herded: Beef cattle (Hereford, Angus) and horses
- ️ Contemporary Challenges: Prolonged Great Basin droughts, catastrophic wildfires destroying sagebrush ecosystems, federal public land grazing permit restrictions, invasive cheatgrass invasion, and wild horse overpopulation.
Featured Films in the Festival Program
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Changing a Landscape to a Lifescape: the Humboldt Ranch ⏱ 12 min | 🌍 USA | 🎬 Abbey Kinion