Walking Box Ranch is located in southern Nevada, about 45 miles south of Las Vegas and 7 miles west of Searchlight, Nevada (Map 1.1, “Regional Overview” and Map 1.2, “Project Area”). The ranch occupies a 160-acre site, comprised of three parcels legally described as follows:
Parcel 1: The southwest quarter (SW ¼) of the southwest quarter (SW ¼) of Section 22, Township 28 South, Range 62 East, M.D.B.& M., Clark County, Nevada. Begin that Certain Property shown as Lot One (1) of that Certificate of Land Division LD-221-93, Recorded in Book 931123 as Document No. 01610, Official Records, Clark County, Nevada. Excepting therefrom the westerly fifty (50) feet of said land as conveyed to Clark County, Nevada, by a deed recorded December 1, 1991, in Book 911202 as Instrument No. 00807, Official Records, Clark County, Nevada.
Parcel 2: The southeast quarter (SE ¼) of the southwest quarter (SW ¼) of Section 22, Township 28 South, Range 62 East, M.D.B.& M, Clark County, Nevada, further described as follows: Lot 2 of that Certain Land Division LD-221-93, Recorded November 23, 1991, in Book 931123 as Document No. 01610, Official Records, Clark County, Nevada.
Parcel 3: The north half (N ½) of the northwest quarter (NW ¼) of Section 27, Township 28 South, Range 62 East, M.D.B.& M, Clark County, Nevada.
The developed area of the ranch is located almost entirely within Parcel 1. This developed area is fenced; however, the current fencing does not correspond to the parcel boundaries. Additional fences and unpaved roads and trails also occur on the 120-acre portion of the site (Parcels 2 and 3). The site is located approximately 3,700 feet south of Clark County Highway 164 (Nipton Road) and can be reached via Walking Box Ranch Road, a 50-foot wide county right-of-way. The right-of-way continues through the property, providing access to mining sites located several miles to the southwest.
The property is situated in a rural area in the eastern Mojave Desert at an elevation of approximately 3,850 feet above mean sea level (msl). The surrounding landscape, the floor of the Piute Valley, is covered with Joshua trees, Mojave yucca (“Spanish daggers”), creosote, and indigenous species of cactus. The ranch is located in a portion of the Piute Valley bordered by the Newberry Mountains on the east and the New York Mountains on the west. The ranch is located entirely within the Piute-Eldorado Valley Critical Habitat Unit (CHU) and ACEC , designated for the conservation and recovery of desert tortoise; the three ranch parcels are an exception within the ACEC .
Today, Walking Box Ranch includes the 40-acre homestead parcel and the 120-acre parcel; however, the ranch originally included an additional 300,000-400,000 acres of grazing leases, essentially the entire Piute Valley. The 40-acre parcel is proposed for future development and is the subject of this Environmental Assessment (EA).
Topography across the 40-acre parcel gently slopes down from the northwest to the southeast. The landscape of the 40-acre parcel shows signs of significant human and ranching use. The surrounding land historically served as cattle grazing land. Vegetation, with few exceptions, reflects the historic appearance of the landscape during the ranching era. The property was historically divided into three distinct zones, with the family’s residence located at the southeast corner, housing for the hired help at the northeast corner, and the cattle ranching functions at the west side.