Nevada County Facilities has partnered with local business, Origin Grazing, to maintain vegetation on the County's solar field located at 16782 Hwy 49. The lot, which is approximately 10.45 acres, has had sheep from Origin Grazing since the beginning of June and is expected to continue into July depending on how quickly the livestock manage the vegetation through grazing and browsing.
Nevada County chose vegetation management through sheep and livestock due to it's cost effective and sustainable grazing methods. Animals are moved with truck and trailer from site to site. Animals are managed on each site by rotating solar powered electric fencing, and they are protected by a livestock guardian dog.
This effort is in addition to the County's recent vegetation management on over 30 acres of the Eric Rood Center Campus, with the help of crews from the CAL FIRE Washington Ridge Camp. This project took place from the spring of 2018 to spring of 2019.