BLM to thin sagebrush south of Bloomfield The U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to thin up to 31,000 acres of sagebrush in the checkerboard area south of Bloomfield. The work is to begin Sept. 15 and continue through the first week of October on BLM and Navajo tribal and allotment land where sagebrush density exceeds naturally occurring historic levels. A BLM rangeland management specialist, Jeff Tafoya, says thinning the sagebrush will allow the growth of native grasses and other vegetation that can be eaten by wildlife....