Nevada

From Wetland Research

Nevada is the seventh-largest state in United States, with a total of 110,567 sq miles in area. The states population of 2,600,167 (2008 est.) is ranked 35th in the US, and is clustered in the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno. ^[1] Approximately 86% of the state's land is owned by the U.S federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military.^[2]

During the 1780's it is estimated that Nevada had approximately 487,350 acres of wetlands, which declined to 236,350 acres in the 1980's, a loss of 52% statewide. Much of the losses during the past two centuries was due to the diversion of water for drinking water and agricultural purposes, more recent losses are development related.^[3] Nevada has not cataloged all of its wetlands in the state, so losses are believed to be higher than the estimated 52%.^[4]

^[5]

Las Vegas / Henderson, Nevada Wetlands

[edit] State Law & Policy

Nevada relies on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual for delineation of wetlands, and regulates wetlands primarily through section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources-Department of Water Resources (NDCNR-DWR) conserves, protects, and manages water resources for the state through the appropriation and reallocation of the public waters. In addition, DWR is responsible for monitoring water use, distributing water, and other tasks related to water allocation. Working closely with the (NDCNR-DWR) the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) whose responsibility includes the protection and management of wildlife and its habitat, which often includes managing water rights and restoring wetlands. The NDOW is involved in the purchase or lease of land for Nevada's Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) to protect waterfowl, game animals and fish. ^[6]

[edit] Mitigation

Nevada law authorizes individual counties to create mitigation banks, which must abide by federal standards. One of the larger wetland mitigation banks in Nevada was created by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). In 1998 The NDOT created a 335-acre wetland mitigation bank located in Washoe Lake State Park. The completion of the mitigation bank took 11 years to complete, and included the addition of wells to manage water levels. The mitigation bank was implemented to offset the constriction related wetland losses on U.S. 395 around Reno. A recent study has found that the mitigation bank has successfully created usable wetland habitat for both local and migratory birds.^[7]

[edit] Notable Nevada Wetlands

There are 11 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Nevada, encompassing approximately 120,000 acres. Ten of the eleven WMAs contain aquatic wetland habitats totaling almost 60,000 acres. Nevada Conservation Bonds and duck stamps have provided funding to purchase or lease wetland areas and water rights for many of Nevada's WMAs. ^[8]

Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Henderson, Nevada

[edit] Franklin Lake Wildlife Management Area

The Franklin Lake WMA has a total of 3,230 acres of wetlands fed by over 25 small streams flowing out of the Ruby Mountains, and are dependent on snow melt and precipitation. The WMA provides important migratory and breeding habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and Sandhill Cranes. ^[9]

[edit] Humboldt Wildlife Management Area

The Humboldt WMA has approximately 27,900 acres of wetlands, almost 5% of all the wetlands in Nevada. ^[10]

[edit] Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area

The Mason Valley WMA, at 13,375 acres supports both shrub lands and wet meadows fed by the Walker River floodplain The wet meadows attract ducks, geese, swans, songbirds and wading birds.^[11] The WMA is actively managed with prescribed burns, invasive species control and by growing hay and grain on 1,200 acres in order to increase wildlife habitat and feed migrating and indigenous wildlife. ^[12]

[edit] Wetland Organizations

Created in 1987 the Nevada Waterfowl Association’s mission is to protect, restore and enhance Nevada’s unique desert wetlands and the wildlife dependent upon them, especially waterfowl and shorebirds. They work closely with federal, state and private conservation groups in Nevada.

[edit] Mapping and GIS Resources

In 2006 the EPA granted the State of Nevada funds to create the Nevada Wetland Information System and a wetland data clearinghouse in anticipation of supporting the habitat conservation plan for priority spring wetlands identified in the Nevada Wetland Priority Conservation Plan (NvWP) and Nevada Natural Heritage Program 2006 Scorecard of Highest Priority Conservation Sites.^[13] The Nevada Natural Heritage Program also offers various vector and raster files of wetlands, soils, hydrology and vegetation for download. ^[14]

[edit] See Also

[edit] References

1. ↑ Population of Nevada's Counties and Incorporated cities 2006Retrieved June 16, 2009
2. ↑ Federal Land Acres in Nevada.Nevada Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved June 16, 2009
3. ↑ Wetlands losses in the United States 1780's to 1980's Dahl, Thomas E. 1990. Wetlands losses in the United States 1780's to 1980's. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. Wetland Losses (Version 16JUL97).
4. ↑ Nevada Wildlife Action PlanWildlife Action Plan Team. 2006. Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
5. ↑ 2007 Nevada Priority Wetlands Inventory Nevada Natural Heritage Program. 2008. E. Skudlarek (ed.) Prepared for Nevada Division of State Parks. Carson City, Nevada. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
6. ↑ Environmental Law Institute. State Wetland Protection Status, Trends, & Model Approaches Nevada. 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
7. ↑ Compensatory wetland mitigation banking project at Washoe Lake, Nevada for the Nevada Department of Transportation. Bellenger DG. 2001. IN: Proceedings of the 2001 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, Eds. Irwin CL, Garrett P, McDermott KP. Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh,NC: p. 611.Retrieved June 17, 2009.
8. ↑ Environmental Law Institute. State Wetland Protection Status, Trends, & Model Approaches Nevada. 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
9. ↑ Nevada Wildlife Action PlanWildlife Action Plan Team. 2006. Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
10. ↑ Nevada Wildlife Action PlanWildlife Action Plan Team. 2006. Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
11. ↑ Nevada Wildlife Action PlanWildlife Action Plan Team. 2006. Nevada Department of Wildlife, Reno. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
12. ↑ Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area PamphletRetrieved June 17, 2009.
13. ↑ 2006 Wetlands Development Grants Awards ProjectsRetrieved June 17, 2009.
14. ↑ GIS at the Nevada Natural Heritage Program

[edit] External Links

[edit] Nevada Wetlands in the News