natural resources

Nordyke Ranch House in Lyon County, south of Yerington, was listed in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places on Sept. 12, 2014. As one of the few remaining buildings of the small ranching community of Nordyke, the ranch house stands as a visible reminder of Mason Valley’s agricultural development in the early 20th century.

The Nevada Recycles program has partnered with Las Vegas Sands Corp. to support a statewide recycled art contest to increase Nevadans’ awareness and interest in recycling.

Entrants must be Nevada residents and projects must be composed of used recyclable materials. Submission of entry form and photos of artwork are due by Oct. 31, 2014.

In addition to a $200 prize to the first place class project, Las Vegas Sands Corp. will provide first, second and third ($250, $100, and $50 respectively) prizes in four categories: Kindergarten-grade 5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12 and Adult.

And so we begin week five of this year at Carson High School. The time passes so quickly. All sports teams are on a roll, and activities and clubs are full speed ahead as well.

Pie an Administrator

Take a Super Full Moon lit hike next Monday and learn some of the backlit history of the Washoe Valley. This is an easy one mile round-trip hike north of Carson City to the gazebo on the Deadman’s Creek trail at the start of the third "Super Moon" of the year.

Managing water in northern Nevada’s Truckee-Carson River System requires local communities to balance urban, agricultural and ecosystem needs. Changes in historical climate trends are increasingly expected to make this balancing act more challenging. A competitive grant totaling $3.8 million has been awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno and the Desert Research Institute in partnership with the U.S.

With Nevada’s climate, more farmers are looking for ways to extend the growing season. University of Nevada, Reno’s High Desert Farming Initiative is offering a class for Nevada’s agricultural producers, “The Business of Season Extension Farming,” to provide information on field-tested methods for extending the growing season, as well information on reducing risk, low-cost marketing and financial planning. The course will be 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Sept. 12 at the Nye County Cooperative Extension office in Pahrump.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A package of Northern Nevada lands bills — six introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-2) and one by Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-4) unanimously passed the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday.

The bipartisan support clears the way for the legislation to be brought to the House floor in September as a non-controversial suspension bill, according to a news release from Amodei's office.

The compromise agreement was made possible after adjustments to the legislation were made to a version passed in January.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei’s bill known as Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe – Fish Springs Ranch Settlement Act, by a bipartisan voice vote.

The bill, H.R. 3716, would ratify an agreement between the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and Fish Springs Ranch to resolve a dispute over water rights near Reno. It is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law.

Hunters wanting a crash course on how to safely handle game after its been caught can attend a number of workshops this summer offered through the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the University of Nevada, Reno College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources.

In a collaboration with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the workshops aim to provide a hands-on experience for Nevada hunters on field dressing techniques, safe handling and transportation of meat, and conservation.

The Clear Creek watershed that runs through Carson City and Douglas County and Franktown watershed at Washoe Lake are two of 10 areas within the Nevada's national forests to be picked as priority projects designed to combat damage from insects and disease that weakens forests and increases the risk of wildfire, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday.

Responding to a provision in the new Farm Bill, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval had asked Tidwell to designate the watersheds and eight other areas for forest health projects.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s 2014 Spring Commencement will confer 2,251 degrees and certificates. There will be three ceremonies, one for advanced-degree recipients Friday afternoon, May 16, and two for bachelor-degree recipients on the mornings of Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17. All three ceremonies will be held on the University’s historic Quadrangle, located on the southern part of campus.

Lee Dyer, David Sanders and James Sedinger have been named the 2014 University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Professors in recognition of their outstanding research and teaching achievements. It is an honor set in stone as their names will be added to the list of Foundation Professors engraved in the granite pillars of the University’s Honor Court.

The Nevada Division of Forestry is hosting “Junk The Junipers,” 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 10, at its Eastlake Office. Residents of local communities are encouraged to bring their junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to be chipped for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 30 percent off a “good plant choice,” Moana-grown replacement shrub.

Headed up to Lake Tahoe for some spring boating? Most roadside stations for inspections and decontaminations of motorized boats and watercraft will begin Thursday, kicking off the 2014 boating season.

A station at Highway 267 south of Truckee will open May 22. Because of budget constraints, the station at Homewood is closed.

Residents across Nevada are being encouraged to attend “Living With Fire” Regional Conferences being held this month to interact with their neighbors, firefighting representatives, natural resource specialists and others to learn how to prepare for wildfire at their homes and in their communities.

Since the early 1980s, May has been a month for celebrating historic preservation and archaeology in Nevada. To kick off the celebration, there will be a monthlong Historic Resources Commission Scavenger Hunt in Carson City and other events around northern Nevada.

Organizations and agencies have maintained a long tradition to promote history and spread awareness of archaeological and historic preservation efforts throughout the state, encouraging both residents and visitors to explore and learn about Nevada’s significant archaeological and historical treasures.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s efforts to secure funds from the company responsible for perchlorate entering Lake Mead has ended with a settlement of approximately $1 billion to support cleanup efforts in Nevada.

Many great events are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of April to celebrate Nevada’s Sesquicentennial. These Nevada 150 events help celebrate all things Nevada and bring awareness to the state’s 150th Anniversary of Statehood.

Today's traditional peak of the snow season arrives with the mountain snowpack far below normal levels and possibly the worst on record.

"If it's not the worst it's certainly not much better," said Beau Uriona, a Utah-based snow surveyor with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

With the 2014 drought looming, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has partnered with other agencies to help Nevadans prepare for and cope with the drought. Today, Cooperative Extension launched its Living With Drought website, a one-stop shop where homeowners, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, natural resource managers and others can find information to help them respond to their various drought-related challenges.

Misti Gower is known by co-workers at Nevada’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as a cake baker extraordinaire. So, no one was surprised when she and Heidi Englund of the Nevada Historical Society agreed to create a 13 foot wide by 21 foot long cake in the shape of Nevada to commemorate the great cake caper of 1964.

The monumental undertaking has started to come together as DCNR colleagues and others have jumped in to help bake, build and serve the 1,300 pound confection.

One of Lake Tahoe's biggest funding mechanisms for clarity and restoration efforts, as well as millions for parks, trails and firefighting efforts in the state, money drawn from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, is under threat by members of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid on Wednesday denounced House efforts to gut the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act as part of the Tule Springs legislation mark-up to take place Thursday morning.

Lake Tahoe, CA/NV - The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has launched an online marketplace for property owners, realtors and land banks to use to increase the environmental improvements that come from transferring commonly-traded development rights in the Lake Tahoe region.

The new, online Transfer of Development Rights Exchange allows buyers and sellers to create postings, explains transfer incentives and eligibility requirements, and makes it all viewable on an interactive map. As the TDR Exchange is used more, it will also track market trends.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Bootstraps Program has received the 2013 Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, one of only 20 programs across the nation to receive this award for achievements in conservation of natural resources that include collaborative activity among a diverse range of entities.

The House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday passed the Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act coupled with six other Nevada public lands bills out of the Committee sponsored by Representatives Mark Amodei (NV-2) and Steven Horsford (NV-4).

Drivers of electric vehicles now have a free charging station at the Carson City Community Center, thanks to a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Energy, NV Energy and Carson City Public Works.

The newly-installed electric vehicle charging station can be found at Carson City’s Mills Park, in the parking lot between the Community Center and Aquatics Center.

Former Nevada Assemblywoman and hospital trustee Vivian Freeman died Thursday at her home in Reno. She was 86 years old.

She successfully underwent kidney transplant surgery in 2011 and passed away due to complications from a stroke she suffered on Nov. 26. In accordance with her wishes, she asked that all treatment be stopped so that she could return home where she died at 11:00 a.m. PST on Thursday, Dec. 5.

LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Commission on Tourism has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to the state’s rural areas to support tourism efforts, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, NCOT chairman, announced Tuesday. The longstanding Rural Grants Program ultimately generates room tax revenue for the state, as grant recipients must use the monies to maximize their marketing outreach, bringing more travelers to Nevada’s rural areas.

State and federal agencies and non-profit organization leaders will meet Wednesday with Nevada’s First Lady Kathleen Sandoval at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City to address food and hunger issues during the Northern Nevada Food Summit.

Genevieve Masters has begun her new position as deputy supervisor for the 6.3 million-acre Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, officials announced Wednesday.

Masters arrived from the Apache-Sitgreaves’ National Forest in Arizona, where she served as the ecosystem staff officer since 2009.

“I look forward to getting to know the employees and contributing to a positive and transparent work environment,” said Masters. “I also look forward to working together with employees, communities, and stakeholders to manage the natural resources of the Humboldt-Toiyabe.”