Environmental Issues

An initial organizational workshop for the Great Basin Environmental Program was held at the University of Nevada, Reno on October 26, 2006. In attendance at the workshop were forty representatives from the University of Nevada, Reno; the University of Idaho; the University of California, Davis; Oregon State University; Utah State University; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the Desert Research Institute, the Bureau of Land Management; the US Fish and Wildlife; USDA Forest Service; the Nevada Department of Wildlife; and Resource Concepts Inc. In addition, these issues were presented to selected representatives of state and federal agencies at a conference on Collaborative Watershed Management and Research in Reno on November 29, 2006. The agency leaders present agreed to sign a “Letter of Cooperation” endorsing the Great Basin Environmental Project. A similar document will be developed for the cooperating educational institutions.

The six areas identified as critically important to the ecosystems of the Great Basin and of priority for attention are as follows:

Wildfires

range restoration and rehabilitation, invasive species, vegetation changes and preemptive versus corrective approaches. The issue here was that the attempts to manage wildfires are more corrective than preemptive and that the focus should be on preemptive strategies. Wildfires have consumed great portions of the Great Basin Lands and are increasing in frequency and in scale. As well they are leaving in their path vegetation changes that make the threat of fire more prevalent.

Water Conservation and Use

surface water availability and usage patterns, ground water availability and recharge, water quality and water resources management. Here the issue was that most of the surface water is over subscribed in terms of use. New, more efficient water technologies will be required to alleviate these problems. Much of the ground water has low recharge, and is thus a fixed asset of the Great Basin. Population pressures mean that current ways of using water must change.

Land Use and Health

large scale landscape management, land use patterns and changes, public and private lands, agriculture, forestry and mining as historical industries, soils and soil erosion and changing tenure and land policies. Land is a primary resource of the Great Basin and is being influenced by its use and fires and other episodic events. The federal government is responsible for managing much of the land, and in turn, leases portions of the land to ranchers for livestock grazing.

Urban, Rural, Wildlands Mosaic

the urban rural interface, wildlands and their place, economies of sparse settlements, air quality and conflicting values and preferences and how they are changing. The predominance of urban growth as the population increases is causing numerous problems and cries out for better management. At the other extreme there are the wildlands, and how this should be managed with increasing populations and the advent of technologies that make them accessible by citizens.

Cultures and Communities

cultural resources, preservation and celebration. Historical, anthropological issues, as well as political and institutional changes all present continuing issues of balance and tension for residents and visitors of the Great Basin. Many of the native cultures are under great pressure. The same is true for immigrant populations. When these cultures are gone they cannot be recovered. Yet their existence and functioning adds to the diversity of life and enjoyment for the Great Basin residents and visitors. It is vital that these communities and cultures be sustained and allowed to flourish. 

Biodiversity

endangered species, ecosystem health and sustainability, and incentives for biodiversity conservation are among the issues. The isolated character of the Great Basin waters, land and other habitats makes for special diversity concerns. Population pressure, technology and climate change are affecting the biodiversity impacts that require careful management if the diversity is to be maintained and to grow. These populations are themselves indicators of the health of the environment, and essential to effective management of the ecosystems of the Great Basin.