Take Pride in America Announces 2006 National Award Winners

"Take Pride in America Announces 2006 National Award Winners." (PDF)

Reid Secures Additional Funding to Preserve Walking Box Ranch, Research Facility

Projects help preserve local history and provide facility for

arid lands conservation research and education

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada has secured $200,000 for Walking Box Ranch and the Mojave Desert Education and Research Center in the FY07 Senate Interior Appropriations bill.



“The Walking Box Ranch has some of the richest history in Nevada. This project helps preserve and protect Nevada's natural heritage and the fragile ecosystems of the Mojave Desert,” said Reid.



These funds are in addition to the $16 million that Reid procured through Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act to rehabilitate the Ranch and to build a science center. The funds provided in the Senate Interior Appropriations bill will allow UNLV to hire staff and operate the site for the coming year as the Bureau of Land Management and UNLV locate long-term funding sources for the project.



“These emergency funds are critical to act as a bridge between immediate needs and long-term plans,” said Margaret Rees, Associate Vice President for Research at UNLV. “We will be able to maintain and protect the area’s historical and natural resources as we are planning for the long-term, which includes the development of a nationally renowned Mojave Desert Science Center to enhance conservation, restoration, and adaptive management of arid lands ecosystems.”



Walking Box Ranch, one of the most historic ranches in Southern Nevada, was built in 1931 by legendary silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow. Environmentally, most of the property is designated as critical desert tortoise habitat.



Now that the bill has been passed out of the Appropriations Committee, it will head to the U.S. Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.

Students learn about water quality and insects on the Forever Earth

"Students learn about water quality and insects on the Forever Earth," Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee (PDF)