Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
UNLV Researchers to Study Restoration of Native Vegetation After Wildfires.
UNLV RESEARCHERS TO STUDY RESTORATION OF NATIVE VEGETATION AFTER WILDFIRES
RESEARCH WILL HELP LAND MANAGERS CONTROL POST-FIRE INVASION OF EXOTIC SPECIES
Researchers at UNLV’s Public Lands Institute (PLI) and School of Life Sciences have been awarded a two-year, $179,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Joint Fire Science Program to identify native species that will help improve the restoration of arid lands following wildfires.
PLI and School of Life Sciences Assistant Research Professor Scott Abella and School of Life Sciences Professor Stanley Smith will use the funding to identify native species that can be easily established and strongly resistant to exotic grass invasion. The collaborative research and land management team also includes Alice Newton, vegetation management specialist at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Christina Lund, botanist with the Las Vegas Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management.
Wildfires are occurring at greater frequency on Southwestern arid lands, such as the Mojave Desert in Southern Nevada. In 2006, wildfires burned 1.3 million acres in Nevada. The scars of the post-burn landscape often remain visible as efforts to reestablish native vegetation fail, while non-native grasses continue to grow and serve as fuel for the next lightning- or human-sparked wildfire.
This research addresses a critical issue for desert ecology in the Southwest and is of national interest. “We’re faced with the challenge of exotic annual grasses fueling wildfires and then becoming even more abundant after the fire,” says Abella. “We need to break the unnatural exotic grass-wildfire cycle. When native plants are reliably established, they can reclaim burn areas and be competitive in post-fire environments typically dominated by exotic annual grasses.
”Researchers will examine the establishment and competitive abilities of nine native perennials at a nursery facility at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and at six desert sites within Lake Mead and adjacent to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Recommendations will be presented to land managers and scientists in late 2009. The findings will be disseminated through field trips, conferences, workshops, web sites, publications and technical articles.
RESEARCH WILL HELP LAND MANAGERS CONTROL POST-FIRE INVASION OF EXOTIC SPECIES
Researchers at UNLV’s Public Lands Institute (PLI) and School of Life Sciences have been awarded a two-year, $179,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Joint Fire Science Program to identify native species that will help improve the restoration of arid lands following wildfires.
PLI and School of Life Sciences Assistant Research Professor Scott Abella and School of Life Sciences Professor Stanley Smith will use the funding to identify native species that can be easily established and strongly resistant to exotic grass invasion. The collaborative research and land management team also includes Alice Newton, vegetation management specialist at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Christina Lund, botanist with the Las Vegas Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management.
Wildfires are occurring at greater frequency on Southwestern arid lands, such as the Mojave Desert in Southern Nevada. In 2006, wildfires burned 1.3 million acres in Nevada. The scars of the post-burn landscape often remain visible as efforts to reestablish native vegetation fail, while non-native grasses continue to grow and serve as fuel for the next lightning- or human-sparked wildfire.
This research addresses a critical issue for desert ecology in the Southwest and is of national interest. “We’re faced with the challenge of exotic annual grasses fueling wildfires and then becoming even more abundant after the fire,” says Abella. “We need to break the unnatural exotic grass-wildfire cycle. When native plants are reliably established, they can reclaim burn areas and be competitive in post-fire environments typically dominated by exotic annual grasses.
”Researchers will examine the establishment and competitive abilities of nine native perennials at a nursery facility at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and at six desert sites within Lake Mead and adjacent to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Recommendations will be presented to land managers and scientists in late 2009. The findings will be disseminated through field trips, conferences, workshops, web sites, publications and technical articles.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Haynes elected NAA Secretary
Greg Haynes, a post-doctoral scholar in archaeology with the UNLV Public Lands Institute and the Department of Anthropology & Ethnic Studies, has been appointedSecretary of the Board of Director of the Nevada Archaeological Association. The announcement was made during the association’s annual conference, which was held April 20-22 in Ely, Nevada.
Greg also presented a paper on activities at Lost City at the state conference and to the Society for American Archaeology’s 72nd annual meeting, which was held April 25-29 in Austin, Texas.
Greg also presented a paper on activities at Lost City at the state conference and to the Society for American Archaeology’s 72nd annual meeting, which was held April 25-29 in Austin, Texas.
Experimental field trips enrich students and the land
Native plants and seeds that would have been destroyed for the sake of new development are instead rescued, now sprouting in an area that once was a landfill. The desert near Goodsprings, Nevada, scorched by a lightning-caused fire in 2005, is showing signs of revegetation as native grasses and shrubs grow with the much-needed assistance of a slow-release irrigation system. These are examples of experimental field trips where students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert are reaping the rewards of restoration.
UNLV’s Public Lands Institute (PLI) works in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) to preserve and conserve various plant species of interests within federal lands in Southern Nevada. Research Assistant Professor Scott Abella oversees the Vegetation Monitoring and Data Management program and conducts a number of vegetation research projects at Lake Mead National Recreational Area and adjacent lands. He also teaches with the UNLV School of Life Sciences. This spring Abella saw an opportunity to integrate PLI activities with a Restoration Ecology course to present a unique experience for UNLV students.
“We conducted several extra credit field trips to do restoration work at Lake Mead and on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in conjunction with the Restoration Ecology course I taught this semester,” said Abella. “Although this is the first time any class like this has been offered at UNLV and it is an experimental course, the enrollment was high with 24 undergraduate and 12 graduate students.”
According to Abella, finding native plant materials, whether seed or seedlings, often is a limiting factor for restoration, particularly for deserts. Abella worked with the private developer of a grassy site in the southwestern Las Vegas Valley to salvage native plants before the site was developed. Students rescued more than 100 plants for restoration and seed production, transported the plants to the Lake Mead nursery facility, and processed them for future projects.
The first stop for the salvaged plants was an old landfill near Lake Mead, where students were involved in a research-oriented experiment to revegetate the site. They planted 216 native plants, including snakeweed and deer grass, to see if the plants can resist invasion of non-native plants, such as red brome and Sahara mustard. “The basic idea is to establish five different native community types, then introduce the exotics that are already present at the site and see which native communities best fend off invasion of the exotics,” explained Abella.
The next assignment took students to Goodsprings, an area severely damaged by fire in 2005, just south of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The focus of this experiment was to learn techniques for establishing native plants on arid lands by assessing the effectiveness of DriWater (slow-release irrigation) and shelters for seven native species on a burn area. Students planted 280 native species plants including wildflowers, deer grass, and California buckwheat. They also installed DriWater and shelters around randomly selected plants.
“The experimental field trips exceeded my expectations because they created a win-win-win situation for UNLV, federal agencies, and the private developer,” said Abella. “UNLV students had a unique opportunity for hands-on learning in the field which assisted PLI in facilitating its research and restoration projects. The federal agencies benefited with the restoration of public lands. And the private developer made a major contribution by allowing us to salvage native plants needed before even starting the projects on public land.”
Abella sees the experimental field trips as providing real solutions to real problems. “Ecological restoration is an increasingly emerging approach to reverse habitat loss and ecosystem decline, while enhancing the services that native ecosystems provide to society.”
Lake Mead Vegetation Manager Alice Newton demonstrates how to wrap plant roots with
moistened paper towels to prepare for transport and replanting.
This old landfill site will be restored with more than 200 different native shrubs, wildflowers, and grass.
Students plant native species and install DriWater and shelters to protect the plants.
This planting is part of the effort to assess the effectiveness of DriWater, a slow-release irrigation system.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Southern Nevada Site Stewardship Program receives national recognition
LAS VEGAS - The Southern Nevada Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program has been selected to receive the 2007 Department of Interior Cooperative Conservation Service Award. The award recognizes achievements in the area of cooperative conservation that involve a diverse range of entities undertaking collaborative activities. The entities may include federal, state, local and tribal governments; private for profit and nonprofit institutions; other non-governmental entities; and individuals.
The Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program is a volunteer-based program to monitor and protect sensitive cultural sites in Clark County. Currently, 269 volunteers monitor several hundred vulnerable sites, including Gold Butte and Sloan Canyon and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Areas. The program, which is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, is a conservation initiative of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP). SNAP is comprised of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. It is managed by the Public Lands Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
“I am very proud of the work this team does and the difference it makes,” said William K. Dickinson, chairman of the SNAP Board and superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. “The site stewardship team has effectively developed and managed a model program working with volunteers, the four agencies, the state of Nevada, and UNLV.”
“We are honored to have this national recognition for such a worthy program,” said Margaret (Peg) Rees, executive director of the Public Lands Institute and associate vice president for Research and Community Outreach at UNLV. “We thank the dedicated volunteers for their time and passion toward the preservation of Southern Nevada’s cultural resources.”
Representatives of the Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program will be among the honorees at the 64th Department Honor Awards Convocation at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9. The ceremony will be held in the Sidney Yates Auditorium at the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C.
The Public Lands Institute was initiated in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about the institute is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
The Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program is a volunteer-based program to monitor and protect sensitive cultural sites in Clark County. Currently, 269 volunteers monitor several hundred vulnerable sites, including Gold Butte and Sloan Canyon and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Areas. The program, which is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, is a conservation initiative of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP). SNAP is comprised of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. It is managed by the Public Lands Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
“I am very proud of the work this team does and the difference it makes,” said William K. Dickinson, chairman of the SNAP Board and superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. “The site stewardship team has effectively developed and managed a model program working with volunteers, the four agencies, the state of Nevada, and UNLV.”
“We are honored to have this national recognition for such a worthy program,” said Margaret (Peg) Rees, executive director of the Public Lands Institute and associate vice president for Research and Community Outreach at UNLV. “We thank the dedicated volunteers for their time and passion toward the preservation of Southern Nevada’s cultural resources.”
Representatives of the Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program will be among the honorees at the 64th Department Honor Awards Convocation at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9. The ceremony will be held in the Sidney Yates Auditorium at the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C.
The Public Lands Institute was initiated in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about the institute is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Friday, May 4, 2007
UNLV Public Lands Institute recognized for its work protecting nevada rock art
LAS VEGAS - The Nevada Rock Art Foundation has honored the UNLV Public Lands Institute (PLI) for the significant contributions it has made in the protection and appreciation of rock art in Southern Nevada. The foundation presented a plaque to PLI’s George Phillips during its annual meeting held April 28, 2007 in Boulder City, Nevada. Phillips is the project manager for the Interagency Cultural Site Stewardship Program, which PLI administers on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.
The Cultural Site Stewardship Program recruits and trains specialized volunteers to monitor and protect sensitive sites on public lands. Currently, 269 volunteers monitor several hundred vulnerable sites throughout Clark County, including Gold Butte and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
“While this recognition is for the Public Lands Institute, our heartfelt appreciation is extended to the extremely dedicated volunteer site stewards who carry out our mission and that of the Nevada Rock Art Foundation,” said Margaret (Peg) Rees, PLI executive director and associate vice president of Research and Outreach at UNLV. “We thank them for their time and passion toward the preservation of Southern Nevada’s cultural resources.”
The Public Lands Institute was initiated in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about the institute is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
Cultural Site Stewardship Project Manager George Phillips holds the plaque presented by the Nevada Rock Art Foundation.
The Cultural Site Stewardship Program recruits and trains specialized volunteers to monitor and protect sensitive sites on public lands. Currently, 269 volunteers monitor several hundred vulnerable sites throughout Clark County, including Gold Butte and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
“While this recognition is for the Public Lands Institute, our heartfelt appreciation is extended to the extremely dedicated volunteer site stewards who carry out our mission and that of the Nevada Rock Art Foundation,” said Margaret (Peg) Rees, PLI executive director and associate vice president of Research and Outreach at UNLV. “We thank them for their time and passion toward the preservation of Southern Nevada’s cultural resources.”
The Public Lands Institute was initiated in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about the institute is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
Cultural Site Stewardship Project Manager George Phillips holds the plaque presented by the Nevada Rock Art Foundation.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Partnership cleans up illegal dump site near Great Unconformity
April 26, 2007
LAS VEGAS - The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the UNLV Public Lands Institute worked in cooperation with the Nevada Division of Forestry and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to clean up a large illegal dumpsite in North Las Vegas. Each agency provided staff and equipment to remove as much waste as possible from the site April 24 - 27.
The Nevada Division of Forestry provided an alternative work force to remove the waste from the 16-acre site, which is managed by the BLM and located between Lake Mead Boulevard and Carey Avenue, just east of Los Feliz. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department donated a staff person and loader to help with the clean-up effort. The site is adjacent to Metro’s firing range.
More than 200 cubic yards of waste was removed on the first day. By the end of the week, the 12-person crew removed 440 cubic yards of waste. It is estimated that more than 1500 cubic yards of waste has been dumped on the site over the past several years. The waste is mainly landscaping, construction, demolition and household waste.
“If each cubic yard of this waste was stacked on top of each other, it would reach 4,500 feet, three times taller than the Empire State Building,” said Doug Joslin, program manager of the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Program.
“We are fortunate to have the commitment and assistance of these agencies to tackle this problem area on our public lands,” said Jennifer Haley, executive director of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership. “It sets a wonderful example of how much can be achieved when we identify a problem, gather our collective resources, and work together to fix it.”
The Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and managed by the UNLV Public Lands Institute on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. More information about the Public Lands Institute and SNPLMA is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
LAS VEGAS - The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the UNLV Public Lands Institute worked in cooperation with the Nevada Division of Forestry and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to clean up a large illegal dumpsite in North Las Vegas. Each agency provided staff and equipment to remove as much waste as possible from the site April 24 - 27.
The Nevada Division of Forestry provided an alternative work force to remove the waste from the 16-acre site, which is managed by the BLM and located between Lake Mead Boulevard and Carey Avenue, just east of Los Feliz. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department donated a staff person and loader to help with the clean-up effort. The site is adjacent to Metro’s firing range.
More than 200 cubic yards of waste was removed on the first day. By the end of the week, the 12-person crew removed 440 cubic yards of waste. It is estimated that more than 1500 cubic yards of waste has been dumped on the site over the past several years. The waste is mainly landscaping, construction, demolition and household waste.
“If each cubic yard of this waste was stacked on top of each other, it would reach 4,500 feet, three times taller than the Empire State Building,” said Doug Joslin, program manager of the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Program.
“We are fortunate to have the commitment and assistance of these agencies to tackle this problem area on our public lands,” said Jennifer Haley, executive director of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership. “It sets a wonderful example of how much can be achieved when we identify a problem, gather our collective resources, and work together to fix it.”
The Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and managed by the UNLV Public Lands Institute on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. More information about the Public Lands Institute and SNPLMA is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
PLI Staff Gain Local, State and National Recognition
Staff members of the Public Lands Institute recently received recognition at the local, state and national levels.
Forever Earth/Discover Mojave Project Manager Daphne Sewing joined with Cheryl Wagner and Mary Weisenmiller, K-12 Science Project Facilitators for the Clark County School District, to present to the 2007 National Science Teachers Association Conference in St. Louis, Missouri March 28 – April 1, 2007. The presentation highlighted the integration of formal and informal education to develop effective curriculum for the Forever Earth Program.
Interagency Volunteer Program Manager Donna Grady and Database Coordinator Chuck Williams highlighted the award-winning Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program at the 2007 annual conference of the Association of Partners for Public Lands, which was held March 18 - 22, 2007 in Sacramento, California.
Research Assistant Professor and NPS Monitoring Program Administrator Jef Jaeger received the 2006 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the UNLV College of Sciences. The award is presented to the outstanding dissertation submitted by a College of Sciences Ph.D. student as selected by a faculty committee.
Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Program Manager Doug Joslin initiated the selection of William H. “Bob” Bailey Middle School as the first Take Pride in America School in Nevada. Officials from the National Take Pride in America presented the school with a certificate in honor of the recognition.
Congratulations to Daphne, Donna, Chuck, Jef, and Doug!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
PLI joins with public lands partners at APPL Conference in Sacramento
Nearly 600 participants converged on California’s capital city for the 2007 Annual Conference and Trade Show for the Association of Partners for Public Lands. With the theme, New Frontiers, Next Stages, the conference explored the new frontiers facing the public lands community and the next stages of public land partnerships. The Public Lands Institute conducted a session at the conference on Best Practices in Multi-Agency Volunteer Programs, which highlighted the award-winning Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program. Representing PLI were Marketing Specialist LaNelda Rolley, Interagency Volunteer Program Manager Donna Grady, and Database Coordinator Chuck Williams.
Download more information:
- PowerPoint presentation (71MB PDF)
Event planning forms:
- Event Schedule Logistics (PDF)
- Event Planning (PDF)
- Volunteer Event Accomplishments (PDF)
Thursday, March 8, 2007
UNLV Magazine Garners Awards of Excellence for its Public Lands Issue
UNLV Magazine, the quarterly magazine of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, recently received recognition for its spring 2006 issue that featured the Public Lands Institute.The staff was awarded five coveted Bronze Quill awards from the Southern Nevada chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators during its awards ceremony.
Photo Services Manager Geri Kodey of the UNLV Marketing and Public Relations Office took home two Bronze Quills for the cover photo “Wild at Heart” and the story photo “Girl Fishing at Sunset"
Editor Cate Weeks and Associate Editor Diane Russell also received two Bronze Quills – overall magazine quality for the spring 2006 issue and best writing for the same issue.
Jennifer Lawson, who works for the UNLV Foundation, and Gian Galassi, who works for the UNLV Public Affairs Office, were honored with a Bronze Quill for feature writing for the public land initiative articles in the spring 2006 issue.
The Public Lands Institute extends its gratitude to the staff of UNLV Magazine for winning these awards and making us look so good!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Extinct' frog leaps back into existence at lake
"'Extinct' frog leaps back into existence at lake," by Jeff Pope, Boulder City News.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
BLM, Volunteers Clean Up Illegal Dumping
"BLM, Volunteers Clean Up Illegal Dumping," by Edward Lawrence, KLAS, Channel 8, Las Vegas.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Good year' for bald eagles at lakes Mead and Mohave
"'Good year' for bald eagles at lakes Mead and Mohave," by Keith Rogers, Review-Journal.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Walking Box Ranch -- A Conservation Highlight for Nevada
The historic Walking Box Ranch is one of the 2006 conservation highlights touted by The Nature Conservancy’s Nevada Chapter. UNLV, through the Public Lands Institute, and the Bureau of Land Management, through its Las Vegas Field Office, cooperatively manage the ranch to make it available for education and interpretive purposes. Click here to read the Nevada Conservation Update – 2006 Summary.
Monday, January 15, 2007
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