field
notes
conservation news
Nevada
in
Welcome to the McCarran Ranch Preserve
page 3
Protecting Our Rivers
page 5
Donor Profile: In Their Words
page 7
spring • 2012
photo © 2012 Tim Torell
from the
director
One East First Street
1771 East Flamingo Road
Suite 1007
Suite 104A
Reno, NV 89501
Las Vegas, NV 89119
775-322-4990
702-737-8744
Board of Trustees
Chair
Walter M. Higgins III, Reno
Vice Chair
Joanne Hall, Minden
Susan Antinori, Incline Village
Arthur Hall, Minden
Michael J. Brown, Salt Lake City
Ronald Krump, Reno
William Coulthard, Las Vegas
Joel Laub, Las Vegas
Ken Creighton, Reno
Reynaldo L. Martinez, Incline Village
William Douglass, Reno
Maureen Mullarkey, Reno
Greg Ferraro, Reno
Thomas G. Warden, Las Vegas
Emeritus Trustees
J. Robert Anderson, Incline Village
Michael Melarkey, Reno
Joseph W. Brown, Las Vegas
Brad Pederson, Las Vegas
Fred Gibson, Las Vegas
Bill Wright, Elko
Gary Goodheart, Las Vegas
Honorary
Senator Paul Laxalt
Senator Harry Reid
After seven years as state director, the time has come for me to retire. My experience would not have
been nearly so rewarding without the exceptional staff I’ve been so fortunate to work with. They
are dedicated, hard-working and fun. Their talent is matched by that of our board of trustees. We
have a great group of leaders on our board, some who have been with us since the chapter’s inception
and others who have been inspired by our success to join our ranks.
Over these years, I have been privileged to work with the staff, trustees and all of you to achieve a
number of remarkable conservation milestones. We have:
• Led the restoration of nine miles of the Truckee River corridor at McCarran Ranch, Mustang,
Lockwood and 102 Ranch. (See details on page 3).
• Celebrated protection of 3,300 acres and seven miles of the Truckee River Canyon from the Nevada
state line to Floriston, California.
• Defied stereotypes by bringing ranching, conservation and public access together when we partnered
with Bently Agrowdynamics to protect the Bently-Kirman Tract, then opened a trail providing the
first legal public access to the Carson River.
We’d like to thank J. Robert Anderson, Joseph W. Brown,
• Built a nationally recognized collaboration of ranchers, businesses and conservationists working to
Fred Gibson, Brad Pederson and Bill Wright for their service on
protect habitat and prevent the listing of the Amargosa toad as an endangered species.
our Board of Trustees. Their many years of dedication and support
• Purchased 2,300 acres around Independence Lake to protect this pristine lake, its remarkable native
have helped us make a real difference for conservation in Nevada.
fish and wonderful recreational amenities. Sunset Magazine just named Independence Lake “Best
Thank you!
Lake” in its 2012 Environmental Awards.
• Continued to make a difference for our state’s large landscapes by using our science-based approach to contribute to the State Wildlife Action Plan and the Nevada
Springs Conservation Plan; and developed a revolutionary method called Landscape Conservation Forecasting™ to help land managers achieve the best conservation
results in the most cost-effective manner.
• Created beautiful natural places — and community spaces — including River Fork Ranch Preserve on the Carson River, whose Whit Hall Interpretive Center is one of
only a few LEED® Platinum buildings in Nevada; McCarran Ranch Preserve, with its award-winning amphitheater; and Torrance Ranch on the Amargosa River, with
its new interpretive boardwalk.
Our work has shown that dedication and perseverance make all the difference. I am humbled that the conservation results we created will last far beyond my time.
It has been an honor to have worked with you, and it is with great fondness that I will remember all we’ve done together as I look forward to the Conservancy’s even
greater future achievements.
Kathryn Landreth
Check www.nature.org/nevada for updates and additional information on when Nevada sites will be open for public access, as well as for details to help plan your visit.
2 • field notes • www.nature.org/nevada
Welcome to the McCarran Ranch Preserve
Photo © Tim Torell
With your help, almost a decade ago we began work
at McCarran Ranch to welcome birds, fish and other
wildlife to a new and improved habitat on the Truckee
River. Today, we are pleased to welcome people to the
ranch, too.
“It’s been a long time coming,” says Mickey Hazelwood,
Truckee River Project Director for The Nature
Conservancy, “but we are finally able to welcome people
to visit the McCarran Ranch Preserve and invite them
to learn first-hand about this important restoration
and conservation effort.”
Indeed, many people don’t know just how much work
has gone into achieving this success. The Conservancy’s
work on the Truckee River began twenty years ago when
the Conservancy embarked on a water rights acquisition
program. Over the years, the project evolved into a fullscale effort to reverse a century’s worth of damage to the
river, and bring the river back to its former glory. (To
learn more about the changes we made to the Truckee,
read “Looking Back” on page 7.)
At McCarran Ranch, where the channel was
straightened in the 1960s, we have demonstrated how
to repair a broken river by rebuilding natural bends
in the river; replanting lost native trees, shrubs and
grasses; and creating “free passage” along the river and
its land corridor for fish and wildlife. After the success
at McCarran Ranch, we brought our restoration
techniques to three additional properties on the lower
river (Mustang Ranch, 102 Ranch and Lockwood),
bringing healthy habitat to a total of nine miles of river
corridor — and there’s more to come. Now we’re taking
the next critical step in making sure our work lasts —
sharing it with the community. “Ultimately our work
can only be as successful as this community decides it
should be. When the community embraces the Truckee
and values it as a resource worthy of protection for
the well-being of people and wildlife, only then can
we ensure that its history of abuse will not become its
future,” Hazelwood explains.
“It’s amazing to think of all this place has been through,”
says Michael Cameron, Associate State Director for
The Nature Conservancy, “from the wild waterway
this was before this area was settled to a sheep ranch
that was home to one of Nevada’s most famous U.S.
senators. Then it became a construction zone with a
cacophony of dump trucks and backhoes before we had
what you see today: a beautiful, peaceful place where
Mother Nature has shown us how resilient she can be
if we just give her a chance.”
The Truckee River by the Numbers
The restoration work at McCarran Ranch, 102
Ranch, Lockwood and Mustang Ranch includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
9 river miles
19 new wetlands
13 new river meanders
31 in-stream riffles
458 acres of revegetation
35,000 cottonwood trees planted
34,000 wetland vegetation plugs planted
10,000 riparian shrubs planted
5,000 upland shrubs planted
1,600 hours of volunteer labor to help with
the planting
Now, it’s your turn to experience the McCarran Ranch
Preserve. The site is open daily from dawn until dusk
and includes six miles of trail (which is also part of
the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway), scenic views along the
winding river and beautiful interpretive signage that
helps visitors learn more about the Preserve and the
restoration activities that have brought it back to life.
As the Truckee begins to thrive once more, it is again
becoming the heart of northwestern Nevada’s beauty,
quality of life and economic health. For details on
visiting the preserve, go to nature.org/mccarran.
Photo credits, clockwise from the top: USGS; USGS; Mike Conner/TNC; Joel Donalson; Marion McSherry
Fishing is just one of many things to do at the McCarran
Ranch Preserve. Photo © Tim Torell
field notes • spring 2012 • 3
what’s happening in Nevada
Come see Amargosa toads and more at the Torrance Ranch
Preserve. Photo: © Jim Moore/TNC
Amargosa Boardwalk
Among the Amargosa toads, Oasis Valley speckled
dace and neotropical migratory birds, there will soon
be even more to see at the Conservancy’s Torrance
Ranch on the Amargosa River: a visitor trail, kiosk
and boardwalk! We plan to celebrate the opening of
the interpretive boardwalk this fall, so watch for more
details. The Conservancy has been working since the
1980s to protect and improve springs, wetlands and
riparian habitat along the river, and is excited that
the area will be open for visitors to explore, enjoy and
learn about the work we’re doing.
Learn more at nature.org/amargosa.
4 • field notes • www.nature.org/nevada
Check out this view from the Whit Hall Interpretive Center.
Photo: © Anne Thomas/TNC
Every day’s a good day to celebrate the earth.
Photo: © Martin Swinehart/TNC
A Community Resource in the Carson Valley
Picnic for the Planet
Learn more at nature.org/riverforkranch.
Learn more at earthday.nature.org/picnic.
Since it opened last summer as part of the River Fork
Ranch Preserve, the Whit Hall Interpretive Center
has proven itself to be a true community resource. We
have already been able to make it available for more
than 39 events serving more than 2,000 people, and
we have another 12 events planned over the spring and
summer. Our tally does not include the daily visitors
who come to the Ranch to walk the trails, enjoy the
abundant wildlife or appreciate the newly restored
wetland and meadow habitats. The Center has become
a community gathering place, and there’s no doubt that
it will continue to be a source of learning and teaching
about sustainable living in balance with nature.
When Nevada EcoNet announced it was closing its
doors after nearly 20 years of organizing the Earth
Day event in Reno, The Nature Conservancy knew it
would be a shame to let Earth Day happen without a
local celebration. So we worked with REI and Caesar’s
Entertainment Northern Nevada to bring the “Picnic
for the Planet” to Nevada, complete with live music,
food, beverage vendors and educational presentations.
The Reno festivity was part of a larger series of Earth
Day-oriented events that the Conservancy hosts
around the world, including picnics in more than 60
cities. On a beautiful Saturday in Reno, we hosted
more than 800 people who celebrated Earth Day.
International connection
Protecting Our Rivers
You probably know the importance of the rivers like
the Truckee to Nevada’s communities — for recreation
and for drinking water. But the Truckee is only one
piece of a much larger puzzle. In fact, our whole world
is defined by rivers. They water our crops, give us fish
to eat, provide water to drink, produce electricity
to light our homes and bring us joy. Pick a place, and
you’ll find that water supports its local economy,
nourishes its culture and sustains the health of its
people and wildlife.
Yet around the world we are crippling the ability of
rivers and lakes to support people, plants and animals.
Scientists predict that by 2025 more than two-thirds
Photo: First bend of the YangtzeRiver in China © Dou Weiyang
of the world’s population could face water shortages.
We in Nevada — the most arid state in our country —
are well aware that to sustain life on Earth, we must
protect our precious rivers. That’s why we’ve worked
tirelessly to protect our freshwater resources, including
the Truckee, Carson, Amargosa and Muddy Rivers.
The work we are doing here in Nevada is mirrored
in the Conservancy’s work in 30 countries around
the world. We’ve argued the importance of proper
dam management on the Truckee River, as other
Conservancy scientists have done for China’s Yangtze
River. We have conserved key pieces of our drinking
water systems — like Independence Lake — to help
keep them healthy, just as our colleagues in Ecuador
did when they protected the Condor Bioreserve that
provides all of the water to the 1.5 million people in
the capital city of Quito. We are working to eradicate
invasive species in places like the Amargosa River to
keep the entire river ecosystem healthy and balanced,
while similar efforts are ongoing at the Great Lakes.
Thanks to you, we can better balance across our many
needs and preserve nature’s ability to provide for future
generations, too.
Visit nature.org/freshwater to learn more and see
what you can do to help.
notes • spring 2012 • 5
meet
the
staff
Tanya Anderson
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Image credits (from left to right) Top: © Jerry & Marcy Monkman; © Sandra Howard; © Lynn Mc Bride; Middle: © Harold E. Malde;
© Djuna Ivereigh/indonesiawild.com; © Harvey Payne; Bottom: © Mark Godfrey; © Rick McEwan; © Daniel & Robbie Wisdom.
PHOPM100501001
Image credits (from left to right) Top: © Jerry & Marcy Monkman; © Sandra Howard; © Lynn Mc Bride; Middle: © Harold E. Malde;
© Djuna Ivereigh/indonesiawild.com; © Harvey Payne; Bottom: © Mark Godfrey; © Rick McEwan; © Daniel PHOPM100501001
& Robbie Wisdom.
Image credits (from left to right) Top: © Jerry & Marcy Monkman; © Sandra Howard; © Lynn Mc Bride; Middle: © Harold E. Malde;
© Djuna Ivereigh/indonesiawild.com; © Harvey Payne; Bottom: © Mark Godfrey; © Rick McEwan; © Daniel & Robbie Wisdom.
Sample language for your will:
nature.org/bequestlanguage
Already included The Nature Conservancy in your
will or estate plan? Please let us know so that we
can thank you: nature.org/bequestnotify
The Nature Conservancy cannot render tax or legal advice.
Please consult your professional financial advisor before making
a charitable gift.
Image credits (from left to right) Top: © Jerry & Marcy Monkman;
© Sandra Howard; Middle: © Harold E. Malde; © Djuna Ivereigh/
indonesiawild.com; Bottom: © Mark Godfrey; © Rick MeEwan.
te or
ate plan?
background in biology, wildlife and
geographic information systems (GIS)
have made her a great fit to tackle
the challenges of conserving large
landscapes in southern and eastern
Nevada. But science isn’t her only gig:
When she’s not scaling the peaks of the
Spring Mountains to gather data for
Landscape Conservation Forecasting™
or tackling weeds on Nevada’s rivers,
this busy mom spends her spare
time reading, crocheting, hiking and
gardening.
Q. Where are you from, and what
brought you to Nevada?
A. I was born in Miles City, Montana
and spent my formative years in a
small town near the Canadian border
called Havre. The winters were
very, very cold. Our family vacations
typically varied between Yellowstone
and Glacier National Parks. We moved
to El Paso, Texas when I was 14, which
gave me first taste of the Southwest,
both literally and figuratively. It was
quite a transition, one border to
the next, cold to hot. The Nature
Conservancy brought me to Nevada; I
had never been to Las Vegas or Nevada
before my interview.
Q. What has inspired your
commitment to conservation?
A. You can trace my interest in science
back as far as 4th grade, when I joined
the science club, and it only grew
6 • field notes • www.nature.org/nevada
through exposure in school. Around
ages 9-12, I would tell everyone that
I wanted to be an environmentalist
when I grew up. No one thought to
correct me that “environmentalist”
isn’t a real job — more just a
description of a person’s interests.
It concerned me that people could
be careless and destroy
habitat needed for an
animal or push species to
near extinction.
A. I have thought and thought on this,
and I have to say that I don’t have
a favorite. Every time I visit a new
landscape, I enjoy it so much and want
to go back.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like
to add?
Q. What is your
favorite thing about
working with The
Nature Conservancy?
A. The Conservancy does
great work for the benefit
of everyone, which is
something we can all be
proud of.
Q. What do you
consider the biggest
success that you’ve
contributed to in
your work with the
Conservancy?
A. I would say it’s our work for the
revision of Nevada’s State Wildlife
Action Plan. It has great potential
to improve and enhance future
management and protection of
Nevada’s wildlife.
Q. Do you have a favorite landscape
or place to visit - worldwide and/or
in Nevada?
A. I apparently don’t have any recent
photos of myself without my son
strapped to me. This 14-month-old
boy has been to Desert Wildlife
Refuge, Glacier National Park, Ash
Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Valley of
Fire, Death Valley National Park and
Red Rock Conservation Area. He is
our hiker.
Photo: Tanya and one of her favorite hiking partners
© Tasha Anderson
donor profile
In Their Words
The work we do all around the state simply could not happen without you, our
supporters. The opening of the McCarran Ranch Preserve is a perfect example
of the great things that can happen when a community comes together for the
good of nature and people. We cannot express enough how grateful we are for the
support of each one of you.
We asked some of our supporters, partners, and community members what the
Truckee River means to them. Here’s what they had to say:
Looking Back
How we fixed the Truckee River
Centuries ago the Truckee River was a wild waterway with a twisting, meandering
channel with an endless, complex series of wetlands. But over the past century,
a series of human actions caused the river to lose half its natural flow, 90% of
its forest and 70% of its bird species. Since 2002, we have been protecting and
rebuilding the lower Truckee River – for nature and for people. Learn more
on page 3.
BEFORE RESTORATION
“The message of the McCarran Ranch is hope. The enormity of the challenge
to restore nature’s vibrance to this large stretch of the Truckee seemed a multigenerational task. Then science joined a broad spectrum team led by The Nature
Conservancy and in partnership with nature’s power. The results are so splendid, it
is difficult to recall what was just a few short years ago. This is hope.”
— Bob and Carole Anderson, Donors
Invasive weeds
take over.
Scouring leads
to incised
channel.
“I have worked tirelessly to find sensible solutions to a century’s worth of
litigation involving the Truckee River. Passing the Negotiated Settlement
(P.L. 101-618) and implementing the Truckee River Operating Agreement
are among my proudest accomplishments in the fight to protect the
environment and provide resource stability for the communities of Northern
Nevada. I am pleased to have partnered with The Nature Conservancy
to restore and preserve the Truckee River for future generations.”
— U.S. Senator Harry Reid
Native plant
roots can’t
reach water.
Incised channel
causes river bed and
water table to drop.
Scoured channel
provides poor
aquatic habitat.
WATER TABLE
AFTER RESTORATION
“The Conservancy’s presence on the river has been the most positive thing to
happen for the Truckee River in all my time in Reno.”
— Dave Stanley, Truckee River Outfitters
Native plants
and healthy
habitat returns.
“The Truckee, from Tahoe to Pyramid, is one of our most precious natural
resources, and it demands care and respect from every resident along its course.”
— Bill Bradley, Trustee, E.L. Cord Foundation
“Jennifer and I feel that the Truckee River is a unique and special natural attribute
for Northern Nevada and all of the West that must be conserved, preserved and
protected.” — Phil Satre, Philanthropist
“The Truckee River is to our community what the blood vessels are to our
hearts — an amazingly wonderful system that needs care.” — Susan Lynn, Donor
River is
connected to its
floodplain.
Water table rises.
Rock structures
called riffles are
added.
Native plant
roots provide
soil stability.
Restored channel
provides excellent
habitat.
field notes • spring 2012 • 7
The Nature Conservancy
Northern Nevada Office
1 East First Street, Suite 1007
Reno, NV 89501
Copyright © 2012 The Nature Conservancy • 6/1/2012
species spotlight
Desert Bighorn Sheep
Nevada’s state animal may soon be making good use of newly restored habitat along the Truckee River at places
like the McCarran Ranch Preserve. In November, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and Nevada Bighorns
Unlimited released more than 40 bighorn sheep into the Virginia Range on the grounds of the Tahoe Reno
Industrial Complex just east of Reno, in an effort to re-establish a population in an area that they occupied
more than 100 years ago. While the sheep will likely spend most of their time higher in the mountains, there is a
chance that they’ll use the river corridor for food and water. And if they do, they’ll find a much healthier habitat
now thanks to the Conservancy’s restoration work completed along the lower river over the last decade.
Desert bighorn sheep occur across the
Southwestern United States into Northern
Mexico. They are a stocky, heavy-bodied
sheep that can grow up to four and a half
feet tall and weigh as much as 200 pounds.
Desert bighorns have adapted well to harsh,
dry conditions; they can go for long periods
of time without drinking any water, and their
unique padded hooves allow them to climb
rocky, steep desert mountains. Their horns,
which can measure over three feet long, aren’t
just for fighting; the sheep also use them to
break open cactuses to eat.
Photo: Desert bighorn sheep © Bob Gress
in this issue
Columbia Plateau
Truckee River Project
Independence Lake
Great Basin
Carson River Project
Sierra
Nevada
Amargosa River Project
Muddy River Project
Mojave
MojaveDesert
Desert