From Leo Drozdoff, Acting Director

Greetings to everyone

It’s hard to believe we are already heading into the autumn months.  I hope all of you had an enjoyable summer and were able to take advantage of any plans you had.  As you know, September 1 in even-numbered years is a state government milestone, as both the Agency Recommend and Priorities of Government budgets were due to the State Budget Office.  I want to thank everyone throughout the various DCNR agencies who had a hand in helping the department and its divisions to meet this important deadline.

Budget update

After months of preparation, the department’s biennial budgets (covering the period beginning July 1, 2011, and ending June 30, 2013) have been submitted.  The division administrators and key fiscal staff have worked very hard and been quite creative in approaching this cycle’s budget building challenges.  I am optimistic at this point that our proposals will bode well for the department and its employees.  Still, as you are aware, those of us involved in the budget process are not at liberty to discuss the submittals in any detail until the Governor Recommend budget is released late this year.   At this point we are truly only in the beginning stages of the process. We will now work with the Budget Office and both the outgoing and incoming Governor’s Offices as a final budget is crafted to present to the 2011 session of the Nevada Legislature. I am aware of how unsettling the news reports and resulting rumor mills may be, however, the next biennial budget will be a very long process that isn’t decided until the middle of next year.  My commitment to you is to let you know factual information when I am allowed to do so.

Comments on the PEBP

As you also have likely read in the news lately, the Public Employees’ Benefits Program and its Board have had to administer a $111 million cut to benefits for the upcoming budget.  The requirement to offer proposals to achieve these cuts was not optional and is due both to medical inflation and the projected budget shortfall.  However, just as discussed above, these cut proposals – which will be presented as a “menu” of distinct reduction options for easy consideration by both the Executive Branch and the Legislature – will go through a lengthy process that includes evaluation by a new Governor and extensive discussion during next year’s session.  As with agency budgets, decisions on healthcare benefits will not be finalized until the middle of next year at the conclusion of the legislative session.

$1M available for nonpoint source water pollution prevention projects

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) has more than $1 million dollars in federal funding available to provide grant assistance for projects that prevent or control nonpoint source water pollution, the leading cause of water quality impairment in Nevada. Read more.

Division of Forestry releases fact sheet on tree health and bark beetles

The Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) has released a tree-health fact sheet written for residents of Spring Creek and surrounding communities. The information covers identification of the causes of tree problems caused by borers, bark beetles and sap suckers – each of which is a common culprit for tree problems in this northeastern Nevada area.  Recent outbreaks were brought to the attention of NDF by local residents wondering why their trees were dying. Read more here.

Website created for upcoming water right hearings

The Division of Water Resources has launched a website devoted to providing information about the upcoming Southern Nevada Water Authority water right hearings for Cave, Dry Lake, Delamar and Spring Valleys. The site may also be accessed through the Division’s main website. An informational statement about the hearings and tentative schedule have also been posted.

The Diana Mine has reopened

Tours of the historic Diana Mine at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park are once again being offered to the public. A grand reopening was held July 9, when a group toured the mine with state mine safety inspectors and the mine’s previous owner. Attendees were treated to first-hand historical stories, as well as detailed information on how the mine was created. Tours are open to the public and are limited to 12 people. Reservations are required. The tours are offered seasonally from May 1 to September 30 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Contact the park at 775-964-2240 for information.

Tahoe progress detailed at annual forum

The Nevada Tahoe Resource Team (NTRT) was on hand in August to update participants of the annual Tahoe Forum about environmental improvements in the Tahoe Basin. In 1999, the NTRT was established as an inter-agency team to coordinate and implement an initial $82 million in Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) projects. During the 2009 Legislative Session, Nevada committed an additional $100 million for the continued implementation of EIP projects to protect Lake Tahoe. More information is available here.