General Issue Topics and Challenges (Preliminary)

Following nine public workshops and a state multi-agency issue survey, the NRP Working Group organized the information into general issue topics and prepared a strategic challenge statement. The designations are preliminary and will be re-examined later in the NRP process

Issue Topic	The Challenge

Balancing Urban Growth and Open Space and Agricultural Land Resources

How do we accommodate population growth and economic development while conserving open space & agricultural lands that provide essential natural resources and environmental services, and sustain the quality of life?

Conservation and Protection of Biodiversity

How do we coordinate and enhance state, local, federal and private proactive efforts to conserve and protect biodiversity? How do we create opportunities to relieve or avert threats to the most vulnerable species and avoid difficult tradeoff decisions between ecological and economic health?

Watershed Planning and Management for Water Supply, Quality, and Stream Corridors

How do we conduct watershed planning and management to improve water supply, water quality, stream corridor conditions, and retain natural functions and values of wetlands, riparian lands, flood plains and other water resources?

Sustainable Management of Rangeland Resources for Multiple Uses

How do we restore, rehabilitate and sustain the ecological health of rangeland for a variety of uses, including watershed, wildlife, biodiversity, recreation and commodity uses? (Rangeland includes the valley and mountain landscapes that are dominated by shrubland, grassland, and herbaceous land, and intermixed woodland, riparian land and wetlands.)

Sustainable Management of Forest and Woodland Resources for Multiple Uses

How do we better preserve, manage and enhance forest and woodland plant communities and conditions for watershed, wildlife, biodiversity, recreation purposes, and commodity uses? (Forest and woodlands include conifer and deciduous forests and woodlands with pine, fir, spruce, mahogany, juniper, aspen, cottonwood, willow and birch and other trees.)

Increased Recreation Use, Opportunities and Impacts

How do we meet and anticipate the growing & diversifying demand for outdoor recreation & accommodate multiple uses while minimizing related impacts on natural resources?

Preventing and Controlling the Spread and Impacts of Invasive, Non-native Species

How do we safely prevent and control the spread of invasive, non-native plants, fishes, animals and insects, which cause significant ecological and economic harm?

Accommodating Mining and Minimizing Negative Environmental Impacts and Reclaiming Land and Water Resources

How do we minimize or avoid long term and cumulative impacts of mining and related activities on environmental quality and resources while minimizing local socioeconomic impacts? How do we, in concert with mineral production policies, reclaim land and water resources affected by mining, and return the land and water to a productive state?

Improving and Maintaining Air Quality

How do we improve air quality and protect public health in non-attainment areas, and prevent deterioration of air quality in attainment areas?

Minimizing Impacts of Military Activities on Natural Resources & Quality of Life

How do we minimize impacts from military activities on natural resources and the quality of life? How do all government agencies better coordinate with the military to conserve natural resources and other land uses?

Issue Topics Graphic

High Ranking Issues by Resource Category Biological Resource Issues Conflicting management approaches concerning the Endangered Species Act Historic loss of wetlands, riparian lands and other aquatic habitats Insufficient rehabilitation of areas disturbed by fire, weeds, cheat grass Declining biodiversity and wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation due to fire, weeds, development & other factors Introduced or invasive species out-competing native biota; e.g., spread of noxious and invasive weeds Increasing wildland fire frequency, size and intensity Impact of grazing on carrying capacity of riparian, sagebrush/grass and other communities Unhealthy forests, woodlands and rangelands from excessive plant densities Ecological impact of populations of estray and wild horse and burros Uncertainties concerning prescribed or controlled burning and fire ecology Land Resource Issues Rapid regional growth and development in southern Nevada - natural resource and ecological impacts on Spring Mountains landscape & watershed Rapid regional growth and development in western Nevada - natural resource and ecological impacts on Eastern Sierra Front landscape and watersheds Conflicts over the use of special designations for lands with unique resource values, such as developing a consensus proposal for BLM Wilderness (Study Areas) Conflicts over "multiple use" vs. "limited use" of public land Need for greater resource conservation emphasis in local land use planning and meeting local government technical assistance needs Loss to development of open space and agricultural land containing important resource values Loss of habitat and agricultural lands during and following mining, active & abandoned Local and state management for redevelopment of historically contaminated land Recreation Resources Increased recreational use conflicts on and adjacent to waterways, including conflicts between construction of diversion dams and passage of fish and boaters Negative effects of greater recreation use on resources, including developed parks Negative environmental effects of increasing off-highway vehicle use and roads Recreation access, conflicts at public/private land interface Water quality deterioration as a result of increasing use of gas powered water craft Increasing competition between different recreation groups for same recreation sites & growing demand for developed outdoor recreation facilities and trails Increasing use at parks with water resources Air Resources Air quality impacts of increasing use of controlled and prescribed burning Inadequate understanding of rising greenhouse gas levels and climate change on vegetation and water resources in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert Increasing levels of regional haze and other regional air pollution due to local and long range transport of pollutants Long range transport of pollutants and regional air quality problems Air quality impacts of expanding industrial development Air pollution levels exceed national air quality standards in urban airsheds Water Resources Need for rehabilitation of unstable major river and other stream channels Negative impacts on river channel and flood plain stability from diversion dams, channel straightening and flood protection structures Maintaining minimum instream flow, water levels for environmental, wildlife purposes Environmental impacts of increasing development in floodplain of rivers and tributaries Need for greater use of Best Management Practices in existing and new land uses Long term environmental, water resource consequences of mine dewatering, closure Need for watershed assessment method to enhance watershed management efforts Loss of water quality benefits due to loss of wetlands and riparian zones