About the Nevada Natural Resources Status Report The Nevada Natural Resources Status Report was prepared by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as part of the agency's ongoing process to develop a Natural Resources Plan. The report gives a big picture view of the resources about which Nevadans care deeply: clean water and air; wildlife diversity; healthy aquatic, rangeland and forest ecosystems; outdoor recreation opportunities; and the natural beauty of wide-open desert and mountain wildlands. These are the essential elements of healthful, enjoyable, and productive communities. The focus of the report is the current state of these and other natural resources within the state. Nevada's population and economy continues to expand. Understanding growth related impacts on environmental quality and consumption of natural resources is a central issue the report attempts to address. Where are the state's resources strained or showing resilience? How are natural systems responding to larger pollutant loads? What is being done to manage resources so that current and future needs can be met? The report provides information that may assist in answering these and related questions. However, the Natural Resources Status Report is not an exhaustive assessment of all resources. The report presents the information that agencies made available to characterize environmental and resource conditions and the impacts of programs. To some degree the report focuses attention on high profile issues identified through public meetings and a survey of resource management agencies. Foremost areas of concern throughout the state include: Environmental quality and natural open space in urbanizing areas; Biodiversity and wildlife habitat; Ecological health of aquatic, rangeland and forest ecosystems; Non-native flora and fauna; Management of livestock, wild horses, and wildlife; Wildland fire effects on native ecosystems and property; and, Quality and quantity of outdoor recreation resources. Nevada's resources are managed and monitored by many different agencies within an array of overlapping land and resource management units. Because the purpose of the report is to take a step towards developing an integrated, comprehensive set of natural resource indicators, available data and information was sought from many agencies and published reports. Many agencies responsible for resource management and environmental protection gather a substantial amount of data. However, in general, agencies can do more to use available data to assess the impact their protection and management efforts have on natural resources and the effectiveness of related program activities. Agencies and public and private decisions makers would benefit by increased efforts to disseminate information generated by resource scientists and program managers. Interagency coordination has improved in recent years, as suggested by the number of ongoing collaborative planning events addressing priority resource issues. These efforts present an opportunity to improve data analysis, information sharing, and public reporting. This is the department's initial attempt to provide a comprehensive report on the state of the environment in Nevada. Hopefully the information assists government agencies, elected officials, industry, and citizens in becoming more familiar with our state's natural resources and aware of achievements and needed improvements in sustaining our natural resources. Next Page -- List of Acronyms Back to Table of Contents