drought

FALLON — As Nevada enters a fourth year of drought, regional growers can benefit from learning how farmers in Africa adapt crop production to the stresses of drought.

The Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute will host visiting Fulbright Scholar Afwa Thameur from Tunisia for a free lecture – “Research on Crop Tolerance to Drought Stress in Arid Regions,” on Thursday, April 16, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., at WNC Fallon Campus, 160 Campus Way. Students, faculty, growers and the public are invited to attend. RSVP to ann.louhela@wnc.edu, or call 775-423-7565, Ext. 2260.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval will sign an executive order regarding the state's drought situation at a 2:30pm press conference on Wednesday.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of April 8, 2015 and beyond. Opening day for fishing on most California waters is Saturday, April 25.

Clarity levels at Lake Tahoe in 2014 showed the biggest improvements in more than a decade, according to researchers Tuesday at the University of California, Davis, who have studied the lake for the last half century.

The improvements are in part due to continuous work from the Lake Tahoe community to lower pollutants to the lake. They were also influenced by the drought, as reduced precipitation meant fewer contaminants flowed into Lake Tahoe, particularly during the summer, when clarity levels were the highest recorded since 2002.

Sen. Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, told fellow members of Senate Finance on Thursday the bill putting $500,000 into cloud seeding efforts this coming biennium is vital because of the drought.“We already recognize that, a...

Water experts and lawmakers on Thursday urged a Senate committee to restore funding for Nevada’s cloud seeding program to help squeeze as much moisture out of the sky as possible, should Mother Nature bring storms into the Silver State next winter....

An illegal campfire touched off a wildfire Tuesday in the Desolation Wilderness at Granite Lake. Firefighters responded quickly, despite high winds, and were able to keep the fire from spreading, according to a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.

Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced actions on Wednesday he says will save water, increase enforcement to stop wasteful water use, streamline the state's drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California this first week of April, 2015. Opening Day for California fishing is April 25.

The traditional snow season ends April 1 with what appears to be the most dismal mountain snowpack on record, cementing 2015's status as the fourth drought year in a row and setting the stage for a difficult summer.

The Lake Tahoe Basin's snowpack Tuesday was only 3 percent of normal for the date and the Truckee River Basin's was measured at 14 percent, far worse than the end-of-season numbers for any of the previous three drought years in a situation that's one for the record books.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 25, 2015 and beyond.

The Capital City Arts Initiative announces its exhibition, The Driest State: Nevada Watersheds, by artist Nolan Preece at the CCAI Courthouse Gallery now through May 28, 2015. The Courthouse is located at 885 E Musser Street, Carson City. The exhibition is free and the public is cordially invited. The gallery is open to the public Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm.

While it starts at 3:45 p.m. today, Saturday, March 21, will be the first full day of spring in Western Nevada. But springtime in Western Nevada is definitely in the eyes of the beholder. As someone who was born and raised in Carson City, Spring weather can be very nice or very not-so-nice.

NOAA’s Spring Outlook released Thursday predicts widespread drought conditions to persist in Nevada, California and Oregon this spring as the dry season begins.

“Periods of record warmth in the West and not enough precipitation during the rainy season cut short drought-relief in California this winter and prospects for above average temperatures this spring may make the situation worse,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief, Operational Prediction Branch, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 18, 2015 and beyond.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is the latest Lake Tahoe area ski resort to announce that it will suspend operations, beginning Monday, because of the lack of snow brought on by the ongoing drought in the West.

A Tahoe Talks Brown Bag Lunch Series recently launched offers a monthly forum for people to discuss and learn more about ways to strengthen communities, make towns safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, and help protect Lake Tahoe’s amazing natural resources.

Lunches are held monthly at ≈. They cover topics ranging from transportation to the economy and the environment, and offer a comfortable, low-key setting for people to discuss and learn about those issues. The events are free to the public.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 11, 2015 and beyond.

For the last few years, Elaine and I have left Carson City for a short period of time during the month of February to temporarily escape our Western Nevada normally long and cold winter weather.
In those past years, it was a welcomed change from the ice, snow and cold of this general area to the warmth and lushness of the desert southwest.

Those who live in the Sierra Nevada already know about the minimal snowpack this winter. The monthly snow survey conducted Tuesday near Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort showed just that. The water content of the snow for California is at 19 percent of the average for this time of year, with the central Sierra at 20 percent of average.

This warm winter weather makes weeds grow. A few weeks ago, I saw filaree blooming. Cheatgrass is growing, even with the drought. As these and other winter annual weeds grow and before the spring weeds get started, people are thinking of spraying. They want to kill weeds that have started and prevent any new weeds from germinating in the first place.

This is an annual reminder for fishing in nearby waters: Saturday, February 14 is the opening day of the 2015 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties are among 12 that have been designated as primary natural disaster areas because of the ongoing drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week.

February 9 marks a special day in the life of yours truly. It is my four year anniversary, writing about the Great Outdoors at Internet website Carson Now. Four years!

Time certainly flies when you are having fun, and it has been an enjoyable and memorable four years of writing (together with Elaine's photos) about all kinds of activities in the Great Outdoors, both near and far away.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Feb. 4-10, 2015.

On Tuesday, the Nevada State Engineer issued Order No. 1250 requiring a 50 percent mandatory reduction of groundwater that may be pumped for the 2015 irrigation season in the Smith Valley Basin (107) and Mason Valley Basin (108) Hydrographic Basins under supplemental irrigation water rights.

The objectives of the order are to protect existing water rights and wells, protect the physical integrity of the aquifer and to protect the long-term water supply. Nevada is entering what is anticipated to be a fourth year of drought conditions.

Jeff Anderson took measure Friday of a meager mountain snowpack that points to an increasing likelihood the Reno-Tahoe area faces a fourth year of drought.

The hydrologist and snow surveyor with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service hiked into the woods near Mount Rose Summit to assess the snowpack at the end of what is normally the most important month when it comes to building the Sierra snowpack.

The survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Thursday brought home the message that many were already guessing: a fourth straight year of drought is inevitable.

At just 12 percent of normal, the snow measured near Philips Station on Echo Summit was 7.1 inches deep and contained a dismal water equivalent of 2.3 inches.

When it comes to quenching our thirst for precipitation, something is better than nothing right? Well, a little something may be on the way, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
Mild afternoon temperatures will remain warm through Monday but Tuesday brings a change with a chance of light valley rain and mountain snow showers Tuesday.

With our seemingly, never-ending drought going on and on and on, and now that we are in the middle of yet another winter with a lack of snow and no snowfall in the extended forecast, you might be interested in knowing about the all-time record snow depths, state by state, from the shallowest to the deepest, according to internet website www.weather.com.
Here they are from No. 50 (the shallowest) to No. 01 (the deepest):