natural resources

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
Ice fishermen in Iowa are having one of the best seasons in years.
From the northern portion of the state to the Mississippi River in our backyard, people are drilling holes in the ice and pulling in fish almost as fast as they can bait their hooks.

Joe Larscheid, Chief of Fisheries for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said the banner year is no accident.

The U.S. Forest Service Region 5 has named Nancy Gibson as the new Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

Gibson has been the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Six Rivers National Forest for nearly three years. Previously, she served as the Administrative Officer on the Klamath National Forest. She also served as Acting Forest Supervisor on the Mendocino National Forest in 2009. Gibson holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Southern Oregon University.

Zeb Hogan swims with the fishes and lives to write about it. In the March 2011 issue of National Geographic, the University of Nevada, Reno researcher and assistant professor is pictured swimming with a man-eating catfish and describes swimming underwater with a 400-pound Mekong giant catfish in one of his many adventures in the rivers of a dozen countries around the world.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
A small herd of elk roaming southern Allamakee County in Iowa is causing an uproar.

Jim Jansen with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that the state has shot some of the elk and there are plans to take down the rest.

But several residents think the state should consider allowing the elk to roam free and re-establishing Iowa's wild elk population.

Tim Mason of rural McGregor says the animals should be nurtured, not shot.

RENO, Nev. –The 2011 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges will include the names of 15 students from the University of Nevada, Reno, who have been selected as national outstanding campus leaders.

Students were selected on their academic achievement, service to community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success.

They join an elite group of students from more than 2,300 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations.

The students selected from Nevada are:

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Freshman Republican state Sen. Michael Roberson got a lot of people’s attention last week when he engaged in a brief but spirited line of questioning at a Judiciary Committee hearing with mining industry lobbyists.

By GrandViewOutdoors.com
A federal agency has announced $23 million to protect grasslands in Wyoming, Colorado and Montana for sage grouse, a chicken-sized bird whose males are known for flashy mating displays.

It would be offered as matching funds, with state, local and tribal governments or non-government agencies providing the other $23 million.

This Saturday, Feb. 12, is the opening day of the 2011 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

— The Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, near Wabuska.
— Applicable open waters (Bass Pond, Beaver Slough, Crappie Pond, Hinkson Slough, North Pond and the Walker River), all on the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area (MVWMA), near Yerington.

All of the waters listed above will close on Sept. 30. If you are interested in fishing at any of those waters on Opening Day, here is some miscellaneous information:

Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds:

Steve Robinson, a deputy chief of staff and legislative director for former Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons and previously the state's top forestry and fire official, has been appointed to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board.

“As a former at-large board member myself, I know Steve Robinson’s experience as a natural resource consultant will be invaluable to the TRPA,” said Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Lake Tahoe is one of our most precious state and national treasures, so it is important to me that Nevada has a strong voice on the TRPA.”

CARSON CITY – In the wake of a legislative audit critical of state agency contracting practices with current and former employees, the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has posted its information online.
Bob Conrad, public information officer for the department, said the contract information was placed on the agency’s website on Dec. 29.

While newly sworn-in Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval hasn't yet named his appointee to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, before he left office, appointed Ronald Slaven to the governing board.

Ronald Slaven, 47, of Carmichael, Calif., has been appointed to the TRPA, where he previously served as a member from 2001 to 2004.

A new group has formed to propose innovative strategies to create a healthy State with well-supported public systems and services and an improved fiscal system.

Members of the Nevada Values Coalition have met twice for “big tent”, nonpartisan meetings to discuss the complex issues, and members then further examined ideas through subcommittees.

RENO, Nev. — Gary Blomquist, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, has won the Entomological Society of America’s prestigious Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology. He was honored at the Society’s annual meeting in San Diego Sunday.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval today announced two more appointments to his administration, naming Stacey Crowley as director of the Nevada State Office of Energy.
Sandoval also named Leo Drozdoff as director of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Sandoval will take office in January.

A year-round supply of fresh leafy greens and other nutritious foods has been the wish of Penny Reynolds, culinary arts director for Carson High School. And now those hopes will soon come to be as The Greenhouse Project, a community-based greenhouse and garden, takes root in Carson City.

A ground-breaking ceremony held on Friday marks the beginning of a project that many believe will be a model for Carson City, the state of Nevada and the nation. Construction will begin next week.

By Nevada News Bureau staff
Assembly Speaker-elect John Oceguera has announced the Assembly Democratic leadership team and the chairs of the nine standing committees.

By Nevada News Bureau staff
CARSON CITY – State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford today announced the creation of 10 standing committees and his selections for the chairs of the panels for the 2011 legislative session.
He also established a new select committee on economic growth and employment.

The Secretary of the Interior announced the approval of $90 million in funding for continued restoration at Lake Tahoe along with other park and trail projects in Nevada as part of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.

The funding includes money for the purchase by the Forest Service of the 13 acre Schulz property near the Kings Canyon Waterfall as well as funding up to 40 percent of the $1.6 million for the acquisition of the Bently, Carson River Canyon property. The balance of the funding and future management will be through the City’s Open Space Program.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford announced today he has selected David Byerman to serve as the secretary of the Senate beginning Aug. 30.

This morning in a statewide media conference call moderated by the Nevada News Bureau, candidate Brian Sandoval fielded questions on numerous issues including the 2003 Supreme Court ruling on the two-thirds legislative supermajority needed to increase taxes, tax policy, the Tax Pledge, budget cuts and higher education salaries, renewable energy mandates and the state’s health care reform lawsuit.

U.S.

Letters to the Editor 11/01Staff Writer