Long-awaited Transfer of Carson Lake and Pasture to the State of Nevada Gives Birds a Boost.
More than 30 years have passed since Congress enacted the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act in 1990 (Public Law 101-618), which provided for the transfer of Carson Lake and Pasture from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to the State of Nevada for use as a “state wildlife refuge.” This week, the Nevada Division of State Lands and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) announced that the long wait is over and the transfer of more than 23,000 acres of wetlands and pasture is complete.
Along with lands from Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Wetlands, Carson Lake and Pasture is part of the Lahontan Valley Wetlands complex, a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of hemispheric importance. The 220,000-acre site, located near Fallon, and less than two hours east of Reno, provides critical habitat for migrating and breeding shorebirds, in some years supporting up to 250,000 individuals including up to 150,000 Long-billed Dowitchers. NDOW will manage the property as a State Wildlife Management Area consistent with its designation as a WHSRN site.
Land Transfer Secures Nevada Bird and Wildlife Habitat
More than 30 years have passed since Congress enacted the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act in 1990 (Public Law 101-618), which provided for the transfer of Carson Lake and Pasture from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to the State of Nevada for use as a “state wildlife refuge.” This week, the Nevada Division of State Lands and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) announced that the long wait is over and the transfer of more than 23,000 acres of wetlands and pasture is complete.
Along with lands from Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Wetlands, Carson Lake and Pasture is part of the Lahontan Valley Wetlands complex, a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of hemispheric importance. The 220,000-acre site, located near Fallon, and less than two hours east of Reno, provides critical habitat for migrating and breeding shorebirds, in some years supporting up to 250,000 individuals including up to 150,000 Long-billed Dowitchers. NDOW will manage the property as a State Wildlife Management Area consistent with its designation as a WHSRN site.
Land Transfer Secures Nevada Bird and Wildlife Habitat