Nevada

Nevada joins 6 Western states demanding more water investments

Published

2 years ago

May 1, 2024

Nevada joins 6 Western states demanding more water investments

Jeniffer Solis
| Nevada Current

Nevada’s senators joined federal lawmakers from six other Western states Monday to demand additional funding to address the region’s long-term drought, worsened by climate change.

The Colorado River remains in an unfolding and worsening crisis. Water demand on the river far exceeds supply, meaning less water is available to refill the river’s large reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Such a scenario could risk water supply and hydro power to millions of Westerners.

Congress has moved to address the historic drought in the West by funding Colorado River management and conservation efforts, according to Nevada Current. In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided $4 billion for projects that mitigate drought in the 17 Western states served by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

However, that funding is only available through 2026.

Portions of that funding have been used to compensate farmers and ranchers for water conservation in the lower basin after Nevada, California, and Arizona agreed to collectively reduce water use by at least 3 million acre-feet through the end of 2026, when the Colorado River’s current operating guidelines are set to expire.

In a letter Monday, Nevada’s Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, and Reps. Dina Titus and Susie Lee, urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to “bring all resources to bear in helping address long-term drought and aridification in the Western United States.”

“Drought remains a severe risk for American farmers and ranchers and threatens farmland and local economies that rely on dwindling water resources,” wrote the lawmakers.

More than 30 lawmakers signed on to the letter, including several from Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Arizona, California.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, at the end of March, 23% of the West was in drought. Areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Montana are experiencing extreme and exceptional drought this spring. In the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, dry conditions have persisted, with record low snowpack in some areas, raising concerns about worsening drought conditions.

In western Montana, snowpack is well below normal and at record low levels for some areas. While minor drought improvements were made throughout much of the West, worsening drought conditions are expected heading into the summer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lawmakers acknowledged the Biden-Harris Administration’s recent steps to increase the number of agriculture conservation practices eligible for Inflation Reduction Act dollars, but emphasized that more comprehensive funding across the West is needed. In the letter, lawmakers called for further investments in upstream, watershed-scale projects, water forecasting, water conservation, and watershed restoration.

Upper basin “watershed-scale investments greatly benefit all downstream uses, in particular for our farming and ranching communities,” reads the letter.

The letter noted that funding for large-scale agricultural conservation in lower basin states has greatly helped address the drought, but that “smaller scale on-farm measures and larger-scale upstream watershed restoration and improvements” are also needed to address both short-term drought recovery and future resilience.

In the West, U.S. Forest Service lands comprise 19% of the total land area and contribute 46% of the surface water supply, meaning that more investments in public national forest lands would have a significant impact on downstream surface water flows, according to the letter.

Specifically, lawmakers called on the White House to provide additional funding for Natural Resources Conservation Service programs related to water forecasting, water conservation, and watershed restoration. Lawmakers also requested funding for measures that upgrade water infrastructure, build soil health, and contribute significant ecosystem benefits.

“Reliable and sustainable water availability is absolutely critical to any agricultural commodity production in the American West, and swiftly deploying funds to producers and watersheds in our States and Districts is crucial to help them respond to more frequent and severe droughts,” lawmakers wrote.

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Nevada

Scholarships available for Nevada Youth Range Camp

Published

5 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Scholarships available for Nevada Youth Range Camp

The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management are inviting high school-aged students from around the Silver State to participate in the 2026 Nevada Youth Range Camp essay competition.

“The Nevada Youth Range Camp is a yearly educational opportunity that has been held each summer in central Nevada since 1961,” stated a press release. “Last year, eight students were awarded scholarships and received a certificate of achievement.”

Selected essays will receive up to $250 to register for this year’s Youth Range Camp. Students must be between ages 14 and 18 in order to apply. Parental consent is also required. Essays that are flagged for plagiarism or that utilize AI will be disqualified.

“Range Camp has served Nevada’s youth for 65 years. It is a great opportunity for anyone interested in natural resources to learn basic rangeland and resource management skills,” said Kelcey Hein, Conservation Education lead at the Nevada Division of Forestry, in a statement.

According to the application form, this year’s essay prompt is:

“In your own words, tell a story or a few stories of when you were able to connect with a natural space such as a park, your backyard, a farm, a field, a forest, a beach, or so on. Please incorporate three (3) key words from the key word list that you noticed of that ecosystem into your response. Explain what you noticed about these aspects that drew your attention in that space. How did this influence you and your goals as a future steward of Natural Resources?”

Visit bit.ly/RangeCamp2026 for submission forms, essay instructions and the full rules. The contest is open until April 30.

For more information about the Nevada Division of Forestry, visit forestry.nv.gov.

Visit nevada.rangelands.org for more information about the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management.

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com

Nevada Youth Range Camp: June 21 through June 27

“We invite high school youth to enjoy a week of fun, camping, and learning about rangelands and natural resource management,” states the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website. “This year the camp headquarters will be located in the Timber Creek Campground area Northwest of McGill, NV. This area provides a splendid setting for learning and recreation.”

“The week is filled with many learning opportunities. Instructors teach various subjects through group investigations. Camp instructors and counselors are trained specialists from the University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada State Parks; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Bureau of Land Management; Forest Service; Nevada Division of Forestry; Nevada Division of Conservation Districts; Nevada Division of Wildlife; and others,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website continues.

“Campers arrive by noon on Sunday and break camp the following Saturday morning. Campers register and form groups with an adult counselor and assistant youth counselor. The weeklong program runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and includes instruction, projects, rest, meals, and recreation,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website reads further. “Adult supervision occurs throughout the entire week. Parents and sponsors are welcome to visit the camp any time and are especially invited for the Friday night awards program. The evening programs are geared more for enjoyment and personal interest and include map and compass orientation, conservation skill workshops, wildlife presentations, and campfires.”

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Nevada

4 Southern Nevadans named to USA flag football national roster

Published

18 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

4 Southern Nevadans named to USA flag football national roster

Four flag football players with ties to Southern Nevada have been named to USA Football’s 2026 women’s flag national team initial roster.

Former high school standouts Akemi Higa (Desert Oasis), Kaylie Phillips (Liberty), Maci Joncich (Coronado) and Brooklin Hill (Desert Oasis) were named to the 24-person roster.

Higa just completed her senior season with Desert Oasis where she was a first-team All-Southern Nevada selection and led the state with 5,764 passing yards. She is committed to play college flag football at Nevada State University.

Hill and Phillips currently play for Nevada State. Joncich graduated from Coronado in 2024 and was on the 2025 national team.

After a training camp that will determine the traveling roster and alternates, the team will compete in the 2026 International Federation of American Football flag football world championships in Germany this August.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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Nevada

Nevada’s season ends with 79-65 quarterfinal loss to Auburn in NIT

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Nevada’s season ends with 79-65 quarterfinal loss to Auburn in NIT

Nevada ran into a tough Auburn team and saw its season come to an end Wednesday night.

The Tigers beat the Wolf Pack, 75-69, in the NIT men’s basketball quarterfinals, at Neville Arena, in Auburn, Ala.

Nevada ends its season at 24-13 overall (12 -8 in the Mountain West). Auburn improved to 20-16 overall (7-11 SEC) and will play Illinois State in the NIT semifinals on April 2 (6:30 p.m.) in Indianapolis, Ind. The NIT championship is set for April 5 in Indianapolis.

In the other NIT semifinal, New Mexico will play Tulsa, also on April 2 at 4 p.m.

In Wednesday’s game, Nevada sophomore Elijah Price had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Both were game highs. Price made 9-of-13 free throws and 6-of-7 field goals. Vaughn Weems had 15 points and Corey Camper Jr. had 13.

Auburn had four players in double figures led by Filip Jovic with 18. Tahaad Pettiford had 16 points, Elyjah Freeman had 16 and Keyshawn Hall, who started his college career at UNLV in 2022-23, had 14.

Nevada battled back after trailing by 12 at the half (38-26), thanks to better long-range shooting in the second half.

Key Stats

Nevada shot 46 percent from the field (25-of-54) and 7-of-20 from 3-point range. The Pack hit 5-of-7 from the arc in the second half after hitting 2-of-13 in the first half.

Auburn shot 49 percent (30-of-61), but was just 1-of- 8 from the arc in the second half.

Nevada outscored Auburn, 43-37, in the second half.

The Wolf Pack was 12-of-17 from the free throw line and the Tigers were 9-of-14.

Nevada had 12 turnovers, to seven for Auburn.

Each team had 31 rebounds.

The Tigers had nine steals, to four for the Wolf Pack.

Nevada coach Steve Alford has 724 career wins.