Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1 – December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 8% over last quarter. The database now contains 6,431 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 56,013 hits per month, an increase of 6% from last quarter, with an average of 5,211 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• Three National Public Land Day and National Family Events have been completed.
• Two hundred and five people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at four advisory team meetings attended this quarter.

Project 2: A formal report titled, Surface Water Monitoring for Indicator Bacteria in High-use Sites of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, has been prepared; an accompanying poster presentation for the Lake Mead Science Symposium is in preparation.

Project 3: A draft document titled, “Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP): Quagga Mussels in Lakes Mead and Mohave” has been presented to an interagency core group to review and input. Six oral presentations related to quagga mussels are in preparation by this group for the Lake Mead …

The University As Your Partner: Adding Value To Conservation Initiatives, Margaret N. Rees, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

The Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, multiple use, and management of public lands

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 5, 2008 – October 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada wins national Take Pride in America Award for best state program and Senate recognition

• Zia Engineering begins work on Recycling Plan

• Name the Mascot contest drawing interest and support

• Dumping and litter prevention information for Northern Nevada added to web site

• Three events conducted this quarter

• Team reaches milestone of 60 events since inception

• Agreement with Spring Mountain Youth Camp finalized

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 1- September 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 10% since June, 2008. The database now contains 5,706 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 48,361 hits per month, a decrease of 28% from last quarter, with an average of 4,925 pages viewed per month.
• Fall volunteer training has been scheduled.
• Fall events have been scheduled.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending September 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at eight advisory team meetings attended this quarter. Broad, overarching “Issues of Concern” developed for the Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan are currently under review by Drs. David Wong and Shawn Gerstenberger. A Selenium Management Plan is also under review.

Project 2: Data collected by the Southern Nevada Water Authority has been synthesized to summarize bacteria counts in high-use areas of Lakes Mead and Mohave. This information will be documented and interpreted for management use in a formal report in the upcoming quarter.

Project 3: A draft document titled “Suggested Standard Methods for …

Assessment Of Coliform Bacteria From Point And Nonpoint Sources In The Las Vegas Wash, Susan O'Neill, Kumud Acharya

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

This project focuses on an assessment of coliform bacteria from point and non point sources in Las Vegas Wash. Correlations between land use related runoffs, nutrients and organic matter loading and total coliform will be studied. Data will be collected for both daily low and high flow events. Sampling locations will cover all major land use types such as golf course, hotels, hospitals, residential areas, etc., at both the main Wash and its tributaries.

Legislative Committee On Public Lands, Margaret N. Rees

Presentations (PLI)

The Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, multiple use, and management of public lands.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 6, 2008- July 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada wins national Take Pride in America Award for best state program

• Team is working to secure consulting firm for recycling plan project

• Don’t Trash Nevada Day event held on May 30, 2008

• Phase II media plan began June 1, 2008

• Formed new partnership with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful

• Total of 189 people signed the anti-litter pledge

• The Anti-Litter Team conducted nine volunteer clean up events

• The Anti-Litter Team participated in five community outreach events

• Don’t Trash Nevada featured in several newspaper and television news …

Alien Invaders! Pre-Visit Lesson: Introduced And Invasive Species (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In the “Alien Invaders!” program, students use the Forever Earth vessel to investigate how quagga mussels might affect Lake Mead. Students collect water quality data such as clarity, pH, and temperature to determine whether current habitat conditions would allow quagga mussels to survive and thrive. Students learn about the consequences the quagga mussels could have on the lake and its living and non-living resources. Using the knowledge they’ve gained, students create their own management plans to prevent the spread of quagga mussels to other waterways.

This activity involves students in the concepts of introduced and invasive species

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 1- June 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 6% since January 1, 2008. The database now contains 5,171 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 67,180 hits per month, a decrease of 19% from last quarter, with an average of 6,618 pages viewed per month.
• Spring volunteer training has been completed • Fall events have been scheduled.
• The first Interagency Volunteer Program Bus Tour has been completed.
• The new seed collection events have been completed

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Annual Progress Report, Period Covering July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP) completed a total of 25 volunteer events contributing a total of 7,270.5 volunteer hours.
• A total of 186 volunteers completed orientations and trainings with the IVP.
• In January, the database manager updated and archived records in the Volgistic data base.
• Since January, the Volgistic database has increased the number of records by 15% containing a total 5,171 records.
• The first annual IVP bus tour has been completed.
• The first event assistant training has been completed. A total of five event assistants have assisted event coordinators at six different volunteer events.
• Website activity this year averaged …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 6 - April 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The Interagency Anti-Litter Team received new direction concerning the recycling plan deliverables.
• The Phase II media plan was completed.
• One hundred fifty nine (159) people signed the anti-litter pledge this quarter.
• The anti-litter team participated in 14 different clean up events this quarter.
• The anti-litter team participated in four community outreach events this quarter.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending: April 1, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Hiring: A decision is anticipated in the upcoming weeks regarding the hiring of a limnologist. Two candidates were selected from among three qualified applicants for telephone interviews; they were subsequently interviewed in-person.

Project 1: Review of the draft Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan is on-going. Meetings of the Systems Conveyance and Operations Program (SCOP) Technical Advisory Teams were attended.

Project 2: Development of a white paper expressing the joint needs of the entities involved in Water 2025 projects is on-going; scientific review of data and reports related to bacteria in high-use areas of Lake Mead is underway.

Project 3: Discussions …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 1 – March 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 10% since the end of last quarter. At the end of this quarter, the database contains 4,866 records.
• Website activity increased by 1% from last quarter; it received an average of 83,326 hits per month, with an average of 9,240 pages viewed per month.
• Two hundred college students learned about the Interagency Volunteer Program during the program’s first open house tour.
• Winter volunteer training was completed
• Spring volunteer training is scheduled.
• Five volunteers who attended the first event assistant training work as event assistants.
• The database manager updated and archived records …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 6, 2007-January 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Project Manager Douglas Joslin has been assisting the IVP team due to the resignation of Donna Grady. This included assisting with the November 3, 2007 volunteer recognition event.

• The team created a tentative event schedule for 2008.

• The messaging campaign year two plan is complete and under review by the SNAP Board.

• Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada and Public Lands Institute was featured in Las Vegas Weekly.

• Mr. Joslin is conducting a waste characterization study for NPS.

• A new bus stop ad campaign is complete and currently awaiting approval by the SNAP …

Finicky Fish Finish... Last! Post-Visit -- Getting The Word Out: Visually Getting The Word Out: Interviews And Podcasts Lessons (Grade 5), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In “Finicky Fish Finish…Last!” students use the Forever Earth vessel to explore what has happened to the Colorado River and the reasons why it is so difficult for the razorback sucker to thrive in a changed environment. Working as ichthyologists (fish biologists) at Lake Mead, students collect water quality data such as temperature, pH, and clarity -- to determine whether current habitat conditions are sufficient for survival of young razorback suckers. Students observe and identify non-native fish in Lake Mead as they learn how the razorback sucker interacts with these neighbors. Students assess whether Lake Mead is still a good …

Alien Invaders! On-Site Programming -- Support Materials (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In the “Alien Invaders!” program, students investigate how quagga mussels might affect Lake Mead. Students collect water quality data such as clarity, pH, and temperature to determine current habitat conditions that have allowed quagga mussels to thrive in Lake Mead. Students learn about the consequences that quagga mussels could have on the lake and its living and non-living resources. Using the knowledge they’ve gained, students create their own management plans to prevent the spread of quagga mussels to other waterways.

Alien Invaders! On-Site Programming (Grade 6), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In the “Alien Invaders!” program, students investigate how quagga mussels might affect Lake Mead. Students collect water quality data such as clarity, pH, and temperature to determine current habitat conditions that have allowed quagga mussels to thrive in Lake Mead. Students learn about the consequences that quagga mussels could have on the lake and its living and non-living resources. Using the knowledge they’ve gained, students create their own management plans to prevent the spread of quagga mussels to other waterways.

Interagency Science And Research Strategy, Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Limnological Studies

Helping improve operational efficiency, enhance land stewardship, resource protection, and conservation on the shared public land.

Ecological Consequences Of Invasion Of The Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Bugensis Andrusov 1897) Into Lake Mead, David Wong, Shawn Gerstenberger, Todd Tietjen, Sara Ann Mueting, Eric Michael Loomis

Limnological Studies

Consequences of Invasion of the Quagga Mussel into Lake Mead

Understanding The Motivations Of Rock Climbers: A Social Worlds Study, Amy Miller Ansari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rock climbing affects public lands through erosion, destruction of vegetation, and disturbance to historical sites. Minimum impact messages can help reduce impacts but requires understanding characteristics of the message recipient. The purpose of this study was to understand the motivations of rock climbers to help land managers design more effective minimum impact messages. This study assesses the motivations of rock climbers using a social worlds approach, focusing on the sub-worlds of. traditional climbers, sport climbers, and boulderers. I found that traditional climbers are most motivated to pursue a wilderness experience, climb in a natural wilderness setting, and climb in quiet …