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Unlv Clean Energy Forum 2010 Summary, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

UNLV Clean Energy Forum

The 2010 UNLV Clean Energy Forum will take place on the UNLV campus September 8th. The event focuses on clean energy production in Nevada, the US Southwest, and clean research projects nationwide. Subject matter will focus on financing, national policy, current technologies, and nuclear energy.

Welcome To The Second Annual Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium Meeting, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium Meeting

The second annual Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium meeting took place at UNLV on August 20. The meeting focused on the current three NVREC program areas: Solar, Biomass and Geothermal. Presentations were made by participating entities and a poster session followed.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 5, 2010 – July 4, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• With Board approval, the next phase of the Don’t Trash Nevada marketing campaign began.
• The Hector’s Helpers program with the Clark County School District began curriculum development.
• The team participated in the strategic planning process for Keep Las Vegas Beautiful.
• The team met with the Education Director of Keep America Beautiful to begin the process of developing a statewide program.
• The team continued to develop the GIS database.
• A total of 15 clean-up events were conducted this quarter.

Evaluating Efficacy Of Restoration Techniques, Keys View Road Reconstruction, Joshua Tree National Park, California, U.S.A, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Keys View Road in Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR) was recently repaved, resulting in a buffer of vegetation and soil disturbance along the road corridor. In order to mitigate the effects of the repaving, JOTR designed an experimental framework to test various revegetation strategies. They outplanted salvaged and nursery grown native plant species in conjunction with vertical mulch in a fully crossed design (outplanting only, vertical mulch only, outplanting + vertical mulch, bare ground) to examine if any of the treatments most efficiently establish native plant communities.

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending June 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing. During this quarter, analysis was completed for 14 adult/juvenile samples from the fall 2009 – spring 2010 sampling.
• Sampling for the first of two small-scale research projects funded by this task agreement (Abundance and settlement at different depths of Lake Mead) was initiated on June 16, 2010.

Project 2

• Topics and proposed analyses have been drafted for annual report development as prescribed by the Plan.
• A plan for developing and organizing NPS limnology-related web pages has been documented and content has …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Annual Progress Report, Period Covering July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• From July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 the Volgistics database has increased the number of records from 6,226 to a total of 6,536 records at the end of this period.
• Website activity this year averaged 109,216 hits per month, with an average of 10,443 pages viewed per month.
• The team attended 14 community outreach events resulting in 2,588 direct contacts and 300 new mailing list records.
• The Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP) completed a total of 67 volunteer events contributing a total of 15,195 volunteer hours.
• A total of 131 volunteers completed orientations and trainings with the IVP.
• A total …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased by 6% over the last quarter. The database now contains 7,250 records.
• A new tracking method was implemented to provide a more comprehensive analysis of website activity. Results show an average of 1397 visits per month, and with an average of 3,400 pages viewed per month.
• Spring volunteer training has been completed.
• Initial planning for Fall events has begun.
• Preparations and initial planning for the 2,010 volunteer recognition banquet began.
• The Interagency Volunteer Standard Operations Manual has been updated and revised.
• Get Outdoors Nevada supported 17 volunteer events in a variety …

2010 Adaptive Management Report, Desert Conservation Program

Publications (C)

The Desert Conservation Program administers the incidental take permit issued in 2001 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with the Endangered Species Act. Compliance with the permit requires implementation of the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. This plan requires an adaptive management program and a biennial report by an independent science advisor to assess the status of the plan and make recommendations for future funding. This 2010 Adaptive Management Report reviews current data on land use trends, habitat loss, species status and plan implementation, and makes recommendations for the future.

Photovoltaics (Pv) As An Eligible Measure In Residential Pace Programs: Benefits And Challenges, Jason Coughlin

Publications (E)

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is one of several new financial models broadening access to clean energy by addressing the barrier of initial capital cost. The majority of the PACE programs in the market today include PV as an eligible measure. PV appeals to homeowners as a way to reduce utility bills, self-generate sustainable power, increase energy independence and demonstrate a commitment to the environment. If substantial state incentives for PV exist, PV projects can be economic under PACE, especially when partnered with good net metering policies. At the same time, PV is expensive relative to other eligible measures …

An Exploratory Study On Energy Consumption Of Energy Star And Non-Energy Star Homes, Prajakta Kulkarni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The reduction of energy consumption is one of the economic necessities in the United States due to depleting energy sources in the world. The construction industry is stepping forward to reduce the energy consumption of buildings by efficient designs or by constructing buildings with energy efficient materials and features. In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) introduced the Energy Star Program to promote energy efficient products with the same or improved services. According to the EPA, Energy Star homes, which use these products, will consume 20 to 30 percent less energy than non-Energy Star …

Transforming Space Into Place: Development, Rock Climbing, And Interpretation In Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 1960-2010, Megan Sharp Weatherly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Though Americans tend to view wilderness as separate from nature, environmental historians have argued that wilderness is a cultural construct more than a quantifiable geographic category. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA), a 195,000-acre tract located west of Las Vegas, Nevada, is one such cultural construction. Since 1960, this BLM-managed parcel has served as a local and regional expression of broader, national trends in outdoor recreation, interpretation, and development and thereby forced visitors to engage (often unknowingly) in a cultural dialogue about consumerism, technology, and identity. With information from newspapers, archival collections, oral histories, and government documents, this thesis …

Fire On The Mountain: Growth And Conflict In Colorado Ski Country, Michael W. Childers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the environmental, economic, and cultural conflicts over the private development of ski resorts in Colorado's National Forests between 1910 and 2000. Downhill skiing emerged as an increasingly popular winter activity during the first half of the twentieth century, particularly in western state such as Colorado. A part of the a larger outdoor recreational boom throughout the United States' during the interwar years, downhill skiing challenged the Forest Service's ability to meeting the public's growing appetite for year-round recreational opportunities. These challenges increased following World War II as the nation's growing population and affluence drew millions to their …

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Time Period: January 1 — April 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Article entitled “Competitive Hierarchy of Native Desert Plants with Red Brome (Bromus rubens): Towards Identifying Invasion-Reducing Species" was submitted to the Invasive Plant Science and Management journal
• Maintained nursery plots and added installment of nitrogen treatment.
• Took measurements in nursery (competition) plots and harvested biomass.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 5, 2010 - April 4, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The team presented the strategic plan to the Board for review and feedback.
• The team presented their revised Charter to the Board and received approval.
• the team met with AAEQ Manufacturing, a company interested in assisting with recycling and messaging efforts.
• The team began planning a unified recycling messaging for SNAP.
• The team met with the marketing firm B&P and discussed ideas for the messaging campaign.
• The team began collaborating with the Clark County School District on a "Hector's Helpers" program using Youth Initiative funding the BLM received.
• The team assisted the City of Las Vegas Keep America Beautiful task …

Colorado College State Of The Rockies Report Card, Walter E. Hecox, Elizabeth L. Kolbe

Publications (SD)

Welcome to Colorado College’s seventh State of the Rockies Report Card. Building upon a strong start in 2004 and continuing each year since, the Rockies Project this year provides a fresh look, through thoughtful analysis, at a fundamental challenge to this beautiful but fragile region: maintaining the Rockies’ key roles in the nation’s food supply and vibrant agriculture. This Report Card and the companion series of 2009- 10 monthly State of the Rockies Food and Agriculture campus speakers are significant outreach activities of Colorado College: Vision 2010, an agenda to strengthen our college and our engagement in the region.

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 1– March 31, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased by 2% over the last quarter. The database now contains 6,179 records.
• Website activity remains secure, recording an average of 97,141 hits per month and an average of 9,227 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• Volunteer spring training has been scheduled.
• The Interagency Volunteer Program supported 21 events.
• The 21 events posted on GON recruited 1,038 volunteers which resulted in 4,680 volunteer hours contributed to helping to protect our public lands.

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending March 30, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing. Three sampling events took place this quarter and analysis of all samples (fall 2009 – spring 2010) is underway.

• Two graduate students are undergoing necessary training for the two small-scale research projects funded by this task agreement. Sampling is anticipated to begin in June 2010.

• The quarterly Interagency Quagga Mussel Meeting was held in March 2010.

Project 2

• Protocols relevant to the Long-term Limnological Aquatic Resource Monitoring and Research Plan (Plan) for Lakes Mead and Mohave have …

Building More Inclusive Organizations Initiative: Evaluation Report, Alma Galvan, Lisa Larocque, The Learning Community

Education about the Environment

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) has been collaborating with Intercambios, a binational, bicultural consulting group, to advance the cultural relevance of environmental education (EE). Cultural relevance, or inclusiveness, requires deep reflection about one’s own values and behaviors and a long-term commitment to shifting organizational practices.

The “Building More Inclusive Organizations Initiative” was designed to capture the concerns and problem-solving processes of organizations as they worked toward becoming more inclusive. From 2007 through 2009, UW-SP and Intercambios created a Learning Community with Eco Education in St. Paul, MN; Partners in Environmental Cultural Connectedness (PECC) in Las Vegas, NV; and the …

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Executive Summary And Concise Statement Of Accomplishments, Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Limnological Studies

Limnological Assistance for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Meeting the Challenge of the Water 2025 Initiative was a Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA)-funded project. It was implemented by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Public Lands Institute (PLI) cooperatively with the UNLV Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and the UNLV Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies on behalf of and in cooperation with the National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Lake Mead NRA).

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Final Project Report, Scott R. Abella, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Vegetation Monitoring and Analysis at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) was funded by the Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, and Lake Mead NRA base-funds. This Cooperative Task Agreement was awarded to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on September 30, 2006 with the term ending December 31, 2009, as modified. The primary purpose of this Task Agreement was to work within an interagency framework towards the accomplishment of three main vegetation management objectives. These three goals were to: (1) inventory, research …

Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Great Basin And Mojave Desert: Vegetation, David Charlet, Patrick Leary

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

84 PowerPoint slides Convener: Franco Biondi, UNR & Michael Young, DRI Session 4: Ecological Change and Water Resources Abstract: -The Problem -To detect changes in vegetation as it responds to changes in climate, we must first know where the vegetation is now -GAP (Geographic Approach to Protection of Biodiversity) map --National project to map land cover throughout the US. --Nevada map (Edwards et al. 1996) -Southwest ReGAP map --Land cover map for southwestern US (Prior-Magee et al. 2007) to correct problems identified in GAP map

Geovisualization Of Ecological Data For Park Policy Support, Scott R. Abella, Haroon Stephen, Ross Guida

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

12 PowerPoint slides Convener: William Smith, UNLV Session 3: Policy, Decision Making, and Outreach Abstract: -Literature shows upward elevation shifts of biological species as a result of climate change -Effects of climate change expected to accelerate in coming decades -Concern both about species migrating out of parks and the potential inability of species to quickly adapt to the changing conditions within National Parks and other federal land boundaries

Native Americans And Ranchers (Rural Nevada), Karletta Chief, Ahmad Safi, Zhongwei Liu, William J. Smith

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

31 PowerPoint slides Convener: William Smith, UNLV Session 3: Policy, Decision Making, and Outreach Abstract: -Survey: Socioeconomic characteristics, cc perceptions, and relations with nature. -IRB approved work generated in new cc lab. -Packages: 4 pg back-to-back survey, holiday card with local pic, hand-signed personalized letter and a self-add. pre-paid return env. -A list of almost all Nevada ranchers and farmers 1893) were collected from a partner academic institution. -Packages sent on Dec. 29, 2009 -Till now we have approximately 300 (16%) returned surveys and 2 returned packages because of changing career

Research Poster: Losing The Lake: Misconceptions Regarding Water Resources And Climate Change, Marissa Owens, Michael Nussbaum, Gale M. Sinatra

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

Research poster

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 6, 2009 – January 5, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The team completed their strategic plan and submitted it to the SNAP board for review.

• Work continued on the development of an adopt-a-block/parcel program to address the litter and desert dumping problems that exist in the urban-public land interfaces throughout Clark County.

• The team representative on the City of Las Vegas Keep America Beautiful task force is serving as the group’s chairperson.

• The Howard Hughes Corporation desert clean-up collaboration was a success.

• The working model of the GPS unit to be used by volunteers for the GIS database project was field tested.

• Phase III …

Hatched: The Capacity For Sustainable Development, Bob Frame, Richard Gordon, Claire Mortimer

Publications (SD)

Hatched: The capacity for sustainable development is edited by Landcare Research scientists Bob Frame, Richard Gordon and Claire Mortimer and is a collection of research findings, stories and tools exploring five key areas of capacity required for New Zealand’s long-term success. It covers innovative research undertaken with businesses, across policy sectors, communities and individuals and was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Study: Reducing Water Consumption Of Concentrating Solar Power Electricity Generation, U.S. Department Of Energy

Publications (E)

This report discusses potential methods to reduce water consumption associated with CSP. Four main concentrating solar power technologies are described in this report: parabolic troughs, linear Fresnel, power towers, and dish/engine. Parabolic troughs are the most commercially available technology. Linear Fresnel and power tower technologies are presently being planned as commercial plants, but none have yet been built in the U.S. The first three of these technologies use the heat collected from the sun to power conventional Rankine steam cycles, similar to those used for coal and nuclear plants. Steam cycle power plants require cooling to function (cooling is needed …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1, 2009 To December 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database decreased by 14% over last quarter. The database now contains 5,996 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 121,918 hits per month, an increase of 8% from last quarter, with an average of 9,686 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• One hundred and twenty-seven people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Time Period: October 1 — December 31, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Article accepted for publication in Journal of Arid Environments.

• Recharged irrigation gel packs for outplanting and watered seed plots at Goodsprings site.

• Completed full year of seed granivory trials at Goodsprings site.

• Presented information on this Task Agreement to 4th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress.

• Maintained nursery plots and added installment of nitrogen treatment.

Solar Technology Innovation Meeting Summary, Solar Innovation And Technology Center

Meetings (SI)

On December 11, 2009, Senator Harry Reid and President Neal Smatresk (UNLV) conveyed a group of approximately 60 people (see attached lists) from the public and private sector to provide input on the structure, focus, and need for a Solar Innovation Technology Center. At this meeting, there were small group discussions followed by a larger group discussion on the needs in the areas of Workforce / Training, Marketing and Finance, Economic and Policy Making, Infrastructure and Manufacturing, Technology Transfer and Commercialization, and Research. The notes below summarize the major comments from the group. This represents individual comments and in other …