The UNLV Public Lands Institute (PLI) has signed task agreements with the National Park Service totaling more than $3 million to enhance conservation initiatives on public lands in Southern Nevada, UNLV officials announced today.
Under the agreements, which are funded through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, PLI will provide interagency outdoor education programming in Clark County and monitor and evaluate vegetation and sensitive wildlife at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
"Over the past few years, PLI has worked closely with the four federal land-management agencies in Southern Nevada to enhance public land stewardship," said Peg Rees, PLI's executive director. "These agreements with the National Park Service are crucial for completing conservation initiatives funded through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and the Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Program."
The task agreements are comprised of the following three projects:
o The Education in the Environment task agreement calls for PLI to work with the Hispanic community to increase environmental awareness and stewardship by developing interpretive projects and educational programs at community events. In addition, current outdoor education programming will be expanded and assessed to determine changes in Clark County student and teacher outdoor recreation knowledge and performance.
o Under the Sensitive Wildlife task agreement, PLI will implement four Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Program wildlife projects related to the monitoring, management, and research of relict leopard frogs; wintering bald eagles; peregrine falcons; and lowland, upland, and riparian bird species. Three additional projects will lead to the monitoring of aquatic shorebird, desert bighorn sheep, and desert tortoise habitat compliance.
o The Vegetation Monitoring task agreement will focus on the inventorying and monitoring of rare plant species, such as the Las Vegas bearpoppy, and conducting surveys to identify new infestations of exotic weed species, such as the Sahara mustard, and recommending treatment. PLI will also provide technical assistance to monitor land disturbance from illegal off-road driving on Lake Mead National Recreation Area and assist the National Park Service in developing ecological restoration protocols for remediation of gypsum soil sites.
The Public Lands Institute at UNLV was established in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about the institute is available at <a href="http://publiclands.unlv.edu">publiclands.unlv.edu</a>.
