Grant Opportunity from Southern Nevada Water Authority: Wetlands Restoration Project

The Las Vegas Wash (LVW) carries more than 170 million gallons of water a day.  Decades ago, the flows of the LVW created more than 2,000 acres of wetlands.  By the 1990’s, only about 200 acres of wetlands remained.  The dramatic loss of vegetation reduced both the LVW’s ability to support wildlife and serve as a natural filter for water that flows to Lake Mead, the source of the community’s water supply.

This project is a priority for the comprehensive management of the Las Vegas Wash (LVW) because it helps the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) meet action items in the Las Vegas Wash Comprehensive Adaptive Management Plan (LVWCAMP).  This project is intended to help meet the following LVWCAMP action items: Action Item 1 – Install erosion control structures, Action Item 41 – Conduct additional research, and Action Item 37 – Ensure implementation of mitigation measures

The Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO) uses standard point count monitoring techniques to survey for birds and a vegetation monitoring protocol at each survey point that was developed by Gerald Braden of the San Bernardino County Museum, the contractor who managed the project during its first four years, after which time GBBO conducted the surveys.

This work is specifically listed in the Las Vegas Wash Wildlife Management Plan, which was created to partially fulfill LVWCAMP Action Item 40 – Develop long-term management and monitoring plans, as work that should be conducted.  It not only helps to fulfill the recommended action to “regularly monitor the abundance and diversity of wildlife,” but functions as effectiveness monitoring, which is also recommended in the plan.  This work is a continuation of work performed under Grant Agreements 04FG300026, 05FG300015 and R08AP30020, which funded surveys from 2005 to 2011.