The Nevada hunting and fishing community is sharing its top 10 conservation priorities for 2023 with Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, as they seek to "ensure the continued conservation," of species and diverse habitats in the state.

The priorities range from supporting science based management techniques to conserving big game corridors and seasonal habitats.

Larry Johnson, president of the Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife, said wildfires present "the greatest adverse impacts," to wildlife populations in Nevada. He added in a bad wildfire year, the state can burn over a million acres.

"Unfortunately, at our lower elevations and everything but our very high elevations, those wildfires, we destroy the native vegetation, and it is taken over by invasive species such as cheatgrass," Johnson explained.

Johnson pointed out cheatgrass is not only poor wildlife forage, it is fuel for wildfires.

According to Johnson's group and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, nearly one quarter of the approximately 20 million acres of priority and greater sage-grouse habitat in Nevada has burned in the last 30 years. Greater sage-grouse numbers have also significantly dropped by almost 80% in the Great Basin since 1960.

Johnson argued most human activity has an effect on wildlife. His group supports developing a statewide plan for siting energy projects. He added both traditional and renewable energy projects, transmission lines and other energy infrastructure can have negative effects on wildlife if not located and operated responsibly.

Johnson emphasized highways and fences pose negative impacts to big game. Despite the challenges, Johnson remains optimistic policymakers will listen.

"Things need to be done very carefully with our existing wildlife resources in mind," Johnson contended. "And it can be done. We just have to be smart about it, that is all."

Johnson hopes the priorities will be heard and considered as people are relocating to Nevada for its vast public lands and traditional love for the sporting heritage.


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Imagine reaching your favorite Grand Teton National Park trail in half the time because of new pull-outs that clear traffic on arterial roads.

Or driving into Moose Junction, parking your car, and hopping on an electric-assisted bicycle to explore the park on a dedicated path that connects with a ferry across Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls.

These are the types of ideas that park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said he hopes to gather from visitors to help officials map out the iconic park's future.

"We're trying to get information from people," said Jenkins, "about the kinds of experiences that they would like to have at Grand Teton 10, 15, 20 years from now."

He said because National Parks belong to all Americans, it's important for people to have a say in how they're managed.

You can add your vision for improving the visitor experience at Grand Teton through October 10 online at 'parkplanning.nps.gov.'

The number of people from Wyoming and across the U.S. visiting Grand Teton National Park has swelled over the past three decades, reaching nearly four million in 2021.

But Jenkins said visitation data isn't like a thermometer going up or down, it's more like a balloon where people are doing different things on the landscape in a different way.

"So, while the overall total number of visitors in 2022 was similar to 2014," said Jenkins, "we had over a 50% increase in the number of people who were hiking on our trails."

Park officials have been adapting to visitation trends for over 100 years. In the 1920s and 30s, Highway 89 was created to help people reach Dubois and Riverton.

In the 1950s and 60s there was massive investment in Colter Bay to support increases in overnight stays. Jenkins said more recently, there has been a growing interest in experiencing the park by bicycle.

"It's just a wonderful way to be able to be out on the landscape," said Jenkins. "You'll see many many people like to do it as a family getting together or a group of friends getting together. Of course, E-bikes are opening up all sorts of opportunities for folks."

Many across the state of Nevada will celebrate National Public Lands Day tomorrow.

Nevadans will be able to visit state parks for free on Saturday, to encourage people to explore all the recreation opportunities the state has to offer.

Andrew Sierra, political and organizing director for the Nevada Conservation League, said this year's focus is about the effects of climate change and equity. He added underserved and underinvested communities many times are not able to enjoy the outdoors, which is why, in the most recent legislative session, they supported efforts to fund the Outdoor Education and Recreation Program and bridge the equity gap.

"Not many people's families are too worried or concerned about taking a hike when they are more concerned about putting food on the table," Sierra acknowledged. "If we can help our schools, if we can help community groups through that -- and working alongside state agencies to be able to really get to the point of equity -- then we solve many problems."

Sierra added his group and other stakeholders will be at Craig Ranch Regional Park this Saturday starting at 9 a.m. He said organizers chose to hold the event there, as it is what he describes as an "important part of North Las Vegas," closer to BIPOC and front line communities disproportionately affected by climate change.

No matter where you may find yourself in the state, Sierra pointed out public lands play a significant role in what it means to be a Nevadan. He added it is why it is important to recognize both the conservation efforts and the clean energy transition taking place on Nevada's public lands.

"Clean energy -- be it public lands, be it conservation -- all these issues are interconnected in one way or another," Sierra stressed. "If it is public lands that interests you or if it's clean energy, I just urge folks to get involved and get informed, especially when it comes to clean energy. It's going to be an ever-evolving industry."

In the Department of Energy's latest energy and employment report, Nevada ranks fourth for the most new clean energy jobs in communities of color. Sierra noted his group would like to see more federal dollars invested in education and apprenticeship programs to keep the momentum going.

The wild burro population in northwest Arizona is about four times the appropriate management level, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The agency is seeking public comment on a proposal which would decrease the number of wild burros in three herd management areas south of Kingman. There are about 2,300 burros in the area.

Philip Cooley - branch chief for biological resources with the BLM's Arizona office - said burro numbers have exceeded what the land is capable of supporting, which has consequences for wildlife habitat and local communities.

"The animals overuse the resources in their herd management area and then, as those resources start getting overused and they're competing for the resources, they start moving out into areas outside of the herd management area," said Cooley. "And this is when we can have concerns with the animals going onto private property and causing damage."

Cooley added that the proposal calls for using temporary fertility controls, sex-ratio adjustments and periodic removals of wild burros over a 10-year period.

Although some wild horse and burro advocates prefer other alternatives, Cooley added that it's important to make sure all uses on public lands in Arizona are taken into account.

The comment period closes October 11.

Cooley said because wild burros have very few natural predators and are protected from hunting, herds can quickly grow in size. He added that Arizona is one of several BLM states that has a wild horse and burro program, and says there are coordinated efforts among those states to - in his words - "leverage resources and manage things appropriately."

Cooley said when animals are removed from the range, they're put into the BLM's Adoption and Sales Program, to be placed in private homes off the range.

"We do the 'gathers' in combination with the fertility control," said Cooley. "It's not permanent sterilization, it is a temporary fertility control, that slows down how fast the animals repopulate. It delays getting huge overpopulations."

He added that the agency determines the numbers for each herd management area by analyzing the rangeland resources, as well as population data spanning several years.