Treesearch

Southern Nevada is rich in irreplaceable cultural resources that include archeological remains, historic sites, cultural landscapes, and other areas of significance to Native Americans and other cultural groups. This chapter provides information related to Goal 2 in the SNAP Science Research Strategy, which is to “Provide for responsible use of Southern Nevada’s lands in a manner that preserves heritage resources and promotes an understanding of human interaction with the landscape.” Specifically, it addresses Sub-goal 2.1, which is to “Develop an understanding of human interactions with...

Southern Nevada’s cultural resources (heritage resources) include archeological remains, sacred sites, historic sites, and cultural landscapes of significance to Native Americans and many other cultural groups. Locating, maintaining, and protecting these special places are part of the mandate of Nevada’s Federal and state agencies. This summary addresses Sub-goal 2.2 in the SNAP Science Research Strategy, which is “To preserve these resources through responsible use of southern Nevada’s lands” (see table 1.1). Cultural resources at risk, risk factors, and needed measures to protect them...

Providing for appropriate, diverse, and high quality recreation use of southern Nevada’s lands and ensuring responsible visitor use is an ongoing challenge for Federal agencies that manage much of this land (fig. 1.1). This chapter examines recreation on these Federal lands and addresses Sub-goal 2.4 in the SNAP Science Research Strategy (table 1.1). The demands for various types of recreational opportunities are discussed and the ways in which Federal agencies can provide quality recreational experiences without compromising resources are explored. Also discussed are current visitor use...

Landmark legislation provides guiding principles for land management planning in southern Nevada and the rest of the United States. Such legislation includes, but is not limited to, the Forest Service Organic Administration Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C. 473-478, 479-482 and 551), National Park Service Organic Act of 1916 (U.S.C. Title 16, Secs. 1-4), Wilderness Act 1964 (P.L.88-577), National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L 91-190), Endangered Species Act of 1973 (P.L. 91-205), National Forest Management Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-588), and Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (P.L....

Among the most striking changes in ecosystems are those that happen abruptly and resist return to the original condition (i.e., regime shifts). This frequently involves conspicuous changes in the abundance of one species (e.g., an outbreaking pest or keystone species). Alternate attractors in population dynamics could explain switches between low and high levels of abundance, and could underlie some cases of regime shifts in ecosystems; this longstanding theoretical possibility has been difficult to test in nature. We compared the ability of an alternate attractors model versus two...

Flight and emergence of the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, were monitored from March 2011 through August 2012 using Lindgren funnel traps baited with manuka oil and emergence traps attached over individual beetle galleries on infested redbay (Persea borbonia (L.) Sprengel) trees. Of the 432 gallery entrances covered with emergence traps, 235 (54.4%) successfully produced at least two adults. Gallery success rates and time until adult emergence were highly variable and strongly depended on time of year galleries were initiated.

Fine mesh screen was used to create a physical barrier to prevent redbay ambrosia beetles, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), from accessing various parts of the boles of redbay trees, Persea borbonia (L.) Sprengel, and infecting them with the laurel wilt fungus, Raffaelea lauricola (T.C. Harrington, Fraedrich, & Aghayeva). Screen barriers prevented beetles from attacking boles of mature redbay trees from the ground to 1 or to 3 m and from 1 to 3 m above ground. Untreated control trees were sampled more extensively to determine how location of initial...

Wildland fires often cause extreme changes in the landscape that drastically influence surface runoff and soil erosion, which can impact forest resources, aquatic habitats, water supplies, public safety, and forest access infrastructure such as forest roads. Little information is available on the effectiveness of various post-fire road treatments, thus this study was designed to evaluate common treatments implemented after fire. The 2006 Tripod Complex, 2007 Cascade Complex, and the 2008 Klamath Theater Complex Fires were selected because of their large size and extensive use of road...

Bark beetles oxidize the defensive monoterpenes of their host trees both to detoxify them and convert them into components of their pheromone system. This oxidation is catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes and occurs in different tissues of the insect, including the gut (i.e., the site where the beetle's pheromones are produced and accumulated) and the antennae (i.e., the olfactory organs used for perception of airborne defensive monoterpenes as well as other host-associated compounds and perhomones). We identified ten new CYP genes in the pine beetle Dendroctonus rhizophagus in either...

Maintaining and restoring the diverse ecosystems and resources that occur in southern Nevada in the face of rapid socio-economic and ecological change presents numerous challenges to Federal land managers. Rapid population growth since the1980s, the land uses associated with that growth, and the interactions of those uses with the generally dry and highly variable climate result in numerous stresses to ecosystems, species, and cultural resources. In addition, climate models predict that the rate of temperature increase and, thus, changes in ecological processes, will be highest for...