Nevada's wildlife is feeling the heat

According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), with the summer season now upon us, it is reminding everyone that when Nevada catches fire, wildlife feel the heat.

Over the last 10 years, fires have destroyed over 7.5 million acres of sagebrush and other wildlife habitat inthe State of Nevada.

In the northeast area of the state, in the big game management unit known as Area No. 6, over 90% of the deer winter ranges have been destroyed. That area which supported close to 30,000 deer in the 1960s now can only support 5,000-6,000 deer.

Other wildlife has also been adversely impacted.

Over the last two years, 84% of the sage grouse mating grounds (called leks) have been burnt in the Tuscarora region of north-central Nevada. These fires diminished or destroyed habitat for 7,000 sage grouse.

Other affected wildlife includes pygmy rabbits, burrowing owls, sage thrashers, loggerhead shrikes, many rodents and raptors, and the predators that depend on them.

NDOW continues to partner with our constituents and federal land managers such as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to rehabilitate some of the lost habitat.

An emergency wildfire disaster fund has been established by the Reno Chapter of Nevada Bighorns Unlimited to gather money for use in wildlife rehabilitation efforts.

In 2007 alone, NDOW spent $1.5 million to rehabilitate 40,000 acres, less than 1% of the lost habitat. Even though the number of rehabilitated acres are a small percentage of the total burned, these areas represent some of the most crucial habitat that existed prior to burning.

NDOW urges everyone to be fire safe when using our public lands.

Watch where you park as hot exhaust systems often spark wildfires. Find a bare spot of ground to park your hunting truck or fishing rig. Crush out cigarettes. Check local regulations before you make a campfire, and if you make one, keep it small and manageable. Help stop wildfires before they start. Wildlife will thank you.

For information, call the Nevada Department of Wildlife at 688-1500.