Wildfire, pest control programs funded

The Agricultural Appropriations Act contains more than $2.3 million for Nevada projects in agriculture, wildfire prevention and harmful species control.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the largest on the list is $1 million for the Nevada Department of Agriculture for Mormon cricket eradication. He said the crickets are a federal responsibility because many of the insects hatch on federal public lands. Nevada ranchers have lost valuable grazing land to swarms of crickets. More than 1 million acres in the state were infested with crickets last year, with Elko County hit hardest.

The funding includes $235,000 for the state noxious weed management program.

The University of Nevada Arid Rangelands Initiative will receive $500,000. The program provides rural stakeholders with information and tools to survive economically while caring for their lands.

Conservation Fuels Management will receive $269,000 to help reduce the risk of wildfires. Over the past 10 years, wildfires have burned more Nevada acres than in the previous 50 years.