Getting The Biggest Bang For Your Buck: Wildlife Monitoring On Shrublands Of The Nevada Test Site

• Published in: Natural resources and environmental issues Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 235
• Main Authors: Hall, Derek B, Greger, Paul D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2011
• Subjects: USA, Great Basin; USA, Nevada
• ISSN: 1069-5370

The Nevada Test Site (NTS) covers 3,561 km super( 2) and extends over portions of both the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts. The resulting diverse and complex fiora and fauna exhibit elements of both deserts. There are 20 vegetation associations, composed primarily of shrubs, nested within 10 vegetation alliances. Of the more than 1,200 invertebrate and 339 vertebrate species found in these shrubland habitats, 267 are considered sensitive or protected/regulated by federal or state laws. Wildlife and wildlife habitat monitoring ensures NTS activities comply with all federal and state laws enacted for the protection of these valuable biological resources and provides ecological information that can be used to predict and evaluate the potential impacts of proposed projects and current activities on these resources. This paper describes the monitoring approach used at this large site. Monitoring strategies include conducting preactivity surveys, proactively monitoring sensitive species, monitoring long-term population trends, and collaborating with other agencies and biologists. Ways to make monitoring more efficient and examples of successful monitoring and collaborations are discussed.