Spring is here, but winter once again never really visited the West. Drought is on everyone’s mind, and University of Nevada, Reno research related to the region's water and its users has gained important funding.
The funding is instrumental to studying "climate resiliency" -- the ability for a system to keep functioning under duress such as drought and floods. This was the topic on KUNR's Beyond the Headlines, with guests Dr. Loretta Singletary, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Professor and Interdisciplinary Outreach Coordinator, along with University Provost Kevin Carman. Singletary discussed this research, which is a collaboration across many departments and with the Desert Research Institute, and employs stakeholder engagement to gather insights and expertise from those most familiar with and impacted by the region's water systems. (Interviewed by David Stipech; air date 4-10-15.)
In March, a $4.5 million grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to help Great Basin and Southwestern tribal communities with sustainable agriculture and water management. The five-year program, "Native Waters on Arid Lands," brings together faculty and students from three of the West’s 1862 land-grant institutions – University of Nevada, Reno, University of Arizona and Utah State University; First Americans (1994) Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON); Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program instructors in Nevada and Arizona; Desert Research Institute; U.S. Geological Survey; and Ohio University. The program team includes tribal members from Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
This grant comes just months after the announcement of another $3.8 million grant. The "Water for the Seasons" project focuses on the Truckee-Carson River System as a model for snow-fed arid-land river systems across the American West. Funding includes $1.8 million awarded by the National Science Foundation to the University and $2 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to DRI and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Visit the University's Cooperative Extension website, Living with Drought
