Funds will be used to study Nevada’s natural resources

September 17, 2009

 WASHINGTON, D.C.--Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced more than $450,000 in economic recovery funding for the University of Nevada Reno and the Desert Research Institute from the National Science Foundation to monitor the temperatures of Nevada’s rivers and lakes and to analyze how the Gleason Controlled Burn affects the underlying soil.

“An important part of Nevada’s economic recovery is the health of our natural resources,” Reid said. “I am pleased that we are investing in research to help safeguard some of our most valuable assets – the state’s land and water.”

The water temperature data will be used to improve computer models that underpin water resource management practices in support of agriculture, forestry and wildlife management.  By studying the structure of soil before and after the Gleason Controlled Burn, researchers will better understand how controlled burns change its structure and potential to be eroded by wind and water.