Project Number: 5370-11220-006-10
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Feb 17, 2010
End Date: Sep 30, 2014

Objective:
The University of Nevada at Reno is undertaking a cooperative project with the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to document the status of knowledge regarding the effect of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands within the Great Basin. The primary purpose is to construct the scientific foundation for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) by documenting what is known and what is not known about the environmental effects of conservation practices on rangelands hydrologic and plant growth processes. The work will focus on the effects of conservation practices applied to pinyon and juniper woodlands on the following environmental outcomes: water availability, water quality, soil quality, habitat, forage availability, and fuel reductions.

Approach:
The University of Nevada at Reno will assist developing an Experimental Watershed on the Smith Creek Ranch in central Nevada near Austin, Nevada. University of Nevada will assist in installing four flumes to quantify surface runoff, monitor ground water wells, measuring interception by pinyon and junior trees, measuring evapotranspiration, and monitoring plant response after treatment.