One of my favorite turns in the wheel of the year! Spring equinox! In Reno, we know the lilacs are still a month or two away from blooming, but we’re getting tantalizing previews of the weather to come (just don’t plant anything yet!). And let’s not forget that great Sierra Spring skiing - corn! Check out these spring options!
If there’s one thing I know about water, it’s that hydrology is an exact science, but to really understand it you have to know a whole lot about the studies and assumptions that went into the modeling in the first place. Still, I hope the latest study reporting that Lake Mead could go dry gives us all pause. And instead of panic, may we turn to PLANNING!
Lake Mead during the 1951 drought:
When Truckee Meadows Tomorrow asked people to list an example of a community innovation that represents or exemplifies “quality of life” and has made a profound difference here - #1 on the list is the downtown Reno Truckee River Whitewater Park at Wingfield. My friend Jim Litchfield, of Fluid, deserves a lot of credit and every single award he earned for turning this dream into a reality. Myrna the Minx thinks so too!
Catch the 12 Horses Podcast with (some of) the story behind the park.
For next year’s Community Well-Being Report, I’m going to have to nominate the Presidential Caucus as one of the most significant innovations of the year. Record turnout! Presidential candidates in Nevada for weeks! Voters paying attention! Can’t beat it!
What would you nominate?
Although we’ve had a REALLY dry summer, winter’s coming. Actually, flood season can arrive before winter officially does.
To help the community get ready, the Truckee River Flood Project partners will be hosting a Flood Expo. This year’s event is set for Wednesday, November 7th, 2-7 p.m. at the Wilbur May Museum at Rancho San Rafael Park.
September is National Preparedness Month. In Nevada, that means we’re leaving fire season and will soon be entering flood season. This would be a good month to put together an emergency kit and make a plan. Washoe County Emergency Management provides the basics for individuals and businesses.
Washoe County Commissioner Jim Galloway has been promoting the concept of using Southern Nevada Public Lands Management funds to create an endowment that would pay for fuels management at Lake Tahoe. As much as I’d like to see SNPLMA money used for key land acquisitions (see: flood project), a Nevada only endowment for land management may be an excellent use of a portion of these dollars. And I’m sure the idea will be more favorably received after the Angora fire. Course, it might make this pot of cash all that much more tempting to the feds too.
To address flooding, the Flood Project Coordinating Committee is working on Truckee River Action (TRaction) Projects designed to provide flood protection in specific areas (without harming anyone as we wait for the entire project to be built. Several are being studied and designed including relocating the North Truckee drain, which will greatly benefit Sparks, and protecting homes in Hidden Valley. Now is the time to get involved, especially if you’re interested in these specific projects.
the positive! Join in the celebration! Not many communities take the time to recognize all those unsung heroes who quietly go about improving quality of life. But Truckee Meadows Tomorrow does just that, in a big way!
Join thousands of your friends and neighbors to recognize the contributions of the Silver Star winners at Accentuate the Positive, October 5, 2007 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in the Rose Ballroom. Don’t miss it!
On Friday, March 10, the Flood Project Coordinating Committee approved the “Living River” concept for flood management on the Truckee River. For those of us who have been involved in the planning (and waiting) over the last six years, it was a real victory.
In 2000, Washoe County created a Community Coaliton to develop a flood protection plan that would be acceptable to the community. A small group of us have stuck with the process from those early days to make sure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would include our alternative in their Environmental Impact Statement process.
Over 730 meetings later (yes, I have kept track!), we’ve got a solid consensus around a flood protection plan that lowers flood waters in the Truckee Meadows, reduces the need for levees and flood ways, and keeps the Truckee River an amenity for the entire community to enjoy. And we’ve worked with our downstream neighbors to make sure we don’t just send the problem downstream. For more information about the Truckee River Flood Management Project, go to www.floodawareness.com
