L​ocal Issues
Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

​​

​Located about 17 miles northeast of Fallon, the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR)  is an important refueling stop for thousands of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl each year. It currently receives its water through the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (TCID). To receive the water the Refuge must pay a fee per unit of water. The current fee is over $650,000 per year. Until now, the refuge was able to pay these Operations and Maintenance (O&M fees) from its own financial resources raised through land sales.   By 2027, however, the financial reserves will be exhausted and the SNWR ponds will go dry, unless new, dependable, and permanent financial resources become available to cover these yearly fees.  While the  1990 Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act, P.L. 101-618  instructed the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to acquire sufficient water rights to sustain 25,000 acres of wetlands habitat, the Act failed to provide a permanent funding source to pay the annual O & M fees. Due to our concerns about our dwindling shorebird population, all of Nevada's Audubon chapters have signed on to a  joint letter with  National Audubon asking congress to help establish a permanent funding source.   Read the letter here.  

​​

More information:

​

Lahontan Valley Wetlands: Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

. 

Restoring Our Refuges (Delta Water Fowl Organization

​

To learn more or get involved, email:  

conservation@nevadaaudubon.org

​

​