Q1 NV Conservation Bond Main Page | History | Project Summaries | Project Criteria | Get Involved

Dave's Island Acquisition

Bull trout, Columbia redband trout, the greater sage grouse among other wildlife will benefit from the acquisition of land by NDOW near the Jarbidge area in northeastern Nevada. The 3,300 acre property is about 100 miles northeast of Elko and slightly northwest of Jarbidge Wilderness Area. Dave's Creek, a tributary of the east fork of the Jarbidge River, flows for about 3.5 miles through the property. NDOW is the recipient of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Recovery Lands Acquisition Program to acquire the property. NDOW Q1 funds will be used as the state match in the acquisition of the property.

This area provides important spawning habitat for Nevada's bull trout, a threatened species within the Jarbidge River watershed. The property also has huge value for redband trout and greater sage grouse, and habitat used by other sensitive species of fish and wildlife. The area also reduces habitat fragmentation and enhances connectivity. The land, which will become a state wildlife management area (WMA) will be managed with surrounding public lands (Forest Service and BLM) to ensure long-term stability.

Dave's Island has four sage grouse leks within a three-mile radius of its boundaries and contains prime habitat for sage grouse mating, brood rearing and late summer habitat for sage grouse. Other wildlife on the property include mule deer, elk, bobcat, mountain lion, badger, and a number of avian, bat, reptile and amphibian species. Willow, aspen, chokecherry and cottonwood, sagebrush, bitterbrush bluebunch wheatgrass, juniper, pine and aspen dot the landscapes. The property is also rich in prehistoric cultural resources.

Rocky Mountian Elk Foundation and the USFWS are partners on this project.