Reno, NV– Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has appointed Alan Jenne as Director for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). The appointment comes after Tony Wasley, NDOW Director of almost 10 years, retired in December ending a 25-year tenure with the agency.
“I’m pleased to announce Alan Jenne as the new Director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “Alan is a dedicated public servant and brings great insight to the department. Alan is committed to conserving Nevada’s wildlife and managing our incredible public lands, and I look forward to his leadership.”
Jenne has served as the Administrator for NDOW’s Habitat Division since 2013, leading all wildlife habitat-related programs, projects, and challenges across the state. He brings an extensive history in wildlife conservation to his new position, with experience working in all three NDOW regions and three of NDOW’s four resource divisions: Habitat, Fisheries, and Game.
Jenne, a Nevada native who graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, first started working for the agency in 1993 at the Overton Wildlife Management Area in Clark County. Before being appointed as Habitat Division Administrator in 2013, Jenne worked in a variety of programs and positions, including Wildlife Technician on the Water Development Program in Winnemucca, Fisheries Biologist in Winnemucca and Elko, and Supervising Habitat Biologist in Elko.
During Jenne’s tenure as Division Administrator the Habitat Division has made many accomplishments including:
- Restoration and rehabilitation of more than 500,000 acres of wildlife habitat since 2016.
- Transfer of nearly 30,000 acres of lands from federal ownership to the State of Nevada to augment the Steptoe Wildlife Management Area and create the Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area.
- Partnering on the establishment of conservation easements to protect wildlife habitat in the Ruby Mountains and Independence Mountains of Elko County.
- Established a five-year $10 million assistance agreement with the Bureau of Land Management for habitat restoration and rehabilitation in 2022.
- Technical review of more than 500 public land projects per year to minimize wildlife and habitat impacts.
“I owe Governor Lombardo a huge debt of gratitude for this opportunity to serve Nevadans, the sportsmen and women of Nevada, and the employees of NDOW,” Jenne said. “I look forward to taking advantage of my years of experience and diverse partnerships to promote and sustain the wildlife and wild places of Nevada for our future generations.”