Swan Lake Nature Study Area
Encyclopedia
The Swan Lake Nature Study Area (formerly called Lemmon Valley Marsh) is a small conservation area
in Lemmon Valley, Nevada
. It contains marsh
, alkali mud flats, and high desert
. The Lahontan Audubon Society describes it as "a nearly unspoiled wetland in the midst of suburban housing and warehouses" and designates it a Nevada Important Bird Area. It is a notable location for birding; over 150 species have been observed there.
The Swan Lake Nature Study Area consists of over 1800 acres (7 km²) of land, with water supplied by the nearby Reno/Stead Sewage Treatment Plant. The size of the actual wetland varies seasonally and yearly, depending on the amount of precipitation, between 100 and 1000 acres (4 km²). It was formally dedicated as a nature study area in 1999, following several years of planning by Reno-area environmentalist/writer/photographer Bob Goodman. The lead organization in planning and creating the conservation area was the Nevada Army National Guard
, which contributed about 360 acres (1.5 km²) and performed preliminary ecological studies. Other sponsoring organizations include: the Bureau of Land Management
; the City of Reno; the Lahontan Audubon Society; Nevada Division of Wildlife; the Nevada Land Conservancy; Washoe County Parks and Recreation Department; and Washoe County School District
. Features include an observational boardwalk into the marsh and educational signs about the local ecology.
Swan Lake is located in the midst of the rapidly developing suburbs of Stead and Lemmon Valley, near Peavine Peak north of Reno. According to a 1995 study, humans have lived in the area since as early as 400 AD; Native American
artifacts attributed to the Washoe people
have been found in the area, indicating it to have been a wintering site.
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
in Lemmon Valley, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It contains marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
, alkali mud flats, and high desert
Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert is an area of nearctic high deserts across parts of Nevada, California, and Utah that extends into the Colorado River watershed , but which is mostly a portion of the central Nevada desert basins of the Great Basin.It along with the Escalante Desert, Mohave Desert, the...
. The Lahontan Audubon Society describes it as "a nearly unspoiled wetland in the midst of suburban housing and warehouses" and designates it a Nevada Important Bird Area. It is a notable location for birding; over 150 species have been observed there.
The Swan Lake Nature Study Area consists of over 1800 acres (7 km²) of land, with water supplied by the nearby Reno/Stead Sewage Treatment Plant. The size of the actual wetland varies seasonally and yearly, depending on the amount of precipitation, between 100 and 1000 acres (4 km²). It was formally dedicated as a nature study area in 1999, following several years of planning by Reno-area environmentalist/writer/photographer Bob Goodman. The lead organization in planning and creating the conservation area was the Nevada Army National Guard
Nevada Army National Guard
The Nevada National Guard is one of the 54 members of the United States National Guard, part of the United States reserve forces.-Organization:...
, which contributed about 360 acres (1.5 km²) and performed preliminary ecological studies. Other sponsoring organizations include: the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
; the City of Reno; the Lahontan Audubon Society; Nevada Division of Wildlife; the Nevada Land Conservancy; Washoe County Parks and Recreation Department; and Washoe County School District
Washoe County School District
The Washoe County School District is a public school district providing public education to students in Washoe County, Nevada, including the cities of Reno, Sparks, Verdi, Incline Village, and Gerlach. As of September 2006, the school district had 63,098 students enrolled. It is the second...
. Features include an observational boardwalk into the marsh and educational signs about the local ecology.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
artifacts attributed to the Washoe people
Washoe people
The Washoe are a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans, living in California and Nevada. The name "Washoe" is derived from the autonym waashiw meaning "people from here" in the Washo language .-Territory:Washoe people have lived in the Great Basin for at least the last 6000 years...
have been found in the area, indicating it to have been a wintering site.
External links
- Steady Hand Creates Reno's Swan Lake Nature Study Area - June 2004 article on the conservation area's development
- Swan Lake - Lahontan Audubon Society guide
- Press Release on recent Swan Lake grants