SUPPORT NBU

Support NBU in its mission to promote and enhance increasing populations of wildlife in Nevada, to fund programs for professional management and habitat improvements, and to protect the heritage of sportsmen and hunters by becoming a member, volunteering time, donating items for auctions, shopping NBU, attending the annual banquet, or through a planned giving program.

WILDLIFE

Before the turn of the 20th century Bighorn sheep were Nevada’s most numerous big game animals occupying every single mountain range in the state. By 1900 however, Desert Bighorn populations had been drastically reduced while Rocky Mountain and California Bighorn had become essentially extinct in the state.

NBU’s mission is to promote and enhance increasing populations of wildlife in Nevada, and to fund programs for wildlife management and habitat improvements was born out of the desire to put back what was lost.

At this time bighorn sheep have been reintroduced into over 60 of the 300+ mountain ranges in Nevada. Nevada’s wild sheep population is now second only to Alaska. For the first time in modern history, the state is opening up new management areas for hunting each year. Through our efforts to create a balanced and healthy wildlife population in Nevada and beyond, generations of hunters and non-hunters alike will benefit for years to come.

INCREASING POPULATIONS

NBU’s mission is to promote and enhance increasing populations of wildlife in Nevada, to fund programs for wildlife movement and habitat improvements, and to protect the heritage of sportsmen and hunters. The organization is led by a rotating group of 18 volunteer Board Members dedicated to making a difference in Nevada’s natural habitat. The membership is made of primarily hunters, who are also conservationists, outdoorsmen and wildlife lovers of all ages. NBU-Reno is striving to protect wildlife, habitat, and hunting rights with game reintroduction programs, conservation activities, education, scientific research, legislative action, cooperation with other organization and honest hands-on labor. Since its beginning, NBU-Reno has grown into one of the most successful and respected, action-oriented non-profit organizations in the nation with a growing membership base of well over 3500. NBU-Reno is an organization concerned with the conservation and management of not only Bighorn Sheep, but all of Nevada’s wildlife.

Scientific Research

Many persons are not aware of the problems that can arise when there is contact between wild and domestic sheep. Bighorn sheep are highly susceptible to some bacteria carried by domestic sheep. While domestic sheep are immune to strains carried by bighorn sheep. NBU has funded numerous Research Studies in such universities as University of California Davis, Washington State, and Idaho State in an attempt to solve this problem, which seriously limits areas suitable for bighorn reintroduction.

All of the California bighorns transplanted into the United States had their origin in British Columbia. When populations in the Kamloops area slumped, NBU funded multi-year migration route and area use studies through local British Columbia sportsmen groups to identify limiting factors to viable sheep populations

Long before public perception identified declining sage grouse populations as an indication of declining rangeland health, NBU was funding sage grouse research programs on the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge through Oregon State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

NBU partially funded habitat and forage utilization studies that allowed the expansion of the elk herd in the Jarbidge Wilderness of Northeastern Nevada. Important conclusions were drawn including the lack of impact of the resident elk herd on cattle grazing as well as the lack of competition between elk and mule deer in this mountain range.

In conjunction with our reseeding of range fire efforts, NBU has funded field trial research of improving seed germination success. Methods of encapsulating seeds with nutrient rich pellets will hopefully greatly improve the efficiency and success of reseeding operations.

LEGISLATION

NBU Directors recognized years ago the importance of legislative activities to protect sportsmen’s rights and enhance wildlife resources. Our support of Elk Damage Compensation and Landowners Incentive Elk Tag legislation has paved the way for the rapid spread of elk populations across the state. We have supported Landowner deer and antelope damage compensation tags that practically ended depredation doe hunts statewide. We supported creation of a Department of Wildlife for a stronger more autonomous representation of sportsmen’s issues. We will work until elk ranching is outlawed in Nevada. We have worked diligently to protect state jurisdiction of wildlife management in federal wilderness and to assure future hunting, fishing and trapping in these areas.

HABITAT

NBU supports Nevada’s habitat with funding for a number of special restoration projects and with many volunteers donating hands-on labor for these projects. NBU’s major habitat improvement programs take areas of poor quality and restore them to useable land, which benefits all types of wildlife, including man.

Reseeding
Range fires have devastated millions of acres of big game winter range and habitat over the years. Timely donations from NBU have aided in purchasing seed and private helicopter services to assist in the reseeding efforts of critical range areas literally saving the lives of hundreds, potentially thousands of animals.

Water Development
Water is often the limiting factor in the expansion of wildlife populations. NBU is involved with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the Fraternity for the Desert Bighorn in all facets of planning, design, funding, and construction of water development projects. This allows for expansion of habitable ranges for all wildlife. Dozens of these water development systems known as “Guzzlers” have been completed in Nevada over the past couple of decades with great success.

Legislative Efforts
Over the past decade NBU has become more involved in legislative activities in order to further support the future of Nevada’s wildlife. Through NBU’s efforts, a number of important victories have been won in the legislature. Thanks to our efforts, Nevada proudly boasts the most strongly worded hunting, fishing and trapping rights laws in the nation.