Number: 2002-09
WHEREAS, Walker Lake is a freshwater lake located in west central Nevada and is fed by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada in California and other mountain ranges in Nevada, and is a tourism draw and an economic asset of Mineral County’s economy; and
WHEREAS, Walker Lake has cultural, historical, spiritual and economic importance to the Walker River Paiute Tribe; and
WHEREAS, Walker Lake is rare as one the world’s few terminal, slightly saline lakes that supports a trout fishery; and
WHEREAS, Walker Lake is a major stopover for the largest single congregation of common loons as well as other birds such as grebes, cormorants, pelicans, mergansers and ducks that rely on the lake’s fish for survival; and
WHEREAS, the size of Walker Lake has decreased by 75 percent since the late 1800s due to upstream diversions from Walker River and a poorly functioning watershed; and
WHEREAS, lack of water is causing perilous levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) to native fish and without an emergency influx of fresh water, the food chain and related ecosystem could begin to collapse as early as late this year; and
WHEREAS, Walker Lake is the habitat of Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) that are listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is developing a recovery program; and
WHEREAS, the state of Nevada has recently established fisheries as beneficial use for Walker Lake, but has declined to set key water quality standards for TDS, arsenic and chlorides to meet and sustain the lake’s ecosystem and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has failed to exercise its oversight responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, without water, Walker Lake will convert to a saltwater lake, taking years to stabilize a new ecosystem or require large sums of money and extensive scientific research to restore its original ecosystem supporting tui-chub, LCT and common loons; and
WHEREAS, the Bureau of Land Management is preparing an environmental impact statement to assess feasibility of acquiring water for Walker Lake and to determine the most appropriate action.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its Annual Meeting assembled March 7-9, 2002 in Stone Mountain, Georgia, respectfully requests that the states of California and Nevada take emergency action to ensure increased short-term water flow to Walker Lake and develop long-term watershed conservation plans for Walker River and Lake; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the U.S. Department of the Interior and its respective bureaus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the states of California and Nevada to adopt the most aggressive plan to acquire water and promulgate water quality standards suitable for rehabilitating Walker Lake’s unique ecosystem.