Nevada Wildfires … Are you Aware?

In recent decades, wildfires have devastated much of Nevada. They have taken human life, destroyed homes, damaged watersheds that supply municipal drinking water, ruined wildlife habitat, and allowed for the expansion of invasive weeds.

It is alarming to think that wildfires will likely affect us even more in the future. Experts predict that fire seasons will be longer, wildfires will be more intense, and more acres will burn each year. While our ability to change these occurrences is limited, there are many things we can do to lessen the impacts of wildfire, if we are proactive.

Two years ago, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE); local, state, and federal firefighting agencies; and the Nevada Fire Safe Council started Nevada Wildland Fire Awareness Week. The purpose of the designated week is to increase understanding of Nevada’s wildfire issues and promote action to reduce the adverse effects of wildfires. This year, Nevada Wildland Fire Awareness Week will be observed May 17 through 24.

“It is amazing how quickly this event has grown since its origin,” says Sonya Sistare, the event’s coordinator and UNCE program manager. “The number of activities and organizations involved has almost doubled since the first year. And it continues to grow.”

Participation in the week’s activities is open to any organization, not just firefighting agencies.

The slogan for this year is, “Wildfire… It only takes a spark!” The focus is on preventing human-caused wildfire starts.

“While it’s true that most wildfire starts in Nevada are due to lightning strikes,” states Ruta Glinski, Bureau of Land Management fire mitigation specialist, “a large number are caused by human activities. Many of these fires could have been prevented.”

Some recent Nevada fires caused by human activity are shown in the chart below.

Here are some suggestions on how you can help get your community involved in Nevada Wildland Fire Awareness Week:

• Invite a speaker from your local fire department to a community meeting or service club to discuss the local fire threat.

• Go to www.rci-nv.com, locate the wildfire hazard assessment report for your county and specific community, and share it with your neighbors.

• Acquire copies of Living With Fire publications from your local UNCE office (in Reno, 5305 Mill Street) or fire department and distribute them to neighbors.

• Organize a neighborhood cleanup event to rid the area of hazardous vegetation.

In addition, you can go to www.livingwithfire.info for a calendar of scheduled events for the week. For more information, contact Sonya Sistare, UNCE, 784-4848.

Ed Smith is a natural resource specialist for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. You may contact him at (775) 782-9960 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .