Walker River State Recreation Area

The Conservancy purchased three large ranches along the East Walker River between 2013 and 2016, the Rafter 7 Ranch in 2013, the Pitchfork Ranch in 2015, and the Flying M Ranch, including the Nine Mile Ranch and Elbow properties, in 2016. Together, these ranches total over 13,000 acres, over 12,000 of which were donated to the State of Nevada in 2017 to become the Walker River State Recreation Area, putting 26 miles of the beautiful East Walker River into public land.  Since then, WBC has worked with the new state park to begin restoration of native plant communities on old fields.  These restoration efforts are quite new on the scale of change in the desert, and as native shrubs and grasses grow, expand, and produce seed, the habitat value of those plant communities will continue to increase.

Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area

This field is some of the oldest restoration that’s been done as part of the Walker Basin Restoration Program. The North Aguiar property was purchased in 2011 and donated to the Nevada Department of Wildlife as part of the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area. This field started as a quite barren fallow former alfalfa field, and ten years after restoration young shrubs are starting to fill in between rows of larger planted shrubs, which have provided seed for the area.

Sutter

The Conservancy purchased the 843-acre Sutter Ranch in Smith Valley in 2014.  Much of the land has remained in grazing and hay leases since that purchase.  WBC is in the process of building the property into a multipurpose base of operations that continues agriculture in the form of a native seed farm and a native plant nursery, showcases riparian and floodplain restoration, along the West Walker River in Smith Valley.

Nursery

Since 2019, the Conservancy has grown native plants for restoration projects in our Yerington nursery. In its first year, the nursery produced 15,000 plants. Now, located at Sutter Ranch in Smith Valley, production is set to significantly increase, with a projected 1.2 million native plants available for public distribution by 2027.

NDOW Temporary Water Exchange

In 2019 the Conservancy and Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) entered into an agreement for an exchange of storage water. The exchange allows for the temporary change of the place of use of NDOW’s decreed water rights to be put instream for the benefit of Walker River and Walker Lake. In 2023, for the first time since the agreement was put in place, applications were approved and administered instream for the benefit of the Walker River and Walker Lake. That year we saw a total of 984 acre feet make it into the Walker Lake as a result of the exchange.

Compston Ranch

In November of 2023, the Conservancy announced another successful water and land acquisition in Smith Valley. The deal includes 320 acres of river corridor, 3.6 cfs of decreed water flows, and 640 acre feet of New Land storage rights. The Conservancy is pleased to celebrate the progress towards the long-term protection of the Walker Basin ecosystems and restoration of Walker Lake.

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Habitat

Although this species is more commonly observed in Arizona and southern California, there have been scattered reports of yellow-billed cuckoo sightings in the Walker Basin. In 2022, Walker Basin Conservancy’s Conservation Science team began a partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to conduct systematic surveys of yellow-billed cuckoo habitat along the East Walker River to determine where and when these birds are present in our area. Our biologists have received special training from the Southern Sierra Research Station and permit authorization from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct “callback” surveys where a recorded yellow-billed cuckoo call is played over a portable speaker to induce a response call from any individual that hears the recording. Because it can disturb the cuckoos, this method is only legal for trained, permitted biologists, and is often the only reliable way to detect these cryptic birds, which are rarely seen or heard. In 2023, we were very excited to observe yellow-billed cuckoos on seven occasions along the East Walker River. We continue to monitor yellow-billed cuckoo habitat and work to conserve and restore the river corridor that is home to this special species.

Sutter Monarch Habitat

Smith Valley is part of an important summer breeding ground for Western Monarchs. Many generations of this increasingly rare butterfly breed and roost in the vibrant riparian area here at the foot of the Sierra Nevada before continuing their migration. At Sutter Ranch, the Conservancy is contributing to monarch recovery efforts by monitoring butterfly activity and working to restore and enhance native habitat. We use the observations and adult monarch tagging data that we collect to contribute to community science projects, such as the  Southwest Monarch Study  and  Monarch Joint Venture , and to improve our own restoration efforts. In 2023, Conservancy staff and AmeriCorps members planted over 8,000 native milkweed and nectar plants here in pollinator gardens and along the banks of the Walker River. 

Wilson Canyon

The Conservancy led riparian restoration project on the West Walker River at Wilson Canyon funded by the NV OHV Commission. Conducted in partnership with the Nevada Off-road Association and the Bureau of Land Management, the project focused on mitigating the impact of motorized recreation and restoring sensitive riparian habitat along the river corridor while maintaining recreational access to the popular camping and OHV recreation area. Conservancy staff and AmeriCorps Members installed protective barriers along the river corridor to prevent further damage to the sensitive riparian vegetations and restored several heavily impacted sites with native plants to help stabilize the riverbanks, reduce runoff, and provide habitat for wildlife.

WRID Storage Leasing Program

In 2019 the Walker River Irrigation District (WRID) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) reached an agreement to administer a demonstration leasing program in the Walker Basin. The first year of the program, 17,664 acre feet of water that would otherwise have been used for irrigation was instead left in the Walker River, 15,569 acre feet of which made it to Walker Lake. In 2023, the historic winter brought more water to the Walker Basin than had ever been recorded. That year, the Conservancy along with the largest group of farmers to enroll in the program’s history, were able to send the maximum amount of 25,000 acre feet downstream, with over 22,000 of that total making it all the way to Walker Lake.

Faith Valley

The Conservancy partnered with American Rivers and the US Forest Service during the fall of 2023 to support a stream and wet meadow restoration project on the West Carson River in Faith Valley. Conservancy Staff and AmeriCorps Members repaired and installed more than 20 Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) along incised sections of the river. These BDAs replicate the function of natural beaver dams to moderate water flows, connect side channels, and raise the water table in the wet meadow.