Lack of water closes refuge to hunters

Tom Gardner

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 4:19 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has canceled this year's waterfowl hunting season at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge for the first time ever because of a lack of water.

With more than 80 percent of the wetlands dry east of Fallon, refuge manager Kim Hanson said on Friday the decision was made to cancel hunting barely a week before the opening of duck season.

"The normal drain flows didn't come to the refuge," he said.

Stillwater relies on purchased water rights - mostly from the Carson River - to flood its wetlands and also recieves agricultural runoff from fields in the Newlands Project.

Because of the skimpy winter snowpack, virtually rain-free spring and hot, dry summer, Fallon-area farmers and ranchers have been miserly in their water use, leaving almost no leftover for Stillwater.

The refuge has committed to 21,000 acre-feet of water, but more than 13,000 acre-feet are being protested by the city of Fallon and Churchill County, leaving only 7,900 acre-feet available.

"There's water out there. It's just not in the wetlands," Hanson said.

Fish and Wildlife had hoped the agricultural runoff and the beginning of fall precipitation would gradually fill the wetlands, but a flight over the area on Wednesday convinced officials otherwise.

"Conditions are pretty bad out there," Hanson said. Closing the area to hunters leaves it to the migrating waterfowl who need a place to rest up and get a bite to eat during their long journey along the Pacific Flyway.

Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Randi Thompson said it was the first time the refuge had been declared off-limits to hunting.

Other areas, including nearby Carson Lake south of Fallon, are managed by the Nevada Division of Wildlife and have enough water to support both birds and hunters, according to waterfowl biologist Norm Saake.

"We managed our water a little different from fish and wildlife this year and we're in pretty good shape," he said.

He added, however, that the state areas have less hunting room than they have offered in the past five wet years and, with Stillwater being closed, good spots will be at a premium - particularly for the Oct. 7 opening of duck season.

Along with Carson Lake, Saake said waterfowl hunters could try the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area near Yerington, the Humboldt Wildlife Management Area in Pershing County, Lahontan Reservoir, Walker Lake, Rye Patch Reservoir, Ruby Lake and, depending on how desperate the birds get, possibly some rivers and streams.

Hanson conceded that the abrupt closure of Stillwater would catch some hunters unaware, but said the lack of water in the hunt area left no other choice.

"To fulfill our responsibility to protect waterfowl, I made the decision to close the hunt season." he said. "It also would be unfair to the hunters to have a season and not have any habitat available for them to hunt."