Q-Tip: Two commissions to meet

The Nevada State Board of Wildlife Commissioners will meet on Friday and Saturday in Reno.

On Friday, the wildlife commission will meet at the Nevada Division of Wildlife headquarters conference room at 1100 Valley Road in Reno. It will meet jointly with the California Fish and Game Commission.

The Friday agenda for the joint commissions' meeting begins at 9 a.m. and includes:

1. A report on the status of the various interstate mule deer herds, current management practices and a proposed revised management agreement.

2. A report on the status of sage grouse management in Nevada and California, petitions for listing the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act and the various conservation planning efforts initiated for populations inhabiting Nevada/California stateline areas.

3. A status report on the Lahontan cutthroat trout, management activities, recovery efforts and recovery plans revisions.

4. A status report on the elements of the Interstate Violator Compact and the implementation of the compact in the various states.

5. The two commissions will be advised of the current process for review of two initiatives for a roadless area inventories and road maintenance on forest lands.

6. The Nevada Division of Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Game will report on the various management activities at Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake, with special emphasis on activities at Lake Tahoe in response to the Presidential Order of 1997.

- On Saturday, there will be a field tour of the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge near Fallon. The tour begins at 7 a.m., the public is invited to attend but must provide their own transportation.

The Nevada commission will then meet back at the Churchill County Commissioners' Chambers at 155 N. Taylor St., Suite 145, in Fallon at 9:30 a.m.

The Saturday agenda in Fallon includes:

1. A presentation on the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge by personnel of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2. A proposed regulation establishing demerit values for wildlife convictions.

3. A request to approve the use of $38,775 in duck stamp funds for activities at the Steptoe Valley Wildlife Management Area in Eastern Nevada.

4. Selecting a committee to review the Landowner Damage Compensation Tag program and associated regulations.

5. Accepting input from the public on a proposed spike bull elk hunt in 2001 as a elk herd management tool.

At the Friday meeting, the general public will have an opportunity to add their input to the joint commissions' discussion of the problems associated with the sage grouse and the Lahontan cutthroat trout populations in Nevada and California. If you are interested in either or both of those species, plan to attend that meeting.

For information, call the Nevada Division of Wildlife at 688-1500 during regular hours.