Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), government agencies, private-sector companies and educational institutions will attend a major two-day workshop addressing the natural resources and environment in the Great Basin. The event will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 20-21, at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks.

Key workshop speakers will include U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, Gov. Jim Gibbons, USDA Under Secretary Gale Buchanan, and former BLM Director Kathleen Clarke.

“The Great Basin is one of the most environmentally frail and at-risk regions in the nation,” said Stan Johnson, assistant to the dean of the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR). “Participation during this workshop will help the NGOs collaborate more effectively and will position the Great Basin Environmental Program to address these concerns.”

The Great Basin Environmental Program is an environmental management initiative aimed at addressing the needs of the Great Basin. The workshop will align federal agencies, state agencies, NGOs and the private sector on critical Great Basin issues, including wild fires; water conservation and use; land use and health; urban, rural, and wildlands mosaic; cultures and communities; and biodiversity.

“This will be a participatory workshop, and all attendees will have a hand in setting the agenda as we move forward,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping to increase collaboration among the NGOS and gain their support for the Great Basin Environmental Program.”

For additional information, call Mikalee Dahle, CABNR director of communications, at (775) 784-4724.