150 

WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN NEVADA 
; Fred E. Wright * 
Introduction 
The production trend areas established during the past two summers 
were covered as completely as possible between May and August of the 1952 
breeding season. 
Production information received from Stillwater Wildlife Management 
Area, Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Sheldon National Antelope Refuge 
is also included. 
Methods 
“=, 
No new trend areas were established this year except for geese, and it 
was necessary to eliminate several duck nesting areas as time would not permit 
adequate coverage. The aerial transects on the Humboldt River were also eliminated 
due to the pressure of other work. ; 
Weather and Water Conditions 
Weather conditions were favorable through the spring and early summer. 
In the northern part of the State spring was considered late and scattered summer 
thunder showers were frequent. 
The heavy snow pack, restored ground water levels, the late spring and 
cloudy weather which lowered the evaporation rate, all contributed to above normal 
runoffs and high water levels throughout most of the State. 
Stream flows varied from 140 percent to 307 percent of the 50 year normal. 
Most storage reservoirs released water through the spring to provide a storage for 
the expected high summer runoff. Many controlled reservoirs did not fill until the 
middle of July. Water levels in Ruby Valley and the Humboldt Sink area were the 
highest they had been for many years. The water level in the St illwater marsh was 
again high, but remained relatively stable through the nesting season. Washoe Lake 
was higher than the previous year which caused the flooding of more nesting islands. 
Breeding Population Trends 
Breeding populations in general were up throughout the State. ‘The Sheldon 
National Antelope Refuge held a nesting population that was slightly higher than last ~ 
year. On the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area there was a 31 percent increase 
* Information was contributed by Baine Cater, Refuge Manager, Ruby Lake National 
Wildlife Refuge; Ben Hazeltine, Refuge Manager, Sheldon National Antelope Refuge}; 
and David Marshall, Wildlife Management Biologist, Stillwater Wildlife Managemen 
Area. 
