Preface

The Humboldt River Basin is the only river basin wholly contained within the state of Nevada and is central in supporting lives and livelihoods. In 2000, the Nevada Division of Water Planning published the Humboldt River Chronology Series, which chronicled the Basin’s historical development and natural resource challenges. Importantly, many of the developments discussed in the Chronology Series have changed in the past 25 years, and climate change further complicates pressing resource management challenges.

This document seeks to provide a timely update to the Chronology Series while expanding on contemporary resource management issues. Moreover, as this document aims to clarify, many of these issues are entangled in the Basin’s history of economic expansion, social development, resource extraction, and evolution of water rights and water law. However, the rapidly unfolding changes in the Basin create limitations to this document. Due to the evolving nature of the Basin’s numerous resource management challenges, there may be a renewed need for an update. Similar updates may be in order for Nevada’s other river systems, and this may prove useful in contextualizing contemporary environmental issues in relation to a basin’s historical development while illuminating intersections between past and present challenges in the management of Nevada’s natural resources.