SPECIAL TO THE PVT

World Wetlands Day is Feb. 2, but what does that mean for Nevada, the driest state in the union?

To find more information about World Wetlands Day, go to http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/8/cd/wwd2008.htm. To view the Nevada Scorecard of Conservation Sites, go to http://heritage.nv.gov/reports/scor2006.pdf.)

There are a number of places to enjoy wetlands in Southern Nevada - the Wetlands Park, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Lake Mead, and a little further north - Overton and Key Pittman Wildlife Management Areas.

Ash Meadows could also be considered a wetlands area.

A good place to see the services of a wetland at work is at the "living machine," which is a wetland filtration system found at the Ethel M. Cactus Gardens.

Wetlands are productive and fragile ecosystems. The majority of the sites listed in the 2006 Scorecard of Highest Priority Conservation Sites are wetlands.

Glen Clemmer, former director of the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, which put together the report, said a large proportion of the sensitive wildlife species, including fish, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates occur at these wetland sites.

"The main threats," Clemmer said, "are urbanization, water developments, grazing, invasive species, and changing fire cycles."

Despite its desert environments, Nevada ranks 11th among all states in total species diversity and third among all states in having the highest percentage of species at risk. According to Jon Sjoberg, Supervising Fisheries Biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the majority of Nevada's native fish species are at risk.