This development has led the Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management to develop plans to reduce emissions that cause ground-level ozone. The uncontrolled expansion of the city increases pressure on state and local governments to address problems related to air and water quality, the deterioration of plant and animal habitat, the excessive development of floodplains, and the loss of public land. The deterioration of regional air quality is due, in part, to the increase in the amounts of pollution caused by the increase in miles traveled by vehicles and to the traffic congestion that accompanies the expansion. The Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management is responsible for monitoring the air, developing appropriate control measures, and educating the citizens of Clark County, Nevada. In order to foster ecoliteracy among local governments in Las Vegas, Nevada, it is essential to build partnerships and strengthen the capacity of elementary and secondary schools to support healthy and sustainable school communities as well as modify food systems in schools.
The Center for Eco-Literacy leads systems change initiatives, publishes original books and resources, facilitates conferences and professional development, and provides strategic consulting. Working at multiple levels of scale, with local, regional, state and national programs, Nevada's considerable species diversity can be preserved. Recently, an unlikely alliance of environmentalists, ranchers, and other rural citizens was formed to consider possible large-scale impacts on surface water resources in southern and eastern Nevada that could result both from surface flow diversions and from the pumping and export of groundwater through oil pipelines to the Las Vegas Valley. Governor Steve Sisolak has also taken steps to support innovation zones in his State of the State address. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada is the largest national forest in the lower 48 states. It covers 6.3 million acres across Nevada and a small portion of Eastern California.
The traditional model of local government is “inadequate on its own” to provide the flexibility and resources needed to make Nevada a leader in attracting new forms and types of companies and encouraging economic development in emerging technologies and innovative industries. If you have enough money, acres of undeveloped land, and innovative technology, you can form a new local government in Nevada. The distribution of wildlife closely reflects this pattern of resource distribution; therefore wildlife is not generally found at high densities in the Nevada mountain ranges. The Las Vegas Valley is located in the east of the Mojave Desert; an area extremely rich in terms of biological diversity. The burgeoning Las Vegas Valley and Reno-Sparks-Tahoe area are abundant with new homes spreading rapidly through dry desert valleys. Since the federal government owns nearly 87% of Clark County's land, a law was established that creates a narrow circle around the Las Vegas Valley.
The Truckee River system provides most of the water to residents of Reno-Sparks-Tahoe. Environmental health and safety are fundamental to the quality of life in Nevada; a huge state whose inhabitants are mainly grouped into a few urban areas. To promote ecoliteracy among local governments in Las Vegas, Nevada it is essential to create partnerships with schools to support healthy communities as well as preserve species diversity.
