The Reno Fish and Wildlife Office works with our partners to protect and conserve endangered fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats in Nevada's Great Basin, the Eastern Sierra, and the Tahoe Basin for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Recently published 90-day findings for five species

The Service has published 90-day findings for five species, including two that occur within the Reno Fish and Wildlife Office’s jurisdiction: the bleached sandhill skipper and pinyon jay.  

The bleached sandhill skipper is a small golden-orange butterfly that is only found in two locations in Humboldt County, Nevada. Pinyon jays are found in pinyon-juniper trees across several western states, including Nevada and California. Substantial 90-day findings represent a relatively low bar, requiring only that the petitioner provide information that the proposed action may be warranted. The next steps involve in-depth status reviews and analyses using the best available science and information to arrive at a 12-month finding.  

Click here to view the 90-day findings for these species.  

Latest News

A river running through a desert sage landscape with small mountains in the backdrop and bright blue skies above.
Habitat Restoration
Biden-Harris Administration Breaks Ground on Numana Dam Fish Passage Project to Benefit Two Listed, Culturally Important Fish Species in Northern Nevada
RENO, Nev. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe today broke ground on a fish passage project at Numana Dam supported by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a core pillar of Bidenomics, that will benefit the recovery of two federally listed species, the...
Boats and water recreators are pictured on a large lake
Habitat Restoration
Biden-Harris Administration announces over $3 million for projects that protect Lake Tahoe Basin as part of Investing in America agenda
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced $3.1 million in fiscal year 2023 funding from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program and prevent and combat the spread of aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe. The funds will...
An image of a river flowing thorugh a mountain canyon dusted with snow and pine trees on either side under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Wildlife Wonders
How snowpack and snowmelt affect rare wildlife and plants in Nevada & Eastern Sierra
It's no secret that the 2022-2023 winter has been a monumental one for northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service's recent Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report, snowpack measurements have “shattered all-time records” across the Great Basin, which...
An image of a brown bird with a white chest and neck standing in low grassland and sage habitat.
Endangered Species Act
Service seeks public comment on 2013 bi-state sage-grouse proposed listing rule
RENO, Nevada – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it is reopening a 60-day public comment period and seeks new and updated information on the bi-state distinct population segment of greater sage-grouse. The Service is reopening a 60-day public comment period on the 2013...
Joshua tree with mountains in the distance
Endangered Species Act
Second review finds Joshua trees do not require protection under the Endangered Species Act
CARLSBAD, Calif. — After conducting a second in-depth review of two species commonly known as Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Yucca jaegeriana), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded neither species requires protection under the Endangered Species Act.
a brown owl with white spots sits on a snag with brown foliage in the background
Endangered Species Act
Public Comment Sought on Proposal to List California Spotted Owl
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is proposing to list the California spotted owl under the ESA. The Service is proposing to list the Coastal-Southern California DPS as endangered and the Sierra Nevada DPS as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As part of this proposed...
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About Us

Yellow flowers and green sagebrush in the foreground with tall blue and white mountains in the background underneath a blue sky.
Image Details
Our office

We work with partners including federal, state, private landowners, tribes and non-governmental organizations to implement conservation actions and promote healthy habitat to support and recover at-risk species and species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Across our office area, our work with private landowners helps conserve or recover listed species, and other wildlife species, through habitat restoration projects and technical and financial assistance on private land.

What We Do

Brown, and white bird with a yellow chest stands on a golden gree landscape.
Image Details

The Reno Fish and Wildlife Office is responsible for supporting the recovery of 25 endangered and threatened species found in northern Nevada, near Lake Tahoe and in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Our goal is to help federally threatened and endangered plants and wildlife recover to healthy population levels and to prevent new species from needing the protections of the the Endangered Species Act through proactive conservation. Working with our partners, we focus much of our work in  sagebrush sagebrush
The western United States’ sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands. The sagebrush landscape provides many benefits to our rural economies and communities, and it serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including the iconic greater sage-grouse and over 350 other species.

Learn more about sagebrush country including Nevada's precious  riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian and spring systems, where the majority of sensitive wildlife and plant species are found. 

For a deeper dive into the Reno office's work and accomplishments, check out our 2022 Year in Review.

 

Our Organization

A large bird with brown feathers, white head, and yellow beak flies against a pale blue sky
The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds,...
Program
Washington,DC
A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA

Our Species

The Reno Fish and Wildlife Office works toward the recovery and conservation of more than 20 federally protected species in northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. Through our partnerships with Tribes, federal and state agencies, and NGOs we enact conservation efforts and gather important information about each of these species to best inform management actions. 

Our office takes the lead on these efforts within the Service for the following species:

Carson Wandering Skipper perched on top of a yellow flower.

The Carson wandering skipper is a small tawny orange butterfly found in grassland habitats on alkaline substrates in Washoe County, Nevada and Lassen County, California. Much like monarch butterfly caterpillars rely on milkweed, Carson wandering skipper caterpillars feed on salt grass. The...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies
An underwater photo of an olive-colored Clover Valley speckled dace.

Clover Valley speckled dace is a small freshwater fish found in cold rivers and springs, and thermal springs. It is currently found in only three springs and outflows in the Clover Valley in Elko County, Nevada. Little is known about the species before European settlement of the area. Clover...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies
A small spotted brown and black toad on dry grass.

The Dixie Valley toad is the smallest toad within the A. boreas species complex. This specie's dorsum has a broken cream stripe and irregularly distributed rust-colored tubercles with black margins. Its dorsal ground color contains hues of olive with small irregular black specks. The face is...

FWS Focus
Species

Desert dace is a small olive green and silver fish and is found in several thermal springs and outflows in Soldier Meadows in Humboldt County, Nevada. It has the highest temperature tolerance of any minnow in western North America and can live in waters as warm as 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Listed...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species
A close-up photo of a small purple/pink flower

Fish Slough milkvetch is a perennial member of the pea family, and found only in a 6-mile stretch of salt flats near Fish Slough, a desert wetland in Inyo and Mono counties, near Bishop, California. Fish slough milk vetch has been listed as threatened since 1998. It requires alkaline and...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Plantae
Taxonomic Rank
Variety

Independence Valley Speckled dace is a small subspecies measuring approximately 40 millimeters [1.6 inches] or less in total length. This subspecies can be distinguished from the Lahontan speckled dace by their less developed lateral line system on both the body and the head. They are further...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies
An underwater photo of a school of Owens pupfish.

Owens pupfish is a small, deep-bodied, laterally compressed fish with a total length that rarely exceeds 6 cm (2.5 in). Females are dusky, olive-green in color, with several dark vertical bars aligned in a row along the sides. Males are bright blue, particularly during the spring and summer...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species

Owens Tui Chub is dusky-olive above and has blue and gold sides, a gold-colored head, and olive-brown to reddish brown fins. Individuals range from 15 mm (0.6 in) to 180 mm (7 in) in length. It is distinguished from other tui chubs by the presence of lateral radii on the scales with a rounded or...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies
A small fish in hand with rose coloring on it's side along with dark blue spots

The Paiute cutthroat trout is a distinctive member of the cutthroat trout complex, distinguishable from other cutthroat trouts by body coloration and the absence, or near absence, of body spots. Snyder (1933, 1934) described these fish as a new species, (Salmo seleniris), based on: 1) absence of...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies

Railroad Valley springfish is one of five subspecies of White River springfish. The body is two-thirds as wide as deep and the head is relatively large. The dorsum is yellow to olive to gray with a dark stripe extending along the surface from snout to tail and the ventral half is silver. They...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species
Four Sierra Nevada big horn sheep are photographed crossing a snowy mountain slope.

The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is similar in appearance to other desert associated bighorn sheep. The species' coat shows a great deal of color variation, ranging from almost white to fairly dark brown. The belly, rump patch, back of legs, muzzle, and eye patch are all white. Males and females...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Subspecies
steamboat buckwheat flowers look like light pink pompoms on leafless stems

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. williamsiae (steamboat buckwheat) is a low, densely matted, compact perennial herb 2-18 inches (in; 5-46 centimeters (cm)) across. The above-ground portions of the plant arise from a shallow but stout, woody, reddish-brown taproot (usually in older plants) or a shallow...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Plantae
Taxonomic Rank
Variety
A low growing plant with yellow flowers on a hillside covered in greyish-white rock,

Eriogonum tiehmii is a member of the Polygonaceae (buckwheat family). It is a low growing perennial herb forming a dense compact mat up to 10.8 inches (in; 30 centimeters (cm)) across and 6 in (16 cm) high. Leaves are only at the base of the plant, blueish gray in color, elliptic, and gray...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Plantae
Taxonomic Rank
Species

Ivesia webberi is a member of the Rosaceae (rose family). It is a low, spreading, perennial forb up to 9.8 inches (in) (25 centimeters (cm)) across with greenish-gray foliage and dark red, wiry stems (Figure 1). The 2.8 inch long leaves are mostly clustered around the base of the stems, with 8...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Plantae
Taxonomic Rank
Species

Our Library

A small spotted brown and black toad in someone's hand.
Dixie Valley Toad
A collection of files related to Dixie Valley toad.
Library Collection
7 Items
A low growing plant with yellow flowers on a hillside covered in greyish-white rock,
Tiehm's Buckwheat
A collection of documents related to Tiehm's buckwheat.
Library Collection
4 Items

Location and Contact Information