On the Ranch

On Saturday March 22nd, Kiley Ranch will celebrate its first ever children’s Easter Egg Hunt at the Welcome Center, located at 1000 Kiley Pkwy in Sparks! There will be two separate hunts divided by age group: six thru ten yr olds are scheduled for 10:00 am and children 5 & under are scheduled for 11:00 am. Bring the little ones and their baskets. The Easter Bunny will be on hand from 10:00 am to noon, and there will be face painting as well,  so don’t forget your cameras!

In addition, there will be prizes awarded for the Kiley Ranch Easter Coloring Contest. Click on the link below for the picture, print it out, and bring the finished product into the Kiley Ranch Welcome Center between now and March 22nd for a chance to win great prizes! There will be one winner in each of four categories: 4 & under, 5 & 6 yr olds; 7 &8 yr olds; and 9 & 10 yr olds.

Easter Coloring Contest Page

*Only one entry per child allowed. Submitted artwork becomes the property of Kiley Ranch. Winners will be contacted by phone. 

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The Artist’s Co-op of Reno is presenting Photo Fandango II during the month of March 2008.  Megan Kiley has been invited as a guest photographer and will be displaying photos of the Kiley Ranch Wetland Area.  This display will feature many accomplished photographers such as Jack Hursh, Marilyn Newton, Jerry Fenwick, Mark Vollmer, and many more! The exhibit will run throughout the entire month of March and the opening reception will be held on Sunday, March 2nd. Everyone is welcome! Stop in to see some great local pieces and meet the talent behind the camera. The Artist Co-op is located at 627 Mill St in Reno.

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Photo from www.theplanetearth.com.au

1.  Turn off your power strip every evening

2.  Turn off lights when not in use.  Rearrange your office to optimize natural daylight where feasible.  Use compact flourescents in task lighting.

3.  Recycle all that you can – paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, electronics, cartridges

4.  Bring a reusable water bottle to work and keep filling it up – reduce plastic bottles

5.  Use environmentally friendly office products now readily available at most office supply stores.

6.  Print double sided on recycled paper – or not at all if you can avoid it.

7.  Request that your cleaning company use only environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods.

8.  Encourage alternative transportation (carpooling, bus, walking, biking) Reward those that do!

You do the math!

• 55: percentage of water saved by producing recycled paper as compared to virgin paper.  Recycled paper also takes 60-70% less energy to produce than paper from virgin pulp.
• 120: tons of steel saved if every UK office worker used one less staple a day.   
• 8 billion: gallons of gas saved if every commuter car in the U.S. carried just one more person.

Source: How to Green Your Work, by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 12.10.06

Links for a greener office

• Smart Strip or Wattstopper power strips
• Recycle your cartridges at freerecycling.com, recycle 4 charity.com or Staples
• Find environmentally friendly office products at Office Depot, BuyOnlineNow.com, Greenline, Seventh Generation, and many more
• Find cool water bottles at Klean Kanteen and SIGG

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A new study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego calculates a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead will run dry in six years and a 50 percent probability it will be gone by 2021 absent other changes. Wow! That was a shock even for the researchers.

Here’s the article and a few links for more information.

Las Vegas water source could run dry by 2021

Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:26pm EST

By Adam Tanner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Chances are about even that Lake Mead, the prime source of water for the desert city of Las Vegas, will run dry in 13 years if usage is not cut back, according to the study released Tuesday.

The finding is the latest warning about water woes threatening the future of the fast-growing U.S. casino capital and comes amid a sustained drought in the American West.

The study by two researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego calcualtes a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead will run dry in six years and a 50 percent probabilty it will be gone by 2021 absent other changes.

“Our reaction was frankly one of being stunned,” study co-author Tim Barnett, a marine research physicist, said in an interview. “We had not expected the problem to be so severe and so up close to us in time.”

Climate change – both man-made and natural variation – strong demand and evaporation are all factors affecting water in the lake. “The biggest change right now is taking more water from the bucket than we are putting into it,” Barnett said.

The uncertainty about when and if the lake will run dry stems from the natural fluctuations of the Colorado River, which feeds the lake, the researcher said. In recent months the flow has been above average, he said, after years below average.

The West has suffered years of drought with the Colorado supplying less water to Lake Mead, which serves Nevada, California, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

The lake created by Hoover Dam provides 90 percent of Las Vegas’ water and is less than half full, giving the edge of the lake a bath tub ring visible even far away by air.

Scott Huntley, a spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said his agency overseeing the Las Vegas area’s water was also concerned about reliance on Lake Mead as the major source for Las Vegas and officials were seeking alternate sources.

“While we wholeheartedly support the authors’ call for greater urban water conservation, it is important to also remember that agriculture uses four-fifths of the Colorado River’s flows, so meaningful solutions cnnot be borne solely of urban users,” he said.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Links

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Western Environmental Law Center - Las Vegas ground water pumping plan

Southern Nevada Water Authority

Find out how much water you use – Water Calculator

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In celebration of Heart Month, Kiley Ranch will  be holding Love Your Heart Day on February 23rd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Kiley Ranch Welcome Center. Representatives from the American Heart Association will be on hand to discuss heart health as well as fitness professionals from 24 Hour Fitness and experts on nutrition. We will also be serving heart healthy snacks and refreshments. In addition to the educational opportunities inside the Welcome Center, United Blood Services will be on hand in the parking lot collecting blood donations. Each blood donor will be entered in United Blood Services’ monthly drawing for a $250 Visa gift card! For more information or to schedule a blood donation appointment, please email abarnes@kileyranch.net. Do it for yourself…do it for your heart!

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On January 22nd, The Sparks Chamber of Commerce held its’ 27th Annual Community Recognition Dinner inside the John Ascuaga’s Nugget Rose Ballroom. Megan Kiley, community relations for Kiley Ranch Communities was selected amongst 12 other nominees to receive the esteemed award of Sparks Chamber Member of the Year for 2007. Incoming chamber president Pete Copeland spoke with high regard about Megan stating that her passion and enthusiasm for the community and extensive involvement with the Sparks Chamber were among the many reasons she was chosen. Other award recipients included:

• Conductor of the Year – Larma Volk

• President’s Award – Dan Gaddis, Fleet Heating and Air Conditioning

• Business Firm of the Year Award – Northern Nevada Business Weekly

• Non Profit of the Year – Hot August Nights

• Community Spirit Award – Bully’s Sports Bars

• Lifetime Achievement Award – Morrey Distributing 

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