NDOW to shift technical project-review program to Biodiversity Division to increase expertise and capacity

Nevada Department of Wildlife officials told the joint subcommittees they plan to transfer the department's technical guidance and project-review function (decision unit E901) from the Habitat Division to the Biodiversity Division to increase capacity and bring species experts into the review process.

Director Alan Jene said the Biodiversity Division oversees roughly two-thirds of Nevada's approximately 897 wildlife species and said moving technical guidance into that division would align expertise with demand. Biodiversity Division Administrator Jasmine Kleiber told the committee the technical reviews have expanded substantially: "We have primarily 3 regional biologists across the state reviewing and providing input to our federal land management agencies on over 600 projects a year, and those 3 biologists are also tasked with implementing habitat restoration projects... They are now, overflowing with a workload that they simply can't accommodate."

Kleiber said the proposal would move the wildlife staff specialist who currently coordinates technical guidance into Biodiversity and that an additional 10 biodiversity biologists could contribute specialized review capacity. She said the anticipated project mix includes transmission lines, solar and geothermal facilities, and mine expansions.

Committee members asked whether the transfer would reduce review times or otherwise change staffing; Kleiber and Jene said the work is expected to increase as development proposals grow, and that the transfer is intended to better match expertise and capacity rather than reduce total workload.

Legislators requested follow-up on specific staffing and grant-funding implications of the transfer. NDOW said it would provide details on which positions and grants move with the program.