Anti-crepuscular rays decorate the sky and reflection at Walker Lake, Nevada. Due to diversion of water from tributaries, the lake level dropped approximately 181 ft (55 m) between 1882 and 2016. Inflows via the Walker River now stop completely in many years. Due to increasing salinity and mineral content of the water, native Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi), the state fish of Nevada, can no longer survive in the lake. It is listed as federally threatened. Tui chub have declined dramatically as well. Birds that relied on a healthy ecosystem at the lake for migration or nesting, such as loons and pelicans, have also been severely impacted. After the heavy snowfall in 2016-2017, the USGS estimates that Walker Lake will rise by as much as 15 to 18 feet in 2017, the most in a single year in recorded history. #nevada #walkerbasin #walkerlake #desertlandscape #travelnevada #nevadatourism #explore #travel #environment #conservancy #walkerbasin #waterconservation #lake #desert #homemeansnevada #onlyinnevada (at Walker Lake, Nevada)
