Page 83 - 2007 DT 12 Issues

belugas have free cervical vertebrae, Meet Lisa Christianson
they can turn their beaked heads from
side to side and under and over their isa Christianson comes to the Red Rock Visitor Center from the Bureau of
shoulder. Their small heads have Land Management Las Vegas Field Office where she has been working as
a prominent melon-shaped fore- Lan Environmental Protection Specialist. She serves as the only Air Quality
head, allowing them to focus their specialist in the State of Nevada and is one of only four in the United States. Al-
echolocating clicks directionally. though she has recently taken on the role of Visitor Center Manager, she continues
Although scientists still have a lot to serve as an Air Quality Specialist.
to learn about whales and communi- Lisa has spent the last fifteen years working for the Department of Defense
cation, what they don’t know may be and the Department of the Interior. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business
vitally necessary in saving them from in 1992 and an MBA in 1994, along with numerous professional certifications in
extinction. Christopher Clark of Cor- hazardous waste operations, air quality, water quality and electrical safety, to name
nell University is concerned about the a few. Lisa is also a certified emergency first responder, as well as a hazardous waste
increasing amount of noise pollution first responder, level A, SCBA trained.
assaulting the world’s oceans. Continuing assignments include Chair of the Southern Nevada Agency Part-
Because most whale songs consist nership (SNAP) litter and dumping team for Southern Nevada; and co-instructor for
of low frequency sound, whale voices BLM’s Situational Leadership II professional development program within the State
are adapted for long range transmis- of Nevada.
sion that can cross oceans. Clark and Lisa’s husband, Mark, is a 100% disabled veteran, currently retired from Army
many other scientists fear that the Special Forces. He is currently on the board of the Stars and Stripes Foundation
increasing “acoustic smog” of sound (www.starsandstripesfoundation.org.), a nonprofit organization that raises funds for
pollution in the ocean, especially near the Wounded Warrior Program through events. Mark volunteers his time providing
popular migration feeding routes, training for United States and worldwide police and military tactical units, and is
is interfering with whales’ability to active in pre-deployment training for service members of the United States Marine
communicate with songs. Noise pol- Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force active duty, reserve and National Guard units
lution is doubling every decade due serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
to shipping traffic, overhead air traf- Sons Adam, 23 (father of 3-week-old Jack) and Jesse, 22 are both on active
fic, increasing recreational boating, military duty. The family also includes Ranger, a rescued Rottweiler and Chili, a
and undersea mining and surveil- 10-year-old Welsh Corgi.
lance. Ship’s sonar is suspected to be A warning to visitor center staff and volunteers: Lisa has considerable shoot-
the cause of decompression damage ing experience with handguns, shotguns and long rifles, and an impressive list of
to the tissues of many different ce- combat-class credentials. Don’t screw-up!
taceans increasingly found beached,
stranded and dead world wide. Clark
says that there is substantial evidence Visitor Center Construction Update Red Rock Canyon License Plates
from the government’s own investi- Available January 2008
Robert Taylor, BLM NLCS Manager
gations that the Navy’s mid-range sonar for Red Rock Canyon, has provided the
frequencies drive beaked whales to following timelines for the new Visitor The Nevada Department of Motor
beaches and causes some species to Center construction: Vehicles has provided a release date of
change their migration routes. • Contractor bids will be ac- January 15, 2008 for the Red Rock Can-
yon specialty license plate. The plate,
The mysteries surrounding whale cepted from November 14 through featuring the Rainbow Range, is now
song and its siren singers may never December 5, 2007. going through a review process that
be unraveled. While the tools of sci- • The BLM will evaluate the bids includes vetting from the Nevada
ence seek to know all, some may— in on December 11 and 12, with the construc- Highway Patrol.
the end—destroy that which they tion contracts being finalized by the end Complete application information
would protect. Researchers, never- of December. and graphics will be available in the
•
Construction/ground breaking
theless, continue to study whale song is scheduled to begin in late January or December “Desert Trumpet.”
in hopes of finding clues to the role early February. —Pat Williams
it plays in the lives of these iconic Questions about the Visitor Cen-
creatures—while there is still time ter construction may be directed to
to preserve them. q Robert Taylor. —Pat Williams News & Notes, cont’d. on p.5

FORRC/November/2007 Page 3