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Interview: Reno's Historic Tie To Snow Surveying

Every winter, a group of people venture into the back country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to measure the amount of water resting in the snow, so farmers and cities can make accurate water plans.

Patrick Armstrong has been doing these snow surveys since 1972. He recently wrote a book about it called The Log of a Snow Survey, and he sat down with Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick to talk about Reno’s historical impact on this practice.

"It called the Mount Rose Sampler," Armstrong explained in the interview, "and it's used around the world. It's used in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and the Alps of New Zealand. They've never come up with a better way to determine the water content."

Their interview explores the history of the Mount Rose Sampler and why snow surveying is so important out West.

And to hear more from Armstrong on his unique experiences in the untouched natural areas where snow surveying has taken him over the last several decades, check out this special web extra:

snow_surveying_web_extra.mp3
Author Patrick Armstrong chats about the natural wonders of snow surveying.

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