Ely experiences a semi-arid climate and consistently remains much cooler than southern Nevada. Our symposium dates in October should deliver a very pleasant surface temperature... but it's always wise to be prepared for anything!
The Western Climate Center reports that average October temperatures are a maximum of 65°F and a minimum of 28°F.
Sunny, with a high near 88. West southwest wind around 10 mph.
Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. South southwest wind around 15 mph.
Patchy blowing dust after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. South southwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Patchy blowing dust before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Sunny, with a high near 78.
Mostly clear, with a low around 41.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Isolated rain showers after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Isolated rain showers before 5am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Cave ecosystems are often dependent on organic material carried in by water, which serves as the primary food source for the environment. In arid climates with minimal surface rainfall, the input of organic matter and nutrients into caves becomes limited, affecting the overall energy flow within these environments. The intricate interplay between surface conditions and cave biota presents unique management challenges for modern cave biologists. Image courtesy of Dr. Jean K. Krejca, Zara Environmental LLC.
Great Basin National Park Foundation passionately works to enhance, preserve, and interpret the starry night skies, wide-open scenery, cultural heritage, and diverse native ecosystems of Great Basin National Park.
The Foundation is the official non-profit partner of Great Basin National Park.
One of the major ecological threats to the sagebrush-dominated Great Basin ecosystem is the introduction and spread of dozens of species of non-native plants. The most important of these, cheatgrass (or downy brome) covers the largest area: 25 million acres, one-third of the area of the Great Basin.
Troglodyte Playing Cards
We're not entirely sure what these will look like yet, but we couldn't think of hosting NCKMS in Nevada without offering some themed-out playing cards. There's a good chance the card backs will feature a cave critter of some kind, but we still have some time to figure it out.
Located just south of Ely, Nevada, the Ward Charcoal Ovens are associated with the silver mining ghost town of Ward. They were built in 1876 by itinerant Italian masons known as carbonari. Charcoal prepared in the ovens was used in the nearby silver smelters.