Ed Smith is currently employed by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and serves as the natural resource management specialist for western Nevada. Since 1988, much of his time has been spent addressing the issue of Nevadans living in high fire hazard areas. Twenty years ago, he helped establish the Neighbors for Defensible Space organization and created the Incline Village Defensible Space Program at Lake Tahoe. Currently, he is the coordinator of the Living With Fire Program, an interagency wildfire threat reduction education program for Nevada homeowners. He was also instrumental in founding the Nevada Fire Safe Council, serving as the first Executive Director and Chairmen of the Board of Director’s for six years. He has received national recognition for his wildfire threat reduction efforts, including being named the Outstanding Extension Outreach Faculty Member in the nation by National Association State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, receiving the USDA Honor Award from the Secretary of Agriculture, receiving two Bronze Smoky Bear awards from the National Association of State Foresters, and being awarded the Excellence in Community Assistance – National Fire Plan Award. In 2009, he was named Outstanding Outreach faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is married to Cathy, a nurse, and lives in Carson City. Their son Tyler is a sophomore at the University Nevada, Reno.
Contact Information:
Ed Smith
Natural Resource Specialist,
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
email: smithe@unce.unr.edu