SAVE THE DESERT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE!

Click here to sign our petition, opposing the military's takeover of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge!

The military’s Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) on the expansion of the Nevada Test & Training Range was released on December 7, and the results are alarming! The military is looking at a shocking takeover of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states. According to the LEIS, their proposal aims to eliminate 850,000 acres – that's 60% – of the proposed Wilderness in the refuge.

We need you to turn out to the military's public meetings to push back on the military expansion. We will be releasing more details and talking points in early January, so be sure to regularly check our Facebook page and campaign page to stay up-to-date on how you can stand up to this massive seizure of our public lands!

Click here to view the military's LEIS

Wednesday, January 17 - Caliente, NV (Caliente Elementary School: 289 Lincoln St, Caliente, NV 89008)
Thursday, January 18 - Alamo, NV (Pahranagat Valley High School: 151 S Main St, Alamo, NV 89001)
Tuesday, January 23 - Las Vegas (Aliante Casino & Hotel: 7300 N Aliante Pkwy, North Las Vegas, NV 89084)
Wednesday, January 24 - Beatty, NV (Beatty Community Center: 100 A Ave S, Beatty, NV 89003)
Thursday, January 25 - Tonopah, NV (Tonopah Convention Center: 301 Brougher Ave, Tonopah, NV 89049)

Schedule for Meetings:

5:00-6:30 pm (open house/comments)
6:30-7:00 pm (USAF presentation)
7:00-9:00 pm (open house/comments)

Donate to help save the Desert National Wildlife Refuge!

H.R. 1349 Passes Out of Committee

On December 13, 2017, the House of Natural Resource Committee voted to pass H.R. 1349 out of committee, and it now moves to the full House for consideration. H.R. 1349 would amend language in the Wilderness Act to allow for mechanized use, undermining one of the key reasons the Wilderness Act was passed into law in the first place. Check our Facebook page and website for breaking news and important updates.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Representative here and urge them to say no to H.R. 1349!

Not sure who your representative is? Find out here.

Update: Washoe County Public Lands Bill

In mid-December, Washoe County hosted a series of stakeholder meetings to re-engage efforts on both the conservation components of a bill (including Wilderness) and the development interests, including selling BLM-managed public lands around the greater Truckee Meadows region. The county will be hosting public meetings in early 2018. Stay tuned.

Click here to learn more about the stunning Wilderness proposals in Washoe County

Updates From the Field

11th Annual Wilderness Wingding

We would like to thank everyone who came out to the 11th annual Wilderness Wingding on Friday, December 8. Over 200 guests celebrated all the great work accomplished by Friends of Nevada Wilderness’ volunteers, activists, and supporters over an evening of live music by the Sierra Sweethearts, light dinner and refreshments provided by local eateries and bars, and a great raffle and silent auction featuring prizes donated by local businesses and national outdoor retailers. An awards ceremony honored the exceptional contributions made by this year’s outstanding volunteers, agency partners, and business sponsors. We hope everyone had a fantastic time and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Arrow Canyon Stewardship Project

Thank you to the eight volunteers who spent Saturday, December 2, working to protect Arrow Canyon Wilderness! These incredible volunteers used their muscles to enhance a barrier that prevents vehicles from driving in Arrow Canyon, thus protecting all of the animals, plants, and artifacts within. In total, these volunteers installed 10 new posts and re-installed two that had washed out. Click here for more pictures!

This project was funded through a grant by the Nevada Commission of Off-Highway Vehicles. The Nevada OHV program promotes safe and responsible use of Nevada's outstanding opportunities for off-road recreation. The program provides grants to fund OHV related projects throughout the state, including trail improvements, mapping, education, safety and other projects.

Save the Date: Women's March

Join fellow public lands lovers at the Women's March on Saturday, January 20. The Women's March will help rally a robust group of people that are energized to speak up for women's causes and other related issues and will also include inspirational speakers. The march will begin at the Thompson Federal Building at 11:30 am and will last until about 1:30 pm, ending at the city plaza on First Street. We will be meeting on the southwest corner of Liberty and S. Virginia in front of Meadows Bank, across the street from the Federal Building. Please consider joining us as we march alongside other women advocates, raising awareness about our current campaign to protect the Desert National Wildlife Refuge from the military's takeover. We hope to see you there!

If you are interested in participating, call our office in January. We will be posting more details on Facebook page and website.

Upcoming Events

We hope to see you at one of our next events! You can find our full Calendar of Events here, and you can RSVP for individual events in the links found in the list below. If we don't have anything scheduled during your times of availability, respond to this e-mail or call our office in Northern Nevada at (775) 324-7667 or in Southern Nevada at (702) 515-5417 to be placed on a shortlist for future volunteer opportunities.

North

January 25: Leave No Trace Course - Friends of Nevada Wilderness will be partnering with Leave No Trace Travelling Trainers Donielle and Aaron for an upbeat, interactive, informative, and FREE Leave No Trace Awareness course. Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is a national organization that promotes responsible outdoor recreation through inspiration, education, and fun!

South

January 4: Wild Speaker Series - Join us as we welcome Resource Coordinator for UNLV's The Intersection, Patrick Naranjo. Patrick will be presenting on Native American cultural history and it's relevance to the establishment of the Antiquities Act, which has provided protection for many important sites nationwide.

January 15: MLK Day of Service at South McCullough Wilderness - We'll spend MLK Day protecting Nevada's wild lands through on-the-ground restoration and outreach. We'll use our muscles to install a kiosk that will help spread the word about responsible recreation. We'll also install a vehicle barrier to separate areas that are open to OHV use from the South McCullough Wilderness, which is protected for more primitive recreation.

January 20: Southern Nevada Trash Clean Up - Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness for a trash cleanup project focused on the beautification of a road corridor located between Spirit Mountain Wilderness and Bridge Canyon Wilderness. The cleanliness of this area directly impacts the pristine nature of our beloved Wildernesses next door, so we invite you out for a fun day cleaning up this rugged landscape.

January 23: Public Hearing on Military LEIS - The Military’s Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) on the expansion of the Nevada Test & Training Range has been released and this public hearing in Las Vegas will offer attendees the opportunity to provide oral and written comments to protect the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

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Thanks for reading,