Pershing County Lands Bill One Step Closer to Introduction
Steps towards permanent protection for Tobin Crest Wilderness gain solid footing
Earlier this month, the Pershing County Commission voted unanimously in support of a draft version of Senator Reid and Senator Heller's Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act. The vote followed a series of town hall meetings in Lovelock which initiated an open dialogue between various stakeholders throughout the County including wilderness advocates, ranchers, miners, and sportsmen and women. With the strong support of the Commissioners and a diverse group of stakeholders who came out to support the proposal, we expect the Act to be introduced into the Senate shortly.
The Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act, if passed, will designate seven key wilderness areas throughout Pershing County including the Tobin Crest, the Selenite Mountains, and Mt. Limbo. The bill would also provide the necessary tools to help resolve the checkerboard lands issue in the County. To read more about the campaign, view the most recent discussion draft, and view photos from the proposed wilderness areas, click here.
Nevadans Want Gold Butte Protected
 Support for proposed Gold Butte National Monument backed by polling results
The Center for Western Priorities recently released the results of a bipartisan poll of Nevada voters focused on public land issues, including whether or not there is broad support for a National Monument designation of Gold Butte. The results were clear and revealed that 71% of Nevadans "support a national monument status for Clark County's Gold Butte." Other important poll results found that 91% of respondents strongly agreed that public lands are an important part of our state's economy, 82% would be more likely to support a candidate who wanted to protect outdoor recreational access, and the majority value collaboration over confrontation with federal land management agencies.
Join the call to protect Gold Butte by signing the petition to ask President Obama to designate Gold Butte as a National Monument.
 BLM Seeking Public Comments for Nevada's New Monument
Last July, President Barack Obama designated Basin and Range National Monument and now the Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a wide range of potential issues, including but not limited to traditional uses, cultural and visual resources management, and outdoor recreation.
The BLM will hold a series of public scoping meetings in the coming weeks as it drafts the planning documents for Basin and Range National Monument. The Las Vegas meeting will be on June 29th at Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Dr. We hope you'll able to make it and take a direct role in how your public lands will be managed.
The comment period ends July 14. Written comments can be submitted at the meetings, emailed to [email protected], faxed to (775) 726-8111 or mailed to BLM Basin and Range National Monument, P.O. Box 237, Caliente, NV 89008. For more information or to be placed on the mailing list for the planning effort, contact monument manager Alicia Styles at (775) 726-8100 or [email protected].
National Trails Day 2016
 Volunteers after a day of giving back to Mt. Charleston trails!
On June 4, volunteers from across the state came out to give back to the trails they love in celebration of National Trails Day. In Las Vegas, volunteers escaped the summer heat to maintain the South Loop Trail in Mt. Charleston Wilderness. The Bristlecone Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of America helped us with pack support, loading their horses with tools, supplies, and much needed water for the day. Volunteers built and improved drainage structures and removed fallen logs that were blocking trail access. Trail work in Mt. Charleston will continue throughout the summer so be sure to check our calendar of events for future projects!
Volunteers in the Black Rock Desert.
In northern Nevada, we partnered with the BLM Winnemucca District and Friends of Black Rock-High Rock for a project in the northern portion of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. Volunteers spent the day helping to maintain the Stevens Camp cabin (built by Tennessee Ernie Ford) and complete restoration work on a nearby creek-side trail. After a day giving back to public lands, everyone gathered around the campfire to enjoy a Dutch Oven meal, desserts, and an evening of star-gazing.
Lastly, we partnered with the REI store, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and the U.S. Forest Service on National Trails Day to host a stewardship project closer to Reno in Mt. Rose Wilderness. Together, ten volunteers helped reroute about 100 yards of trail and removed nearly 800 invasive weeds along the Hunter Creek Trail. Volunteers' efforts will help keep the invasive musk thistle weed populations at bay along the trail, thereby helping to keep our Truckee River watershed healthy and give native plants a fighting chance. The project was generously funded by the Truckee River Fund, administered through the Community Foundation of Western Nevada.
We'd like to thank the incredible amount of enthusiasm, support, and hard work our volunteers gave back to our public lands on National Trails Day. Nevadans truly love their trails and public lands and your commitment to this national day of celebrating America's trails certainly show that!
Black Rock Rendezvous
The Black Rock Rendezvous is always a fun event to celebrate Nevada's public lands and and this year was no exception! A record number of attendees made it out the 12th annual Black Rock Rendezvous hosted by Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Friends of Black Rock-High Rock, Nevada Outdoor School, and the BLM Winnemucca District. It was a stellar weekend of tours, talks, stewardship, rocket launches, and delicious Dutch Oven cooking. Volunteers helped restore Trego Hot Springs, one of the more heavily used hot springs on the playa. Folks picked up trash, erased illegal tire tracks, and helped rehabilitate habitat surrounding the springs. A big thank you to everyone who attended and showed some love for one of Nevada's wild treasures, the Black Rock Desert! Check out the video of the project here.
North
On-Going: Mount Rose Invasive Weed Removals
We have an exciting line-up of volunteer projects in Mt. Rose Wilderness to reduce noxious weed populations. Musk thistle and perennial pepperweed are nasty plants that have drastic effects to the watershed. Join us as we head into the Mt. Rose Wilderness to continue efforts to reduce populations sizes and densities. This is a great way to spend the day hiking in our wonderful backyard Wilderness while lending a hand. All of our "Weed Warrior" volunteers will be treated to a pizza party on Thursday, July 30th. For more information and to RSVP, click on the individual project dates.
July 8-10: Table Mountain Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the U.S. Forest Service as we work to help protect Sage-Grouse habitat in the beautiful Monitor Range. We'll be clearing some pinyon and juniper that have been expanding into traditional Greater Sage-grouse habitat. Join us for a weekend in beautiful central Nevada and enjoy Dutch Oven meals, being outside, and rewarding work. For more info and to RSVP, click here.
July 9: Wild Nevada Exhibit Opening Reception Our third annual Artown Wild Nevada art exhibit kicks off with the opening reception. We have a great line-up of artwork this year, including photographs from Stephen Chandler, paintings by Erik Holland, and so much more! Get a first glimpse of our 2016 Wild Nevada art exhibit and learn more about what's going on with our wilderness campaigns. We'll also have food and refreshments! Suggested $10 donation. For more information and to let us know you're coming, click here.
July 15-18: Sage-Grouse Fence Marking Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the U.S. Forest Service as we work to help protect Greater Sage-Grouse in the beautiful Santa Rosa Mountains. We will be placing markers on fences for visibility to help prevent sage-grouse from injuring themselves and worse. Come enjoy the food, the company, and the cause! For more info and to RSVP, click here.
South
June 23: Meet Gold Butte Join us for the day to learn more about Nevada's piece of the Grand Canyon! Hosted by Gold Butte business supporter, Big Horn Olive Oil, this event will be a fun way to learn more about some of the more popular sights to see in Gold Butte and get excited about helping to protect Gold Butte as a National Monument! For more information and to RSVP, click here.June 25: South Loop Trail Work The much beloved South Loop Trail remains closed from being heavily damaged by the Carpenter 1 Fire and successive flooding in 2013. Join us on this project with the U.S. Forest Service to help move the South Loop Trail closer to opening! We'll be improving drainage structures and disguising trail cuts. This project involves a round trip hike of up to 4 miles at an elevation of 7500 - 9000 ft. For more info and to RSVP, click here. July 7: Wild Speaker Series Reid Wolcott, a Meterologist from the National Weather Service, will be joining us for July's Wild Speaker Series at REI Boca Park. We'll learn weather basics like cloud identification and learn more about North American monsoons and their impacts in southern Nevada. These basic skills are important for anyone spending time recreating outside - you wont want to miss it! For more information and to RSVP, click here.
July 10: Spring Monitoring Hike Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness for a day of hiking and spring monitoring in Mt. Charleston! This will be a great way to meet fellow spring monitoring volunteers or to get a first glimpse at Friends' Spring Monitoring program in Southern Nevada. In a nutshell, this citizen science program involves hiking to springs and measuring things such as water quality and flow rate. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
For a complete list of upcoming events, click here.
Become a Member Today
"Philanthropy is the rent we pay for the joy and privilege we have for our space on this earth" - Jerold Panas
Become a member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness and support clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the wonders of nature. Your generous donation will go towards getting volunteers on the ground in wilderness areas, advocating for keeping public lands in public hands, and providing critical protection for Nevada's wilderness areas. Membership levels begin at $25 per year.
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