 |
 |
 |
▪
Our Accomplishments Take Action
|
About Our Staff To contact our staff individually, please see our contact us page. Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director
Shaaron has been the Executive Director for Friends of Nevada Wilderness since 2000. Prior to that, she was a field manager with the Bureau of Land Management, overseeing a staff of 30 and a several million dollar budget multi-resource program. She has 22 years of public land management experience with 10 years working specifically in the BLM's wilderness program in Nevada. She holds a BS degree in wildlife management from Humboldt State University. Brian Beffort, Associate Director
With degrees in anthropology and journalism, Brian brings to Friends of Nevada Wilderness a deep love for the land and the ability to discuss wilderness issues with people from a variety of backgrounds. Before joining Friends, Brian was an outdoor reporter. His duties with Friends include rural outreach (he's a 4th-generation Nevadan; his grandmother was born in Panaca), developing and giving wilderness programs, financial development, designing our popular Wild Nevada calendar and writing copy for brochures, newsletters and the website. He is the author of Afoot and Afield Las Vegas, a guidebook for hiking southern Nevada, and The Joy of Backpacking. Brian joined the staff in 2001. Pat Bruce, Stewardship Program Director
Pat heads up our Wilderness Stewardship Program, coordinating with agencies and volunteers to get projects done on the ground. Pat brings a wealth of experience to job, including years of managing volunteers and programs from Boy Scouts to archaeological field schools at University of Nevada, Reno. Pat was born in Scotland and has lived in Nevada for nearly 25 years. He and his dog, Skye, try to spend 100 nights a year out in Nevada's backcountry. Pat loves Nevada's wild open places and likes to see himself as an "early man" seeing the land through the eyes of those who came before. With a BA in anthropology, Pat focused on early man sites in the northern Great Basin. Pat joined the staff in 2006. Wes Hoskins, Forest Project Coordinator
Born at Washoe Med. Wes is a Nevadan the way a Texan is a Texan. He has hiked and packed the length and breadth of the state from Red Rock in the south to The Santa Rosas up north. His love for nature in its untrammeled state began as a Boy Scout and has flourished into an ethic of wilderness advocacy. Through his position as Forest Project Coordinator he hopes to help others see the need for responsible land use and appreciate the physical effort that comes with being stewards of public land. He has been an active volunteer with Friends for many years. Richard Knox, Membership Coordinator
Richard came to Friends of Nevada Wilderness after a career as a geologist working principally in the desert southwest. He evaluated mineral resources for both government and industry, where he also gained experience working with large data sets and Geographic Information Systems. With degrees in geology, Richard first joined Friends' staff in 2002. Kurt Kuznicki, Southern Nevada Program Director
Kurt's love of the outdoors started at a young age on fishing trips to the High Sierra with his father; by high school Kurt was backpacking the John Muir Trail. Kurt likes to get his hands dirty with restoration efforts in wild places all across the state as well as leading Wilderness Values Outings and Leave No Trace "Train the Trainer" Trips to Nevada's pristine backcountry. Kurt is instrumental in getting folk out on the ground. After serving on Friends' board, Kurt became a member of the staff in July 2009. Katie LaCroix, Wilderness Stewardship Coordinator
Katie came to Nevada from New Hampshire after working her way across the country in the field of environmental education. She has a B.S. in environmental science from Lyndon State College in northern Vermont. She finds great joy in exploring wild places, and finds it very rewarding to be working to protect some of these natural gems. She spent the summer of 2010 with Friends of Nevada Wilderness as the seasonal Wilderness Monitor in the Spring Mtns. Katie joined Friends staff in 2011 as a Wilderness Stewardship Coordinator, and hopes to increase volunteerism and stewardship in the wild places of Southern Nevada. Jose Witt, Wilderness Stewardship Coordinator
Jose is navigating a new career course after leaving the corporate world (he was branch manager of a bank). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and is currently working on a master’s degree in Environmental Studies at UNLV. As a Volunteer Wilderness Ranger for Friends, Jose patrolled the South Loop Trail in the Spring Mountains. In January 2011, he joined Friends of Nevada Wilderness staff and is using his background to promote stewardship programs and reach out to the business community. Jose enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities including backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering and mountaineering. Darcy Shepard, Administrative Director
Darcy began as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Friends of Nevada Wilderness in September 2010 after graduating from UNR with degrees in Journalism and Political Science with an emphasis in Environmental Policy. She handles social media, designs and writes the monthly “Stewardship Dispatch,” and serves as the staff videographer in addition to her administrative duties. Her favorite moments with Friends have been interviewing James Curleigh, CEO of KEEN Footwear, and winning the Leave No Trace February 2011 Bigfoot Challenge with her instructional video about dental hygiene in the wilderness (both available on the Friends of Nevada Wilderness YouTube channel). |
Reno Office 1 Booth Street
Las Vegas Office PO Box 33155
"Wilderness is disappearing like a snow bank in the hot August sun." - Robert Marshall |
|
|
After
climbing to the top of a wilderness peak and seeing the Great
Basin unfold around me, I am filled with a sense of belonging
that I never felt anywhere else. I am home!
I
love wilderness because it gives me hope. I believe everything
anyone could ever need or want is right here on Earth - clean
water, fresh air, rich soil, sufficient resources to meet our
material needs, and wild beauty where we can find solace,
challenge and spiritual renewal... Wilderness gives me hope that
we can figure things out before the really important pieces are
lost.
I can’t tell you how good it
feels for me to be working for FNW. Now I can give back to this
great state on a grand scale. As the Field Project Coordinator,
I am able to take regular folks who are concerned about their
public lands out on our projects and introduce them to the
special places in Nevada, the last of the Wild West.
I think that many people only see Nevada as what can
be gleaned from doing 80mph down highway 95. Many don’t realize how packed with
life the drainages of this state are. Some areas take time to get to, but the
destination will always bring great rewards. That is what is great about the
stewardship side of our organization, it acts as a catalyst, a match that may
spark the interest of a volunteer who otherwise may have never set foot in a
wilderness area.
Keeping
some of Nevada's wild places wild and free of recreational
all-terrain vehicles is important to me. People and wildlife
need quiet, peaceful places where they can experience renewal in
solitude.
After
you have gone out, gotten dusty and fallen in love with Wild
Nevada, you then come to the realization that you have a
responsibility to preserve and protect her for future
generations.
When you look past the city lights, wild Southern Nevada dazzles us
with her intense beauty. It is so rewarding to be able to introduce local folks to the buzz
of the Bristlecone Pines, the solitude and breath taking views from the mountains and harsh
beauty of the desert.
Wilderness is a place that allows me to get in touch with my primeval
self, getting down to the basics like “where do I get my food, water etc?” There is
just something grand about looking off into the distance where the natural landscape
rules and silence prevails. I can’t wait to be one of the few authorities of
wilderness in Southern Nevada!
Born and raised in northern Nevada, Darcy enjoys car-camping and strolling in wild areas with a camera and Ladybird, her dachshund.