September 10, 2019 - Nevada’s public lands and the people who enjoy them are the beneficiaries of two NV Energy Foundation grants recently received by Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
Friends will use the grants totaling $17,500 to enhance its highly celebrated Stewardship Program in Northern and Southern Nevada. The Program engages volunteers in projects that help make public lands more accessible and enjoyable for outdoor recreation and improve habitat for wildlife and native plants. Encouraging stewardship also fosters an appreciation of the value of public lands and helps to develop the next generation of land stewards. The grants will also be used for outreach and education.
“We are very grateful to NV Energy for recognizing the value of stewardship and the power of volunteers,” Friends Executive Director Shaaron Netherton said in accepting the grants. “These funds will help us put more volunteer boots on the ground to do the hard work of caring for our precious public lands.”
Stewardship projects recently completed include pulling invasive weeds in the Mt. Rose Wilderness Area, planting sagebrush seedlings in Humboldt County after the Martin Fire, working to reopen the Griffith Peak Trail on Mt Charleston, and removing unneeded fences to protect wildlife. Working in partnership with federal land management agencies in 2018, the Stewardship Teams and more than 700 volunteers put in nearly 8,000 hours on 80 projects for an in-kind contribution of $245,000.
The power company has been a long-time supporter of the Stewardship Program in southern Nevada. Since 2014, NV Energy has awarded a total of $74,000 to Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
“Friends of Nevada Wilderness is a wonderful program that helps to ensure our beautiful public lands in Nevada stay in pristine condition for all to enjoy,” said Carolyn Barbash, Vice President of Community Relations and Business Development, NV Energy. “We are proud to support this great organization and their mission.”
Friends of Nevada Wilderness provides all of the training and equipment for the projects to ensure the volunteers' safety. The Stewardship Program has been recognized for its contributions by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For more information about the 2019 Stewardship Program, visit nevadawilderness.org/volunteer.
Officials with the NV Energy Foundation present a check for one of the grants to
staff at Friends of Nevada Wilderness
