How Your Donations Fund Impacts that Matter

Here are some of the ways your support makes a difference to Nevada's wild landscapes and wildlife and the communities and people that depend on them:

Removing obsolete fence and other nonfunctional developments
Hike across most wild country in Nevada, and you’ll stumble across an old fence, trough, irrigation development or other structure that is no longer necessary, and which has fallen into disrepair. Such obsolete and no-longer-functional developments pose a threat to migrating wildlife and people exploring the area. They also disfigure beautiful views, and can harm the health of streams, springs and other sensitive habitats. Friends’ volunteers help remove those fences and other developments that are no longer needed, in order to help the landscape return to its healthy and beautiful state, while improving the prospect for wildlife and people.

Erasing Scars from Vehicles
When vehicles stray from designated roads to drive cross-country, they tear up native plant communities (essential food for wildlife) and beautiful views for everyone else. They also cause erosion and spread invasive plants into new territory. Friends’ volunteers remove illegal vehicle scars and replant native plants to help the area recover and stop these scars before they proliferate even farther.

In just a few hours, a crew can hide the traces of vehicles in sensitive habitat. With time
and a little rain, habitat can soon return to its former health.

 Maintaining Wilderness Trails
Friends of Nevada Wilderness has extensively maintained hiking trails on Mt. Rose, in central Nevada (Arc Dome, Alta Toquima and Table Mountain), in southern Nevada’s Spring Mountains and the Summit Trail in the Santa Rosa Range north of Winnemucca. This work maintains access for hikers, hunters and horseback riders, while improving the experience of those who get to enjoy a well-defined, well-maintained trail. These projects are ongoing, and many other projects in other areas are needed.

 Removing Weed Infestations
Invasive plants outcompete native plants, destroying the critical food and cover for Nevada’s native wildlife species. Invasive plants like cheatgrass also fuel catastrophic wildfires, which can destroy the natural balance of entire mountainsides. By pulling weeds while they’re small, we can nip much larger infestations in the bud.