On Sunday, March 15th, 14 students joined us for Alternative Spring Break 2020. While our excursion lasted only 36 hours, we sparked a love of public lands and Wilderness that will last much, much longer. 

With rapidly changing guidelines and virus news, we made the difficult decision to pack up and leave after one day of stewardship and one night of camping along Upper Pahranagat Lake. In our abbreviated time, the students removed 25 cubic yards of spotted knapweed from the Black Canyon area of Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. The attendees also learned about public lands, Wilderness, the cultural history of the area, and started their very own nature journals with the help of Jessica from the Fish & Wildlife Service. We were also joined by two members of Back Country Horsemen, who served as our camp chefs and co-hosts.

Our public lands depend on volunteers to complete important projects like the improvements we made during our Alternative Spring Break. It might seem like a small change, but it made a lasting difference for the area and for countless future visitors. That's just one way that volunteers make our public lands accessible. We look forward to hosting additional Alternative Spring Break events as well as our open invitation volunteer stewardship projects as movement restrictions are removed. Until then reach out via social media, our website or direct email. We are still here working for our supporters and Nevada's wild lands, however we can.

For more photos from Alternative Spring Break 2020, visit our Flickr account: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmMaespk.