National Public Lands Day at Soldier Meadows!

2023 National Public Lands Day! Come out and have a blast with a weekend full of projects, fun, and great food (including a Dutch Oven cook-off)! There will be multiple projects for all skill levels, camping in a beautiful location, and a great community of people. You don't want to miss this one, RSVP and save your spot today! Some of this year's projects will include: 

1 - Fence removal to improve wildlife habitat throughout Soldier Meadows! 

2 - Cabin/campground cleanup, trash removal, and beautification 

And more to come! We are still in the planning phase and will have projects for every level! Check back for updates closer to the event!

As always, this project is free! We will be providing breakfast with coffee Saturday and Sunday as well as a delicious dinner on Saturday night. For this project, a 4-wheel drive vehicle is not required to reach the campsites (as long as it's not too wet), but, higher clearance and good tires are recommended. We have camping gear available for those who need it.  We will have limited space in Friends trucks to transport volunteers and carpooling is an option as well. 

Check out photos from last year's National Public Lands Day here!

Information:

Difficulty: Easy. There will be projects available for all skill levels and children. Feel free to reach out to us and discuss the difficulty of the project if you have any concerns.

Location: Soldier Meadows

Dates: Friday, September 22nd - Sunday, September 24th

Travel: For this project, a 4-wheel drive vehicle is not required to reach the campsites (as long as it's not too wet), but, higher clearance and good tires are recommended. 

Food: Breakfast and coffee are provided on Saturday and Sunday, Dutch Oven Cook-off and potluck dinner on Saturday night

Gear/Clothing: Long sleeves, long pants, sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear available for loan 

More Details: Details such as exact camping location, projects, daily schedule, and weather-related factors will be provided to those who have RSVP'd on a date much closer to the project. Plans are subject to change. We will always give as much notice as possible when this happens. 

RSVP Required to Participate

For a recommended packing list, click here.

Help the Whitebark Pine Species!

On December 25th, 2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule (87 FR 76882) to list the Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Whitebark Pine is an important component of western high-elevation forests, their populations have been declining in both the United States and Canada from combined effects. Warmer temperature trends have triggered epidemic outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and lowered the trees’ resistance to white pine blister rust, caused by a nonnative fungus (Cronartium ribicola), both of which have killed millions of trees. Historical fire suppression allowed the march of more shade-tolerant competitors into Whitebark pine habitat, replacing this species through succession. 

Photo sourced from "Conservation and Management of Whitebark Pine Ecosystems on Bureau of Land Management Lands in the Western United States"

The overall goal of this project is to provide the BLM with Whitebark Pine seeds so they can study this specific Whitebark Pine population's resiliency towards known killers, propagate seeds, and keep seeds in a seed bank for dispersal at a later time in the event of a fire or population die-off. 

The Whitebark Pine is considered a keystone species, meaning it increases the biodiversity of a community because of the important and critical role it plays in the lifecycle of many other species. This tree provides shelter and food for numerous other plants and animals so the work we are doing is an important step in helping save this tree and its surrounding ecosystem. 

This project has two parts. This RSVP page is for part two of the project.

For this project we will split our time between the Pahute Peak Wilderness and Pine Forest Wilderness. Here we will be hiking to and working with small, isolated populations of Whitebark Pine. During this project we will be removing the cages we placed during the first project in June and collecting the mature pine cones. These collected pine cones will be delivered to the BLM for future studies.

Please note: this project is longer than usual (Friday - Tuesday) and will require strenuous hiking long distances over some rocky areas.

Information

Difficulty: Hard: The project involves hiking off trail, up steep terrain, and carrying heavy loads

Location: Pine Forest Wilderness and the Pahute Peak Wilderness

Dates: September 29th - October 3rd

Travel: 4WD and high clearance required. A limited number of spots available in Friends trucks

Food: Breakfast and coffee provided on all work days, big group dinners provided Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night

Gear/Clothing: Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear available for loan 

More Details: In-depth information such as camping location, weather, and project specifics will be sent out about a week before to those who have RSVP'd

RSVP required to participate

Suggested Packing List 

Removing Fence Makes Us and the Wildlife Smile!

Join us for this once in a lifetime opportunity - fence removal in the Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness AND an annular solar eclipse all in the same weekend! We'll even provide the viewing glasses. I'm especially psyched about this project, because our worksite happens to be in the path of totality and we didn't even plan it! NASA can tell you all the details.

Worksite with a view!

Barbed-wire fences fragment wildlife habitat, trap lowing flying birds like the Sage Grouse, and are impassable to the free-roaming Pronghorn Antelope. Join us in the Santa Rosa Range this year to remove unnecessary barbed-wire fence and directly improve wildlife habitat. This project is part of an ongoing fence removal effort in the Santa Rosa - Paradise Peak Wilderness. Your work on this project will leave a lasting impact on one of northern Nevada's most beautiful mountain ranges. 

As always, this project is free! We will be providing breakfast with coffee Saturday and Sunday as well as a delicious dinner on Saturday night. We have camping gear available for those who need it. The road to the project area requires 4 wheel drive and high clearance. We will have limited space in Friends trucks to transport volunteers and carpooling is an option as well. 

Check out more information about Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness area here!

Check out photos from 2022 here!

Information:

Difficulty: Difficult to Very Strenuous. It may not be appropriate for everyone. Requires the ability to hike 5-10 miles a day with a heavy pack, work with tools and barbed wire, lift and carry heavy objects, and work in warm, sunny weather. 

Location: Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness

Dates: Friday, October 13th to Sunday, October 15th

Travel: Leave Reno at 12 pm on Friday, returning Sunday afternoon. For this project, a 4-wheel drive and high clearance vehicle are required to reach the campsites. Limited number of spots available in Friends trucks.

Food: Breakfast and coffee provided on Saturday and Sunday, big group dinner Saturday night!

Gear/Clothing: Long sleeves, long pants, sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear available for loan.

More Details: In-depth information such as camping location, weather, and project specifics will be sent to those who RSVP about 1 week before the project.

RSVP required to participate.

Suggested Packing List 

Join Us for a Halloween-Themed Mining Claim Marker Knock Down Weekend

Join us for a fun adventure to hunt and take down mining claim markers! PVC mining claim markers, that were put up in the 80's and 90's, are a hazard for cavity-dwelling birds and other critters who get stuck in them and, sadly, never make it out. Since the BLM outlawed them in the early 2000's, groups and individuals like ours have been on a statewide scavenger hunt to find the markers and lay them down so that they no longer pose a threat for desert creatures. 

As always, this project is free! We will be providing breakfast with coffee Saturday and Sunday as well as a delicious Fall Festive dinner on Saturday night. We have camping gear available for those who need it. The road to the project area may not require 4 wheel drive but will require a higher clearance vehicle. We will have limited space in Friends trucks to transport volunteers.

Bring your favorite Halloween costume!!

Check out photos from last year's Mining Claim Marker Knock Down Festival here!

Information:

Difficulty: Moderate. A majority of this project involves hiking off-trail, up and down steep hills to find and knockdown mining claim markers. Expect to hike 5-8 miles.

Location: TBD

Dates: Friday, October 20th to Sunday, October 22nd

Travel: Leave Reno at 12 pm on Friday, returning Sunday afternoon. For this project, a 4-wheel drive vehicle is not required to reach the campsites, but high clearance may be necessary. Limited number of spots available in Friends trucks.

Food: Breakfast and coffee provided on Saturday and Sunday, big group dinner Saturday night!

Gear/Clothing: Long sleeves, long pants, sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear is available for loan.

More Details: In-depth information such as camping location, weather, and project specifics will be sent to those who RSVP about 1 week before the project.

RSVP is required to participate.

Suggested Packing List