Sept. 22, 2021 – While every day is a public lands day at Friends of Nevada Wilderness, the organization has planned three special projects to celebrate National and Nevada Public Lands Days this weekend.
“Stewardship is an everyday job at Friends,” said Executive Director Shaaron Netherton. “But National Public Lands Day is still a special time for us, knowing that thousands of volunteers across the country are out on their public lands caring for it and gaining new appreciation for it. We so appreciate all of our Nevada volunteers who have signed up to help us celebrate this weekend.”
In Southern Nevada, Friends will lead volunteers out to Lovell Canyon where they’ll do some trail clean-up and install new signs. Some existing signs can be confusing to hikers, so to enhance public safety, the crew will put up more accurate informative signage. These trails are on the backside of the Red Rock escarpment and provide opportunities to experience the quiet beauty of La Madre Mountain Wilderness.
The Spring Monitoring Team will lead a crew of a dozen volunteers to Quail Spring in western Gold Butte. This unique spring is one of the last places where the relict leopard frog can be found. Friends is teaming with the BLM and UNLV to restore the imperiled habitat.
Up North, Friends is once again partnering with BLM, Friends of Black Rock High Rock and the Nevada Outdoor School to host a three-day volunteer event. Dozens of volunteers will work on projects in the Back Rock Desert National Conservation Area September 24-26. It’s a perennial favorite for area volunteers and organizations.
A number of projects are planned for volunteers of all ages and skill levels. Outdoor enthusiasts will help restore sensitive wildlife habitat, remove hazardous fences and other debris and help spruce up the Soldier Meadows Cabin. Volunteers will camp out in a scenic location and enjoy some social time when the work day is done.
“These projects are a lot of work,” Netherton added. “But volunteers will likely make some great new friends and find that giving back to their public lands is an incredibly rewarding experience.”
The volunteer crew slots are filled for the events this weekend, but other opportunities are available later in the month and in October. Visit nevadawilderness.org/volunteer.
In addition, Friends invites lovers of our wild areas to help observe National Wilderness Month all month long as proclaimed by President Biden in this urgent and inspiring message.
To find out more about the National and Nevada Public Lands Day, visit https://www.neefusa.org/npld or http://parks.nv.gov/events/nevada-public-lands-day-1.
Volunteers with some of the old fencing and debris removed from the Black Rock NCA on
National Public Lands Day, 2019 – Photo by Nora Richter
