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Contents Wilderness crew replaces radio repeater on Mt. Charleston Make a difference for Griffith Peak Wilderness education for Boys & Girls Club Upcoming volunteer projects and events Your online donation is secure and helps protect wild lands all across Nevada. |
August 10, 2011 Wilderness crew replaces radio repeater on Mt. Charleston Hikers familiar with the Mt. Charleston summit will recall, in addition to the vast panoramas of space and sky, an aluminum alloy structure more suited to a lunar landscape than a mountain summit. The Forest Service radio repeater hub was dismantled by the Southern Nevada Wilderness team (a joint effort with the Forest Service Helitack crew). The repeater had been out of commission for almost a year and in desperate need of replacement.
To start, the wilderness team backpacked to the Charleston summit, conducting trail and campsite assessments along the way. After camping in The Pit for refuge from the unceasing wind, the team used minimal tools to dismantle the hub early the next day. They then netted the scrap to one-hundred foot droplines for removal by helicopter. The helicopter was assessed as being the only practical method of transporting the waste material from the summit. The new Forest Service repeater, also carried by dropline, was installed in its place. Painted to resemble the surrounding limestone and with limestone cobbles and boulders piled around its base, the new structure blends in much better with its environs.
The new repeater will perform its communication functions with minimal structural interference with the sublime experience of Mt. Charleston's primal beauty. Katie LaCroix Make a difference for Griffith Peak Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness, volunteers, and trail users as they team up with the Forest Service to re-route the user-created trail to the summit of Griffith Peak. The new route will be a more sustainable trail to the peak and will reduce the impact on larval and nectar host plants used by the endemic Mt. Charleston blue butterfly. There are many ways to help. You can: Join the trail crew and help build the trail Help restore the old route Take a day hike up the South Loop or Griffith Peak Trails to resupply the team with water Come out and we'll find a way you can help! Where: Griffith Peak in the Mt. Charleston Wilderness When: August 22nd - September 5th For more info and to sign up, call Jose at (702) 203-1720. While we encourage early sign-ups, on this trip it is OK to call while it is on (August 22 - September 5). Wilderness education for Boys & Girls Club
In July, Wilderness Stewardship Interns Chris Hensley and Mike Doyle visited a local Boys & Girls Club to teach them about wilderness and wilderness values. This visit was followed up by an exciting field trip to Mt. Charleston. Many of the kids had never visited the Spring Mountains!
The day was filled with educational activities, a short hike and awe-inspiring observations. Throughout the day we heard things like: These trees are so beautiful! I used to shove sticks in holes in the ground, but now I know that is someones home and we need to protect it. It makes me mad that people left trash here! The air smells so much better here than at home!
These future stewards had a wonderful time, learned a lot, and couldnt wait to share their newfound knowledge with friends and family! Katie LaCroix Upcoming volunteer projects and events Friends of Nevada Wilderness offers up lots of fun opportunities to help your Nevada wildlands heal and prosper. Here are the next several events.
Friday, August 12 — Monday, August 15 Barley Creek Trail maintenance trip, Table Mountain Wilderness Stewardship — Clear and maintain the Barley Creek Trail to help it recover from the long winter and general use.
Friday, August 26 — Sunday, August 28 Santa Rosa Wilderness stewardship project Stewardship — Details for this project are yet to be finalized. One thing is sure, it includes a trip to a beautiful part of Wild Nevada.
Friday, August 26 — Sunday, August 28 Summer of Sheldon: Fence removal project Stewardship — Help the wildlife and the places they live on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Friday, September 16 — Sunday, September 18 National Public Lands Day on the Black Rock Stewardship — A family-friendly trip with lots of programs for the kids and a number of restoration projects for teens and older.
Contact Friends at (775) 324-7667 or by email for more information or to RSVP for a project. More projects will be announced as they are scheduled. See later emails and the stewardship events page. | |
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