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Take Action for Nevada's National Monuments

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Take action today to defend Nevada's new National Monument, Gold Butte

Our nation's National Monuments, including Gold Butte and Basin and Range in Nevada, are under attack and need your help today!

On April 26, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to eliminate or shrink national monuments that have been protected by our presidents in recent decades. This is a direct attack on Nevada's cultural and natural heritage and the iconic public lands that are critical to our economy and way of life.

The executive order puts the fate of our monuments in the hands of Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke. Now is the time to show Secretary Zinke that Nevadans want our monuments to remain protected. With your help, we can demonstrate the overwhelming public support for Gold Butte and all national monuments. 

TAKE ACTION: Let Secretary Zinke know that Nevadans want Gold Butte National Monument and all national monuments to be protected for future generations.


AJR13 Passes State Legislature

33171231784_bcc4f9e3e9_o.jpgPublic lands bills are moving in the State Legislature thanks to the hard work of activists across Nevada!
Photo by Kurt Kuznicki

Although our national monuments and public lands have been facing attacks on the national level, we've been making great proactive progress to defend our public lands on the state level.

In particular, Assembly Joint Resolution 13, introduced by Assemblywoman Heidi Swank, passed the Nevada State Legislature. This resolution states the support of the Legislature of the use of the Antiquities Act in Nevada and keeping Gold Butte and Basin and Range National Monuments protected. Now that it's passed, this resolution will serve as a strong document to uphold our National Monuments, especially under this new National Monument review and will show the Trump administration that Nevadans and our local elected officials want to keep these areas protected.

Pro public lands bills are moving along in the State Legislature as well and are expecting to receive their final floor vote next week: SB413, introduced by Senator Nicole Cannizzaro, will establish a Public Lands Day for the state of Nevada and SJR12, a resolution that expresses the full support of the Nevada State Legislature to retaining public lands in public hands. Thank you to those who spoke up for our public lands, attended meetings, contacted their legislators, and overall made their voices heard!

In other BIG news, the Reno Gazette Journal reported this week that Congressman Amodei said he would not revive his bill to transfer public lands to state control! This is a HUGE win for Nevada's public lands and we thank Congressman Amodei for listening to his constituent's concerns on public land transfers and to everyone who contacted the Congressman to oppose public land transfers.

Read the Reno Gazette Journal article here.


Taking Wild Nevada to the Capitol


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Friends of Nevada Wilderness staff met with congressional offices in DC.

Last week, Friends of Nevada Wilderness brought wild Nevada to our nation's capitol. Friends of Nevada Wilderness' staff members, Shevawn Von Tobel, Kirk Peterson, and intern Meghan Wolf traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Nevada's congressional delegation to discuss public lands issues that matter to our members and volunteers. We met with staff from the offices of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Senator Dean Heller, Congressman Mark Amodei, Congressman Ruben Kihuen, and Congresswoman Jacky Rosen. We especially want to thank Senator Cortez Masto for taking time to meet with us in person so we could thank her for her strong support of national monuments and public lands in Nevada.

The meetings were a great opportunity to thank the congressional delegation for their work on public lands bills such as the Pershing County public lands bill and to respectfully oppose anti-public lands bills such as S.22 that would strip away the usage of the Antiquities Act in Nevada. We also discussed our concerns for the military expansion proposals that would affect the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and other protected public lands in northern Nevada like the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge. The congressional staff discussed the successes of past public lands bills and lauded what has become known as the "Nevada model" of public lands protection where all stakeholders are at the table to provide input.



Artwork Deadline Approaches

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Send us your best artwork of wild Nevada!
Photo by Kurt Kuznicki

We're getting closer to our artwork submission deadlines for both our July Artown exhibit and our 2018 Wild Nevada calendar.  Make sure to get your submissions in soon and help us spread the word by sharing this great opportunity for local artists with your friends and family!

Wild Nevada Calendar - Deadline: June 1, 2017
Wild Nevada Art Exhibit - Deadline: June 2, 2017

Click the links above for more details on how to submit.

*Save the Date: Our Wild Nevada Artown exhibit will be held on July 8th at our northern Nevada office in Sparks - mark your calendars!


Updates from the Field

Trail Work in the Spring Mountains Begins

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Volunteers made major improvements to the Griffith Shadow Loop Trail in the Spring Mountains.
Photo by Grace Larsen

Trail work in the Spring Mountains has officially begun! Seven volunteers joined us to enhance the Griffith Shadow Loop Trail, clearing hundreds of roots, stumps, and snags. We also installed drainage and erosion control features to help keep the trail safe and enjoyable long into the future. The Griffith Shadow Loop trail provides hikers and riders with an opportunity to experience the quiet of Lovell Canyon and La Madre Mountain Wilderness areas. This project was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and our partner, the U.S. Forest Service. A big thank you to all of our volunteers!

The Great Community Clean Up

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Volunteers pitched in to remove invasive weeds in Mt. Rose Wilderness.
Photo by Richie Bednarski

Friends of Nevada Wilderness' volunteers joined Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful for their annual Great Community Clean Up, an annual day to give back to the Truckee River. Over forty volunteers joined us for a morning of removing invasive weeds in Mt. Rose Wilderness to protect the local watershed and give native plants a helping hand. These outstanding volunteers removed over 7,000 weeds! A big thank you to our amazing volunteers, to our partners, the U.S. Forest Service and Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and to the Truckee River Fund for making this project possible!


Upcoming Events

North


May 23: Protect Our Homelands Film Tour Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness, the Sierra Club, the Gwich'in Nation, and Patagonia for the Reno stop of the "Protect our Homelands" film tour! This 20-minute long film explores the relationship between the Gwich'in Nation, the Alaska Native People, living next to what is now known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the Porcupine Caribou herd, which is the basis for their subsistence and culture. We'll also be discussing current military proposals to seize portions of Wildlife Refuges in the state of Nevada including the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, just outside the city lights of Las Vegas, and the Stillwater Wildlife Refuge, just outside of Fallon. RSVP today!

May 24: Wilderness Weed Warriors With spring underway, what better way to enjoy the warm weather than hiking? Join us as we work on removing invasive weeds in Mt. Rose Wilderness! This is a great midweek project - perfect for those who work on the weekends! We'll start the project with a 2-3 mile hike and spend the cool hours of the day digging up musk thistles. If you haven't experienced Mt. Rose Wilderness, this is the perfect introduction! RSVP today.

Also join us in Mt. Rose for another Weed Warrior project on June 7th!

May 25: Poodle Mountain Hike
Join us and the Sierra Club next Thursday to explore a stunning portion of the Great Basin! Poodle Mountain is the highest point of Poodle Mountain Wilderness Study Area, directly north of the Smoke Creek Desert. Besides enjoying the spacious views from the top, you'll also learn more about our campaign to protect Poodle Mountain as a wilderness area as part of our Washoe County public lands bill. RSVP here.

May 26-29: Black Rock Rendezvous Join us for a memorable Memorial Day weekend in the Black Rock Desert! From Black Rock Desert tours and stewardship projects to guest talks and the popular Dutch Oven cook-off, you won't want to miss this incredibly fun weekend enjoying and giving back to the Black Rock NCA! RSVP here.

June 3: National Trails Day What better way to celebrate National Trails Day and the burgeoning warm weather than a day of hiking and giving back? Join us as we work on removing invasive weeds along the Hunter Creek Trail in beautiful Mt. Rose Wilderness! RSVP here.

June 8: Art Reception
Join us and Art Source for an evening of art and conservation! Art Source is hosting a special evening at their art gallery as part of a fundraiser for Friends of Nevada Wilderness. Art Source is offering 15% off of all sales in their store to attendees and will be donating an additional 15% of all purchases to support our on-going programs to keep Nevada wild! For more information and to RSVP, click here.

South

May 21: Protect Our Homelands Film Tour Join the Las Vegas Band of Paiutes, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, and the Sierra Club for the Las Vegas stop of the "Protect our Homelands" film tour! This 20-minute long film explores the relationship between the Gwich'in Nation, the Alaska Native People, living next to what is now known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the Porcupine Caribou herd, which is the basis for their subsistence and culture. This will be an evening dedicated to National Wildlife Refuge defense, including the Desert National Wildlife Refuge - just outside the city lights of Las Vegas. RSVP here.

June 1: Wild Speaker Series Join us for our June installment of the Wild Speaker Series for a riveting talk by Dr. Choate on cougars! Dr. Choate, a wildlife ecologist and a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will give a presentation titled, Cougars and their drinking problems?  Living on the edge creates a predator-prey shell game in the northern Mojave Desert. This will be a fascinating discussion on how large mammals survive in the Mojave Desert, focused on Dr. Choate's research in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge! RSVP here.

June 3: National Trails Day
 Each year, on the first Saturday of June, Americans celebrate National Trails Day by finding their own adventure at thousands of events across the country.  Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness and REI as we celebrate National Trails Day in Mt. Charleston Wilderness! We'll be using our muscles to maintain Trail Canyon and correct problems that cause trail damage, such as erosion. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

For a complete list of upcoming events, click here.

Become a Member Today

"Philanthropy is the rent we pay for the joy and privilege we have for our space on this earth" - Jerold Panas

Become a member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness and support clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the wonders of nature. Your generous donation will go towards getting volunteers on the ground in wilderness areas, advocating for keeping public lands in public hands, and providing critical protection for Nevada's wilderness areas. Membership levels begin at $25 per year.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
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Friends of Nevada Wilderness · 1360 Greg St, Suite 111, Sparks, NV 89431, United States
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