Investing Sweat Equity in the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Volunteers celebrated National Public Lands Day by showing some love to the natural resources in the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon-Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. Sensitive habitat was encircled with fencing, recreation sites were picked up, and citizen spring monitors taught volunteers how to gather important spring data in the national conservation area, one of 16 in America's National Conservation Lands system.

 



Smile while you work! Pat Bruce (in safety yellow!) mans the drill while Zack Million from the Winnemucca BLM steadies the buck-and-rail fence during construction.

Volunteers built 160 feet of fence around sensitive dune habitat - home to kit foxes and kangaroo mice - near Trego Hot Springs in the Black Rock-High Rock National Conservation Area.

Little volunteers-in-training assist with clean-up and enjoy the crisp Nevada air!

All photos by Renee Aldrich.

Cutting Torch Work in the Black Rock-High Rock National Conservation Area

Team Stewardship from Friends of Nevada Wilderness headed out to the East Fork-High Rock Canyon Wilderness to put their torching skills to work! 

Their cutting torch skills, that is! Stewardship Director Pat Bruce and Stewardship Technician Renee Aldrich trained on safety and use in early July to do work with a cutting torch safely in wilderness areas, and finally got a chance to apply their skills during the last week of July. Bureau of Land Management staff had pinpointed old development items like windmills and troughs that needed to be removed from the Black Rock-High Rock National Conservation Area, one of the 16 National Conservation Areas in America.

The team gathered nonreusable development items, mostly consisting of old wind mills, and cut the metal into smaller pieces with the torch before removing it from the area.

Karen Dallett from Friends of Black Rock-High Rock joined in the fun, and helped haul 6.5 cubic yards of cut nonreusable debris for transportation out of wilderness.

Safety first! The work area was cleared of brush and wet down to avoid sparking a wildland fire. Torchers also wore welding gloves and coats, and face shields - all required Personal Protective Equipment for the project.

You can volunteer to improve the wildland quality of the Black Rock-High Rock NCA, part of the BLM's Conservation Lands - contact Pat Bruce for dates and projects at pbruce@nevadawilderness.org today! Southern Nevadans can help their local National Conservation Areas as well - Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and petroglyph-rich Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area are home to some of Clark County's wildest landscapes! Contact Jose Witt for details on volunteering in southern Nevada at jose@nevadawilderness.org.


All photos courtesy of Renee Aldrich

This Is Nevada...

Morning Light on Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area (photo by Brian Beffort)

Friends in the News: Pat Bruce Wins National Volunteer Award

Our very own Pat Bruce, Stewardship Program Director, received the prestigious "Making a Difference National Volunteer Award" this May for his work with the Winnemucca District BLM.

Pat Bruce poses with BLM Director Bob Abbey after the ceremony. (photo courtesy of BLM)

The Silver Pinyon Journal and FoxReno.com carried stories about this event!

Our agency partners at the Winnemucca District BLM nominated Pat for his continued devotion to the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Pat leads at least a dozen trips per year to restore, rehab, and re-naturalize the NCA.

Friends in the News: Black Rock Rendezvous

Come one, come all - Black Rock Rendezvous in Reno News and Review's Green Space.

Catchment As Catchment Can

Volunteers joined Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the Winnemucca BLM to build a catchment dam at Mustang Springs in the Black Rock-High Rock National Conservation Area.

Some heavy lifting involved!

Getting there...

A miniature wilderness warrior joins in!

Soldier Meadows Cabin - Repaired and Ready for the Public

A solitary, scenic spot for photographers, hunters, hikers, and wilderness warriors, the Soldier Meadows cabin is first-come public use. Located in the heart of the Black Rock National Conservation Area, the primitive cabin - there is no electricity or plumbing - comfortably sleeps five, and is open year-round. The area offers access to multiple designated wilderness areas, including the North Black Rock Range Wilderness, High Rock Lake Wilderness, and East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness.

The historic cabin is open to all responsible users, from hot springs afficionados to chukar hunters (photo by Phil Akins)

Contractors donated their skills to assist with structural repairs, including the roof. Over three weekends, the storage area was enclosed, two new windows were put in, a gravel floor was laid, and obscene graffiti was painted over (photo by Pat Bruce)

Ladders and tool belts decorate the cabin at lunch (photo by Pat Bruce)

Installed in January, the wood stove will keep visitors toasty! Recommended fire wood size is less than 24 inches long and no more than 4 inches wide (photo by Phil Akins)

Zach Million of the Winnemucca BLM lends a helping hand by installing new shingles (photo by Pat Bruce)

UNR student Seth Barton takes a break from working on the chimney (photo by Pat Bruce)

Project Leader Pat Bruce and a couple volunteers smile after a long day of work!

UPDATE: On March 30, 2012, installation of the new door was finished at the cabin, completing the bulk of the restoration.

 

Pat Bruce ensures a good seal when the door is shut. (photo by Zack Million)

 

The solid new door will keep cabin visitors warm and eliminate drafts during cold weather. (photo by Pat Bruce)

The Hand of Survival with David Book

David Book explains the five things needed to survive in the wilderness, and they all fit in your hand. Find out what they are in this video, recorded at the 2011 Black Rock Rendezvous.

Where the Wild Places Are: Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Wilderness Study Area

The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Natural Area Instant Study Area was established in 1973 to ensure the preservation of this threatened species of fish, in its natural habitat and to maximize spawning areas (photo by Brian Beffort)

Situated on the northern slopes of the Black Rock Range, the open sage and grass slopes of this area are cut with aspen-filled drainages (photo by Brian Beffort)

The aspen provide cool and shady exploring, and the open slopes above provide sweeping views over the High Rock Canyon country to the west, toward the Sheldon Antelope Refuge to the north, and to the Pine Forest Range to the northeast (photo by Brian Beffort)

National Public Lands Day 2011 - Black Rock

Before...

And after the route restoration in the Calico Mountains!

Pat and Kristine inspect invasive species

Sunscreen - a necessity on the playa!

Smile!

Opening of the Black Rock Visitor Center

The new Black Rock National Conservation Area Visitor Center is officially open for business, education, and enjoyment!

The official ribbon cutting
Shaaron and Pat share a smile

Examining the artifact display

Learning about the journey westard

Black Rock Rendezvous: Before and After Calico Mountains Route Rehab

Calico Mountains, May 2011

Before volunteers from the Black Rock Rendezvous begin work restoring the route (photo by Sheena Britschgi)

After the group finishes, no trace of the illegal route is left (Sheena Britschgi)

The hard workers!

Black Rock Rendezvous: Before and After at Mormon Dan

Black Rock National Conservation Area, May 2011

Before volunteers with Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Friends of Black Rock-High Rock, Nevada Outdoor School and BLM staffers begin working (photo by Darcy Shepard)

Laying out the pieces (Darcy Shepard)

Teamwork! (Darcy Shepard)

Volunteer rake away traces of their footprints (Darcy Shepard)

After volunteers are done (Darcy Shepard)

This Is Nevada...

The foothills surrounding the Black Rock playa (photo by Darcy Shepard)

This Is Nevada...

Changing seasons at Little High Rock (photo by Graham Stafford)

National Public Lands Day Round-Up

The 17th annual National Public Lands Day brought out volunteers across the state to restore, conserve, and protect Nevada’s public lands. Over 75 people from FNW, Friends of Black Rock High Rock, Nevada Outdoor School, and Mountain View Montessori School attended a two-night camping excursion to the Black Rock Desert to build buck and rail fences and remove debris. While the weather was hot in the Black Rock Desert, the 25 volunteers from FNW and Friends of Gold Butte in southern Nevada faced temperatures over 100 degrees! Meanwhile, Forest Project Coordinator Wes Hoskins led a trip to Alta Toquima to log downed trees and perform general trail maintenance on the Pasco Canyon Trail.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness celebrated National Public Lands Day by…

Encircling two sensitive dune habitats with natural underground springs that were being destroyed by irresponsible off-highway vehicles (photo by Graham Stafford)…

Clearing the debris (an entire dumpsterful!) off public lands from a former living encampment (photo by Brian Beffort)…

Putting up over 175 posts and putting in 80 native plants in Gold Butte (photo by Andy Sanchez)…

Logging out 217 downed trees and creating a 500-foot re-route along a trail in Alta Toquima (photo by John Fiske)…

Kurt Kuznicki from Friends of Nevada Wilderness and President of Friends of Gold Butte Nancy Hall (photo by Andy Sanchez)

…and we worked with over half a dozen organizations including Friends of Gold Butte, Friends of Black Rock High Rock, Nevada Outdoor School and Mountain View Montessori School!

A big thank you to all our volunteers, the wonderful nonprofits we worked with, and the government agencies that assisted us – we made a fantastic contribution to Nevada’s public lands.