Stewardship in the Santa Rosa Range: Celebrating National Public Lands Day

Over 25 volunteers joined Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Nevada Outdoor School in the Santa Rosa Range for a day of fence-pulling to show their love for Nevada's public lands! (photo by Scott Waters)

Toiyabe Crest Trail Crew Update One

Triumphant trail workers get ready for a day of work at the head of the Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail. The crew will be working and camping along the trail until the snow falls.

Measuring over 70 miles long and taking hikers over 11,000 feet above sea level, the Toiyabe Crest Trail is Nevada's longest non-motorized trail. It provides access to grazing allotments for ranchers, and is popular among western hunters in the fall. The trail also receives hundreds of recreational visitors each season. The two-year program to improve the trail is sponsored by the White Pine/Nye County Secure Rural Schools Act and the Recreational Trails Program, which is administered through Nevada State Parks.

Join the talented crew and experience life on the trail - click here for details on upcoming volunteer opportunities in central Nevada and beyond!

All photos by Wes Hoskins.

Prepping Lye Creek Campground For Youth Stewardship Work

Over a dozen volunteers headed up to the Santa Rosa Range to prep Lye Creek Campground for youth stewards and complete general campground maintenance under blue skies and green mountain peaks.

Volunteers sanded and prepped 14 picnic tables to be painted by the 6^th-8^th grade students who will be participating in Nevada Outdoor School's Adventure Camp II from July 9th-14th. The week-long program aims to build kids’ confidence while introducing them to recreation opportunities and outdoor skills.

Lye Creek Campground is one of the only developed recreation sites in Humboldt County, and maintaining it is a high priority for Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Nevada Outdoor School.

In addition to prepping the picnic furniture for painting, volunteers also constructed 50 feet of trail.

The team also cleaned up one mile of the fence encircling Lye Creek Campground. The fence prevents grazing cattle and sheep from disturbing campers.

There are still opportunities to get out into wild Nevada in the Santa Rosa Range, including July 13-15 and for National Public Lands Day on September 14-16. Visit www.NevadaWilderness.org or contact brenna@nevadaoutdoorschool.org for more information about volunteer opportunities in the Santa Rosa Range.

All photos by Graham Stafford.

The Zappos Family and KEEN Footwear: Improving Mt. Charleston for Everyone!



One hundred volunteers arrive at Mt. Charleston ready to work!

Crowning our Blue Helmet Volunteer, Elyse B.!

Team Clean BBQ versus...

Team Cleaner BBQ!!

Team Paint represents!

Show that grill who's boss!

After a day a trail clean-up, the team at Sawmill Trailhead is tired but smiling!

All photos by Jose Witt.

The Zappos Family and KEEN Footwear: More Smiles and Stewardship

Sharing a stewardship smile with Ray and Jerry!

Loving some Dutch oven cake!

Repainting the picnic furniture at Old Mill Picnic Area

Temple mugs for the camera!

"Look how dirty I am!"



Smiling for the wild!

All photos by Kurt Kuznicki


The Zappos Family and Keen Footwear in Mt. Charleston: The Video

The Zappos Family and Keen Footwear: Sunshine, Stewardship, and Smiles

Volunteers from the Zappos Family and KEEN Footwear headed up to Mt. Charleston to improve three popular public picnicking areas.

Our Zappos Family Blue Helmet winner, Elyse, represents!

Ready to work!

Scraping off the old before painting the new - volunteers painted over 20 tables and benches

Repurposing outdated calendars into greeting cards and envelopes while enjoying the fresh air

Dutch oven demonstration

A bonding moment in neon for Southern Nevada Program Director Kurt Kuznicki and Stewardship Program Director Pat Bruce

Smile!

Keeping fueled!

Sampling a Dutch oven delight, courtesy of Stewardship Program Director Pat Bruce

Teamwork works best!

Giving the public barbeque grills a fresh coat of paint! A dozen grills were cleaned out, scraped
off, and re-painted.

Everybody say wild!

Check back for more pictures from the event in the coming days!

East Walker River 3/13-15/09

We headed to the East Walker River in beautiful Lyon County to work on several restoration projects with Jeff Weise from the USFS’s Bridgeport Ranger District. We camped near the East Walker River at a beautiful spot called the Elbow (courtesy of the Flying M Ranch) and woke up on Saturday with frozen water bottles... brrrrr! Despite the chilly conditions, 16 volunteers carpooled to the Rosaschi Ranch, our work site for this project. The Rosaschi Ranch is now public land and considered by many to one of the best trout fishing areas in this part of the country. After a brief work safety talk by Jeff and Wes, we formed teams and went to work. We removed an old fence line, consolidated a myriad of walking trails down to one route and installed a few carsonite signs to guide folks down to the river. When we returned to camp that evening Wes, Eva, and Brian cooked up a hearty meal of chicken stew, pasta, corn bread and salad, complete with smores for desert. We sat around the campfire enjoying each others company and one by one headed to our sleeping bag knowing in our hearts we had made a difference not only today, but also for future generations.