Where the Wild Places Are: Duo of Winter Flowers

Photos by Kurt Kuznicki

Where the Wild Places Are: Falling in Love with Gold Butte in Autumn

 

 

All photos by Kurt Kuznicki

Where the Wild Places Are: A Trio of Colors from Proposed Wovoka Wilderness

All photos by Kurt Kuznicki

Where the Wild Places Are: Trio of Tough Workers in the Santa Rosa Range

Volunteers in the Santa Rosa Range show some Public Lands Day love by pulling out two miles of unneeded barbed wire fence.

 

Where the Wild Places Are: Tent Trio in the Desert Refuge

All photos by Kurt Kuznicki

Where the Wild Places Are: A Trio From the Desert Refuge

Desert Beauty by Kurt Kuznicki

Stormy Weather by Kurt Kuznicki

Blue Skies and Open Lands by Kurt Kuznicki

Where The Wild Places Are: Trio from a Sunny Day at Gold Butte

Sand sculptures and sunny skies (photo by Jose Witt)

Tall grasses and distant mountains (photo by Jose Witt)

Rainbow rocks (photo by Jose Witt)

Where the Wild Places Are: Bridge Canyon Wilderness Trio

The Bridge Canyon Wilderness is home to a cross-section of Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin plant communities (photo by Brian Beffort)

Petro glyphs abound in Grapevine Canyon (photo by Brian Beffort)

Mule deer and bighorn sheep wander the 7,700 acres while sharp-shinned hawks and peregrine falcons circle overhead (photo by Brian Beffort)

Where the Wild Places Are: A Trio from Spirit Mountain Wilderness

Designated in 2002, the Spirit Mountain Wilderness encompasses over 33,000 acres in the Newberry Mountains and boasts the northernmost populations of smoke trees in the state (photo by Brian Beffort)

Spirit Mountain is sacred to the Mojave and Yuman tribes and has been designated a Traditional Cultural Property (photo by Brian Beffort)

The desert tortoise finds critical habitat here, and other sensitive species include the California leaf-nosed bat, banded Gila monster, Townsend's big-eared bat, and Yuma myotis (photo by Brian Beffort)

Where the Wild Places Are: A Trio from Wovoka Citizen Proposed Wilderness

Native grasses decorate a high-dry playa (picture by Brian Beffort)

A historic structure from the old town of Pine Grove. Wilderness designation would not affect this historic site or public access to it, and would preserve the natural, wild conditions of this district as a living-museum. (picture by Brian Beffort)

Willows and cottonwoods decorate the banks of the East Walker River (picture by Brian Beffort)

Where the Wild Places Are: Muddy Mountains Wilderness Trio

Just an hour north of Las Vegas lays the Muddy Mountain Wilderness, an area of outrageous geology and colorful Mojave Desert habitat (picture by Kurt Kuznicki)

About 300 million years ago, this area was sediment at the bottom of the sea; today, the area boasts limestone peaks that jut over 5,000 feet into the sky (picture by Kurt Kuznicki)

Fossilized sand dunes have eroded into intricately carved peaks and valleys painted in shades of red, orange, and yellow (picture by Kurt Kuznicki)

Where the Wild Places Are: Southern Nevada Reptile Trio

A hungry desert tortoise (picture by Chris Hensley)

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (picture by Chris Hensley)

Gopher snake slithering in the rocks (picture by Chris Hensley)

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)