Friends of Nevada Wilderness Receives the Golden Pinecone

Friends of Nevada Wilderness Executive Director Shaaron Netherton hard at work on National Public Lands Day 2010 (photo by Graham Stafford)

Friends of Nevada Wilderness has been honored with Nevada EcoNet’s 2010 Golden Pinecone Environmental Award for Non-Profit Organization. The award is presented each year to six individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to northern Nevada’s natural environment.

“The annual Golden Pinecone Celebration celebrates the good work of citizens to preserve and enhance the wonderful environment of northern Nevada.” -Nevada EcoNet

The ceremony will be held on Friday, November 12, 2010 at the McKinley Arts Center, tickets are $35 and available at http://www.nevadaeconet.org/ and by calling (775) 323-3433.

This Is Nevada...

Waterfall in Goshute Canyon Wilderness (photo by Scott Smith)

Removal: Before and After

Thomas Creek, July 2006

Illegal fire pits were discovered along the trail.

Before Friends of Nevada Wilderness

Volunteers disperse the stones...

And leave no evidence afterwards.

Come Out to the Gear Swap at the Patagonia Outlet

Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness at the Patagonia Gear Swap at the Patagonia Reno Outlet. Browse for gently used outdoor gear Saturday, Oct. 9 from 9 am until 1 pm and stop by our table!

Yelp Helps Las Vegas (and Friends of Nevada Wilderness!)

Restaurant review website Yelp is hosting an event to help Las Vegas-area nonprofits! On Thursday, Oct. 14 from 7 until 9 pm, southern Nevadans are encouraged to stop by the Atomic Testing Museum for volunteering and membership information from local nonprofits. Not only can you find out how to help your community, complimentary cocktails from Bombay Sapphire and VnC Cocktails and light food will be provided. 21 and up only - sorry little ones!

You must RSVP at http://www.yelp.com/events/las-vegas-yelp-helps, so get your name on the list and stop by and say hi to Friends of Nevada Wilderness!

Camp Cuisine: Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings

Need something hearty at the end of a long day's hike? Try Sheena Britschgi's Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings!

Sheena is almost ready to put the dumplings in while preparing for the potluck at Black Rock National Public Lands Day 2010 (photo by Darcy Shepard)

Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
2-1/2 to 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)
3 cups water
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage or marjoram, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup thinly sliced carrot (2 medium)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 package of Bisquick (use the ‘just add water dumplings’ recipe) or your favorite dumpling recipe

1. Combine 3 cups water, onion, salt, sage/marjoram, pepper, bay leaf, celery, carrots and mushrooms in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil
2. Chop chicken pieces, add to broth mixture. Cover and cook until chicken is done.
3. Prepare dumplings according to instructions. Add to top of mixture.
4. Cook until dumpling dough is cooked all the way through.

REI and FNW Team Up in the Spring Mountains

Volunteers got dirty Sunday, Oct. 3, in Blue Tree when Friends of Nevada Wilderness teamed up with REI to perform trail maintenance in the Spring Mountains.

Heading up the trail (photo by Kurt Kuznicki)

Making the sweeping vistas accessible to everyone (Kurt Kuznicki)

Even the kids helped out! (Kurt Kuznicki)

The whole group after a productive day (Kurt Kuznicki)

Thanks again to everyone who gave up a precious Sunday to support Nevada’s wild places!

This Is Nevada...

Boundary Peak framed in fall colors (photo by Kurt Kuznicki)

Journey to the Center of the Wild: Wes Hoskins on the Pasco Canyon Trail

By Wes Hoskins

Friends of Nevada Wilderness ended its 2010 series of projects in Alta Toquima on Sept. 24-26, 2010 with a big logging and lopping event. We have adopted de facto the Pasco Canyon and Pine Creek trails which are adjacent to each other and sit on the east side of the Alta Toquima range.

The scenery at Alta Toquima (photo by John Fiske)

We first identified this trail-clearing project when while scouting the area in August, trying to find an erstwhile connector between Pasco and Pine Creeks so that we might create a nice loop section out of the two drainages. But we were thwarted during the scouting trip by wild rose, thick as kudzu, lashing our skin and downed willow trees blocking every turn. The connector, even though it is on the Forest Service visitor maps is not a viable route right now. We may still try to conquer the connector but that will have to be left for next year. The connector was not a viable one-weekend volunteer project so we moved on to look at Pasco Canyon.

The obstructed trail before Friends of Nevada Wilderness (John Fiske)

Hiking up 2 miles we found that an intense weather event had demolished the trail. Aspen, willow, and water birch trunks and limbs lay scattered around the area for over one mile.

The trail after the team cleared it (John Fiske)

Clearing out this trail to aid access for hunters and horse users was a perfect project, we decided to get it done the last weekend of September and we did it in a day with 6 volunteers. We logged out 217 dead, downed, and hazard trees, in addition we created a 500 foot re-route in an especially impacted area. This project was highly needed and the satisfaction level at the end was super-high.

Big thanks to Larry, John, David, Mike, and Phil (John Fiske)

I have to put in a good word for Phillip Breslow. An honors student at UNR, he came out to satisfy some required service learning hours, but he worked as hard as anybody on the trip. He loves to be in the backcountry and I truly hope that he sticks around. Soon, my generation will need to find wilderness champions from the next generation, if they are like Phil, Nevada’s public lands will be in good hands.

Phil earns some relaxation time after working hard! (John Fiske)

Just so you all know, the Pine Creek Trail out of Pine Creek campground is now cleared out and leads up to the Jefferson complex of peaks. Length of the trail is approx 12 miles roundtrip.

Would you like to see your trip on the blog? Write up a description of your hike and include a photo or two and email it to darcy@nevadawilderness.org and your adventure could be featured!

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.

Removal: Before and After

Weepah, May 2007

A rusty unused water tank in Weepah (photo by Pat Bruce)

Volunteers deconstruct the debris (Pat Bruce)

The tank is loaded onto a flatbed so it can be disposed of (Pat Bruce)

Camp Cuisine: Apple Crisp In Honor of Crazy Steve

Did you get a chance to try Brian Beffort’s delicious Dutch oven Apple Crisp at the National Public Lands Day potluck in Black Rock? Now you can make it yourself!

Brian Beffort is ready to mix his "Apple Crisp in Honor of Crazy Steve" (photo by Darcy Shepard)

Apple Crisp In Honor of Crazy Steve
Serves 10-12
6 tart apples, chopped into 1" cubes
1 1/2 cups whole oats
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut butter into small cubes, then mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased Dutch oven or baking dish.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through to maximize crispiness.
4. Served best with fresh, hand-cranked vanilla ice cream.

This Is Nevada...

Joshua Tree Sunset (photo by Scott Smith)

Project Update: Black Rock Dune Protection 2008

The fence completed by our wonderful volunteers over two years ago to protect one set of Black Rock playa dunes is holding strong! Plus, the scattered seeds have grown and turned the area into a mini-oasis, its natural state.

Holding strong... (photo by Darcy Shepard)

...and flourishing from our re-seeding! (Darcy Shepard)

Black Rock Desert Foothills: Before and After

For National Public Lands Day 2010 in the Black Rock Desert with Friends of Black Rock High Rock, Nevada Outdoor School and Mountain View Montessori School, one group worked to fence in sensitive habitat while another set of volunteers traveled into the foothills to clean up an abandoned residence that was on government land.

While there, our team of hard-working volunteers also erased an illegal vehicle track to prevent others from driving through and harming the sensitive habitat.

Before this illegal off-road track was worked on (photo by Brian Beffort)

Volunteers broke down road indicators to prevent off-highway vehicle travel (Brian Beffort)

After the volunteers finish erasing the illegal road (Brian Beffort)

Journey to the Center of the Wild: Wes Hoskins in the Mt. Rose Wilderness

By Wes Hoskins

On September 10th-13th, Renee Aldrich, Miriam Smith, Buddy (Miriam’s Chocolate Lab) and I had a splendid three-night backpack through the Mt. Rose Wilderness. We were aiming to document some last-minute campsites and just get a last look at the wild interior of a place we may not see again for awhile.

Our group at the top of Relay peak

Friends of Nevada Wilderness has put on 9 monitoring and stewardship trips in Mt. Rose this year, and this may be the last one before the Aspen turns and the Truckee Meadows begins to tuck in its chin for the winter.

Renee, Buddy, and me at the rustic bridge crossing Gray Creek

As far as campsites go, we didn’t find much else other than what has been previously recorded. We did find some tracks from a motorized vehicle that ran through the meadow at the headwaters of Galena Creek. It’s frustrating to see that kind of needless damage in a sensitive place when the area has extensive signage prohibiting motorized use in Mt. Rose meadow.

Crushed corn lilies from vehicles driving off designated routes in the Mt. Rose Meadows

Backpacking on the Carson Range generally and Mt. Rose specifically is not as easy as one might think considering it is so close to Reno — a fair-sized population center.

Miriam swoops in and hangs the bear bag after I do the hard work

When a hiker gets into the depths of the range there is no real trail system, just a spider web of informal trails and old roads. Consequently, the first and second days of the trip for us required a little cross-country travel.

Sunday is hard for Buddy after the ascent and descent of Relay Peak. At least he has some awesome booties!

Itinerary
Friday: Thomas Creek Trail Head to Davis Meadow (10.1 miles, 2000’ gain)
Saturday: Davis Meadow to Bronco Creek (4.2 miles, moderate gain and loss)
Sunday: Bronco Creek to Gray Lake (7.7 miles, approx 2,000’ gain)
Monday: Gray Lake to Brockway Summit (10.4 miles, approx 1900’ loss)

If you have any questions about this hike or want to know more about the area you can drop me an email at wes@nevadawilderness.org.

Would you like to see your trip on the blog? Write up a description of your hike and include a photo or two and email it to darcy@nevadawilderness.org and your adventure could be featured on our blog!

Black Rock: Before and After

Friends of Nevada Wilderness joined other conservation organizations to build a fence around sensitive habitat on the Black Rock playa to celebrate National Public Lands Day. Most sand dunes are formed when loose sand is windblown into an obstacle, forming a mound. However, the dunes on the Black Rock playa indicate springs below the surface. The water pushes the sediment upwards, forming a dune and creating a habitat for desert plants and wildlife.

Irresponsible off-highway vehicles driving through the area have began to slowly destroy the dunes. Volunteers worked a long, hot Saturday in the sun to build a fence around the area to prevent off-roading in the habitat.

Before: the smaller of the two dunes to be encircled. It was also re-seeded with greasewood, the natural foliage of springs on the playa (photo by Darcy Shepard)

Volunteers building the fence (Darcy Shepard)

After Friends of Nevada Wilderness and other participants finished at the Black Rock National Public Lands Day event (Darcy Shepard)

Removal: Before and After

Hunter Creek Trail, August 2006

Musk Thistle along Hunter Creek Trail before Friends of Nevada Wilderness

Volunteers working hard during the project

(Lack of) Musk Thistle along Hunter Creek Trail after Friends of Nevada Wilderness

More Events for National Public Lands Day

In addition to the Sept. 17-19 trip to Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada and the Sept. 25 trip to the Spring Mountains in southern Nevada, there are two other conservation and restoration events happening.

The Joshua Trees of Gold Butte (photo by Brian Beffort)

National Public Lands Day with Friends of Gold Butte
Another option to give back to the Nevada Wilderness on National Public Lands Day! Friends of Gold Butte will be leading a day trip to Whitney Pockets in Gold Butte. Volunteers will be working on restoration, planting vegetation, and cleaning up the area. You can sign up at friendsofgoldbutte@gmail.com or call Nancy Hall at (702) 346-3723 for more information.

Alta Toquima trail maintenance trip in July 2010 (photo by John Fiske)

Alta Toquima Trail Maintenance for National Public Lands Day
A four-day, three-night trip to the Alta Toquima Wilderness. Volunteers will be brushing out trail tread and logging downed trees to maintain the Pasco Canyon to Pine Creek Connector Trail to ensure hikers and backpackers have a safe, designated route through the protected area. Interested? Contact Wes at wes@nevadawilderness.org or (775) 324-7667 for more information.

This Is Nevada...

Sun cups at Alta Toquima (photo by James Sippel)