High Schells Wilderness Restoration Project

On July 14th, Friends of Nevada Wilderness organized a volunteer restoration project in the newly designated High Schells Wilderness. The project involved restoring an old two-track down to a single tread path along the South fork of Berry Creek. There were eight Friends of Nevada Wilderness volunteers and staff along with two Forest Service employees helping out on the project.

The crew arrived to the site and after a safety talk and sign-in, hiked up to the wilderness boundary and began the work. The volunteers collected logs and branches to use for slash, and scattered them across the route to help disguise the scar and define the trail. Using rock bars and manpower, the volunteers moved large rocks and boulders that had been placed in piles by the Forest Service for use on the project to block access by off-road vehicles while still allowing room for hikers and stock. A couple of water bars were also built in order to guide runoff away from the trail and prevent erosion. After the finishing touches were made, wilderness boundary signs and foot-travel only signs were pounded into the ground on Forest Service carsonites.

After a long day’s work, the Friends’ volunteers and Forest Service enjoyed dinner provided by Friends of Nevada Wilderness back at the campsite and relaxed while taking in the scenic views of the High Schells Wilderness. The volunteers enjoyed the chance to get out and experience this new Wilderness on a beautiful day in eastern Nevada while also working to restore the natural character of the land.


*There were a total of 147 volunteer hours recorded for this project.
*There was a total of $2,205.00 saved through the use of volunteers that the U.S. Forest Service would otherwise have had to spend on in-kind labor. (Based on government protocol $15.00/hr)

High Schells Wilderness-

Timber Creek restoration project

On June 9th, Friends of Nevada Wilderness organized a volunteer restoration project in the newly designated High Schells Wilderness. The project involved restoring an old jeep route along the North and South Forks of Timber Creek from a two-track down to a single tread trail. Friends of Nevada Wilderness partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to complete this project, and was also able to get a crew from the Nevada Conservation Corps, Great Basin Institute, to join in the efforts for the day. There were a total of 13 volunteers present for the project, including six Americorps volunteers with the NCC, five Friends of Nevada Wilderness volunteers and staff, and two Forest Service officers.

The crew arrived to the site and after a safety talk and sign-in, split into two to work on both the North Fork and the South Fork. Each group decided which tread to erase and which to keep as the hiking/horse trail, then set to work “pitting” the route (using pulaskis and pick mattocks) in order to decompact the soil to allow for seed collection and future growth of native plants. Dead and dying pine saplings (affected by beetle kill) were utilized for vertical mulching and to help delineate the trail. The volunteers also collected logs and branches to use for slash, and scattered it across the route to help disguise the scar and define the path. Using rock bars and manpower, the volunteers moved large rocks and boulders into the route to help block access by off-road vehicles while still allowing for hikers and horse travel. A couple of water bars were also built in order to guide runoff off of the trail and prevent erosion.

After a long day’s work, the Friends’ volunteers enjoyed dinner provided by Friends of Nevada Wilderness back at the campsite and relaxed while taking in the scenic views of the new wilderness area. The next morning a few of the volunteers went for a hike along the South Fork of Timber Creek up through Bristlecone Pines and a beautiful aspen grove, along the ridge, and joined up with the North Fork of Timber Creek where half of the volunteers had worked the day before. The volunteers enjoyed the chance to get out and enjoy this new Wilderness on a beautiful day in eastern Nevada while also working to restore the natural character of the land.

*There were a total of 169 volunteer hours recorded for this project.
*There was a total of $2,535.00 saved through the use of volunteers that the U.S. Forest Service would otherwise have had to spend on in-kind labor. (Based on government protocol $15.00/hr)

On June 2nd, Friends of Nevada Wilderness organized a volunteer restoration project with the Ely Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service. The project involved restoring an old jeep route along the North Fork of Berry Creek in the High Schells Wilderness from a two-track down to a single tread trail. There were a total of 8 volunteers present with Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the Natural Resources Officer, Joshua Simpson, with the Forest Service.

The crew arrived to the site and decided which track to erase and which to keep as the hiking/horse trail, then set to work “pitting” the route (using pulaskis and pick mattocks) in order to decompact the soil to allow for seed collection and future growth of native plants. Dead and dying pine saplings (affected by beetle kill) were utilized for vertical mulching and to help delineate the trail. The volunteers also collected logs and branches to use for slash, and scattered it across the route to help disguise the scar and define the path. Using rock bars and manpower, the volunteers moved large rocks and boulders into the road to help block access by off-road vehicles while still allowing for hikers and horse travel. A couple of water bars were also built in order to guide runoff off of the trail and prevent erosion.

Along with rehabbing the two-track to a single tread path, the crew also hauled out two abandoned rusty culverts that had been sitting in Berry Creek for years. The first culvert was about 5 feet long, and the volunteers were able to remove it by clearing the debris out from inside it and simply lifting it out. The second culvert was about 15 feet long, and after assessing the situation, the volunteers figured out a way to haul it out using rope and branches to help as a ramp.

After successfully finishing the restoration work, the group also removed two unnecessary fire pits near the trailhead and located too close to the stream by dispersing the rings and removing the ashes and trash. They naturalized the area using surrounding plant materials so that it will recover and revegetate.

After a long day’s work, the volunteers enjoyed dinner provided by Friends of Nevada Wilderness back at the campsite and relaxed while taking in the scenic views of the newly designated High Schells Wilderness. The next morning the group went for a hike along the South Fork of Berry Creek, which leads through a beautiful aspen grove and up to another site where Friends will establish a trailhead in place of a two-track next weekend. The volunteers enjoyed the chance to get out and enjoy this new Wilderness on a beautiful day in eastern Nevada while also working to restore the natural character of the land.


*There were a total of 128 volunteer hours recorded for this project.
*There was a total of $1,920.00 saved through the use of volunteers that the U.S. Forest Service would otherwise have had to spend on in-kind labor. (Based on government protocol $15.00/hr)