Volunteer Position Announcement

Friends of Nevada Wilderness
Volunteer Position Announcement

Position Title: Volunteer Wilderness Ranger
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Application Deadline: On going
Supervised By: Southern Nevada Program Director, Friends of Nevada Wilderness

Position Summary: Friends of Nevada Wilderness in cooperation with the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (SMNRA), is recruiting 10 volunteer wilderness rangers. The wilderness volunteer ranger will be an integral member of the wilderness team. This position will be expected to take on most of the duties of a wilderness ranger. The rangers will primarily be working in teams, but may be required to work alone or with volunteer groups from time to time. While no salary is provided for this position, per diem and work related mileage is available to those who qualify. Volunteers are asked to volunteer at least 20 hours a month

Responsibilities:
• Makes visitor contacts at trailheads and within wilderness (when appropriate) to inform visitors about proper behavior to minimize impacts to the resource (Leave No Trace ethics).
• Uses education as the primary method of disseminating wilderness rules and regulations to the public.
• Collects data on visitor use, invasive weeds, and campsites located within wilderness areas. Enters data into specified database and/or spreadsheet.
• Performs maintenance at dispersed recreation sites including site naturalization and/or cleanup with direction from the Forest Service.
• Ensures that all trails and access points into the wilderness areas are signed and boundaries delineated to encourage appropriate wilderness behavior.
• Coordinates with Southern Nevada Program Director to help implement volunteer stewardship trips; monitor past restoration work to evaluate outcomes.
• Normal patrols will require day hiking with a small backpack. The Volunteer Wilderness Ranger may be required to backpack 1-2 nights carrying tools and equipment associated with the required work.
Qualifications:
• The wilderness volunteer ranger must be physically able to hike in an altitude ranging from 6000 ft to 12000ft, covering distances of up to 16 miles over rough and uneven terrain. The ranger must be experienced in backpacking and wilderness travel.
• Knowledge of the Wilderness Act, wilderness ethics, and Leave No Trace principles is desirable.
• Must have good communication skills, as positive interaction with wilderness visitors will be a primary responsibility.
• Knowledge of basic computer applications is desirable.
• Should be available to volunteer from April 2010 through at least mid-September 2010. Flexibility with starting and ending dates is possible, including flexibility to work around school schedules.
• 18 years of age older.

Length of volunteer opportunity: April 2010 to end of September 2010.

To Apply: Please contact Kurt Kuznicki at 775.745.3119 or kurt@nevadawilderness.org
For more information on Friends of Nevada Wilderness, please visit the website at http://www.nevadawilderness.org/

Wilderness.net

Wilderness.net

Southern Nevada Heart of the Wilderness Award

The Southern Nevada Heart for Wilderness Award.
This years recipients of the Heart for Wilderness Award are Crystal DiPietro for her exceptional artwork depicting the wilderness areas of southern Nevada and her work in the wilderness areas of Lake Mead. Andy Sanchez for his commitment to wilderness and for making a huge difference this winter in the Rainbow Mountain & La Madre Mountain Wilderness Areas. Justice Rwechungura for his passion for wilderness and the deep rooted concern he has for future generations. We thank these volunteers for all that they have done for Wild Nevada, and we know the best is still ahead.

La Madre Mountain Wilderness Route Restoration

What a great day! Every volunteer event is fun, but then there are always those that seem to stand a bit above the rest and this was one of those projects. It seemed like everyone was really energized and ready for some fun. We did a tough restoration on a hillside (a real ankle twister),but everyone pitched and in no time we were finished. We hiked in to the second route, but not before some PB&J's and an interesting game of Ninja Wars(???) After lunch Tom one of the Archeologist's talked about his work in the La Madre Mountain Wilderness and the importance of leaving what you find for future generations of Americans to enjoy. We then grab our Pulaskis and restored the second closed route in no time flat. It seemed that even when the trip was over no one wanted to go home so we just hung out and chatted for a while. I think we all felt that we made a difference and made some new friends along the way.

Desert Wildlife Refuge