Lovell Canyon Route Restoration # 1

A hardy group of wilderness volunteers made a difference in Rainbow Mountain Wilderness. It's good to be a volunteer!

Lovell Canyon Clean-up Numero Dos

We had a great volunteer project with a awesome group of folks come out to the Spring Mountains NRA to make a difference. Over thirty folks turned out to clean-up of the main portal to the Rainbow Mountain & La Madre Wilderness. We then divided up into groups and some folks led by board members John & Hermi Hiatt hiked a mile in the Rainbow Wilderness to clean-up a camping area. The other Wilderness went up the Lovell Canyon road to the La Madre Wilderness and cleaned up a campsite and a shooter area inside Wilderness. The volunteers worked very hard and once again got a lot done and had a lot of fun while doing it. The day came to a close with a spirited snowball fight leaded by Ryan with the Circle K International Service Club with UNLV...Go CKI Rebels! Special thanks to everyone who gave up their Saturday for the greater good of the Rainbow Mountain and La Madre Wilderness Areas. Special thanks to the Mt Charleston Licence Plate Program, National Forest Foundation. REI and the Nevada Community Foundation for making this day possible through their support of this program.

Nellis Wash Wilderness 16,423 acres

Weather in the Springs

Wilderness Monitors hiked into a canyon in the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness to check the condition of the Wilderness. It was a great day in the Wild and the monitors found a few things that were reported to the managing agency to help improve the wilderness quality of the area. How is your favorite Wilderness doing today?

Volunteer for Wilderness!

Kate cares. Kate's day job is working as ecologist in Wilderness areas all over the state, so one would think she does her part for the Wild. But for Kate that's still not enough, she writes articles for the Friends of Nevada Wilderness enews, provides website content and helps out on stewardship projects on her days off. Kate is making a real differnce for Wilderness. She is one of the few, the proud, a Wilderness Volunteer....Thanks Kate!

Do you like to write, take photos, help out in the office, or swing a pulaski? Wilderness needs you.

Lovell Canyon Clean Up Numero Uno

Sixteen hardy southern Nevadans gave up their Friday to clean up the West Side of the Spring Mountains NRA. They picked up over 27 full bags of trash, litter, broken glass by the bucket full and some bowling pins (???). We had a good time and enjoyed the Rainbow Mountain Wilderness while were at it. If you want to get out and make a difference the Spring Mountains or a Wilderness near you ...give us a call.

Boundary Peak

Boundary Peak (13,147ft) the highest point in Nevada stands watch on the western border of the Silver State in Esmeralda County.

Wilderness Wingding 2009

Thanks to all who attended Friends' big party
A big thanks to those 150 members and friends who braved deep snow to attend the 2009 Wilderness Wingding celebrating our volunteers and our Nevada Wilderness.

For more pictures and more fun click on the link below on the and slideshow in the sidebar.

http://www.nevadawilderness.org/items/enews/09_1215.html

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Make a difference, be a volunteer

When the call for volunteers goes out John Bialecki always answers. John loves the outdoors and Southern Nevada Wilderness, his big smile has been seen on many a volunteer trip. Why does John volunteer? Because he know by volunteering once a month he can make a huge difference for southern Nevada Wilderness and for future generations of Nevadans (not to mention have a lot of fun too) So if you want to give back to the outdoors and have some fun, volunteer with Friends of Nevada Wilderness today. See the side bar for upcoming projects and information.

Petroglyphs

Petroglyhs love Wilderness

Rain Tree Project

Some folks go to the Mt Charleston Wilderness for enlightenment, others go there to get a from it all, some to esacape the summer heat or enjoy the winter snow, and some folks go there to build things, like wind structures, they're everywhere, on top of peaks, in windy saddles ( am I missing something???) or at the foot of one of the oldest if not the most famous tree in the forest. Wind structures take away from the undeveloped character of the lands and cause damage to the resource. So fight that construction urge if you think you have to build stuff...go buy an erector set or some legos but please leave the Bristlecone alone. Even the stuff that looks dead as door nail it could be 1000's of years old and that old stump could still be alive. Some wonderful volunteers from Friends of Nevada Wilderness hiked up to the Rain Tree via trail Canyon and removed some of the downed Bristlecone from around the area where the Raintree holds court.

George Peterson, Wilderness Monitor

Make a difference like George.

George Peterson a Las Vegas local, who loves to hike the Mt Charleston Wilderness. George makes a difference for the Wild Places every time he goes hiking by being a Wilderness Monitor. George takes a simple monitoring form with him records campsite locations, trail conditions, trail encounters and anything worth noting. On one cold windy day George may have even saved a persons life, when he talked an ill prepared hiker into turning around because of the nasty weather conditions on the summit of Mt Charleston. If you like to hike and you want to make a difference in the Mt Charleston Wilderness or else where in Wild Nevada. Call (775) 324-7668 in the north and (775) 745-3119 in the south...thanks George!

Leave No Trace 'Train the Trainer Class" Nov '09

Friends of Nevada Wilderness hosted its first Southern Nevada Train the Trainer Class in the Spring Mountains NRA in early November. The class was well attend by folks for the BLM and volunteers from the Red Rock NCA. Each student gave 15 minute presentation on one of the seven Leave No Trace Principles. What are the seven LNT principles you ask....

Plan Ahead & Prepare

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Dispose of Waste Properly

Leave What you Find

Minimize Campfire Impacts

Respect Wildlife

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

We will be hosting another class in the spring. I hope to see you there.

BTW- I love the virtual campfire.

Spring Mountains NRA

Brrrr....waking up to a chilly, but beautiful sunrise near the Bonanza Trailhead in the Spring Mountains. See there are trees in southern Nevada.

Muddy Mountains Wilderness

I thought I'd share a few photos from one of southern Nevada's Wilderness jewels the Muddy Mountains....Good Stuff

Fall in the Toiyabes

Photo by John Fiske

Bonanza Extravaganza 10/31/09

Happy Nevada Day!!!

A fun group of Wild southern Nevada volunteers got together to celebrate Nevada Day by getting some trail work accomplished on the Bonanza Trail in the Mt Charleston Wilderness. The highlight of the day was when we got to break out the two person crosscut saw and remove a down tree that was across the trail. WooHoo...good folks, Nevada Day, crosscut saws, double headed axes it just doesn't get any better than that.

Special thanks to all of the volunteers that gave up their Saturday to help take care of their Public Lands.