From the Front Lines: Help friends stay strong for the future 2 Welcome: New staff member in Las Vegas 2 Take A Hike: Sweetwater Range 3 Restoration: Public Lands Day 4 7 INSIDE2007 volunteer trips: Mark your calendar
Friends of Nevada Wilderness OCTOBER 2007 Meghan Sural: Wilderness for Lyon, Confessions Mineral counties? of a wilderness A new public land bill volunteer process begins Aaaaahhh. The second week in June. Two weeks before the season’s solstice— n June, Senators Harry making days not yet their longest, but Reid and John Ensign, long enough. Warmer weather has set Iand Congressman in, but before the heat hits hardest. Dean Heller announced It’s Friday, and I’ve signed up to go on the beginning of a public a wilderness restoration trip with Pat process that could result Bruce from Friends and a few other in new wilderness areas in lucky volunteers. We hit the road for Lyon and Mineral counties. Mt. Grafton Wilderness, and a wave Some of the outstanding of excitement pulses places Friends is committed through me—my first to getting designated trip across Nevada on include the Gabbs Valley Highway 50. Range and Burbank Canyon Having grown up in wilderness study areas the east, I feel a whole and the Excelsior and new form of wilderness Huntoon Springs roadless in Nevada. There I knew lush rhododendrons areas in Mineral County. Want to try In Lyon County, candidate and the smell of wilderness areas include Appalachian dirt always a wilderness the northern tip of the in the air. Now I smell restoration Sweetwater Mountains scrubby sweet-scented (called the Sisters Proposed sagebrush. There trip? Turn to
Wilderness) and the South thick, green vegetation page 7 to find
surrounded me. Now Pine Grove Roadless out how. Area (called the Wovoka waves of smooth velvet t Proposed Wilderness, milk chocolate peaks after the Native American roll into long ranges that spiritual leader and father meander to the horizon. of the Ghost Dance, who Dipping and climbing was born near, and spent through basin and range, I feel a rush of much of his time in, the emotion, a vibrant and positive sensation, area in the 1800s). Friends rushing the self-erected walls of everyday is working with the Nevada life. Cocooned by house, workplace, Wilderness Coalition The E. Walker River flows through the Wovoka Proposed Wilderness. relationship, and comfortable lifestyle, to identify additional Photo by Kurt Kuznicki my body and spirit are thirsty for some deserving wilderness wild relief. candidates in both counties. lands bills that passed public-lands issues in Lyon We arrive at Mt. Grafton in the dark, set Like the Clark County, in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and Mineral counties. As up camp quickly, keeping the tops of our Lincoln County and White respectively, legislation Nevada’s Congressional Pine County public- for Lyon and Mineral would address a variety of continued on page 6 continued on page 6 2 www.nevadawilderness.org
OUR MISSION
Friends of Nevada Wilderness is dedicated to preserving all FROM THE FRONTLINES qualified Nevada public lands as wilderness, protecting all present and potential wilderness from Help Friends stay strong for the future ongoing threats, educating the In early September, I will always be wilderness warriors and public about the values of — and hiked up to a ridge in the guardians, Friends of Nevada Wilderness need for — wilderness, and improving the management and middle of the Mt. Rose has taken a generous legacy gift to step restoration of wild lands. Wilderness to gain some toward a more secure future by opening perspective. The hot endowment accounts with the Community Northern Nevada Office summer air was dry and Foundation of Western Nevada in Reno, PO Box 9754 smelled of vanilla from the and the Nevada Community Foundation in Reno, NV 89507 ponderosa pines; the view Las Vegas. If you are interested in making (775) 324-7667 expansive. I gave thanks a gift to either account, I would be happy to Shaaron Netherton Shaaron to all the folks whose talk with you. As long as there is wilderness, Executive Director Netherton steady vision protected this place from there will be Friends of Nevada Wilderness. [email protected] executive development. I am amazed at the variety of I am excited to introduce you to the Brian Beffort director people I see up there—young families with newest member of Friends of Nevada Associate Director kids in backpacks, as well as scouts, couples Wilderness, Adriane Zacmanidis. Adriane [email protected] and lots of seniors. Some hike alone; others joined us in August as our Southern Nevada in groups; some are veteran hikers; some Director. She will soon be contacting our Pat Bruce Field Project Coordinator escaping from the city for the first time, but members in southern Nevada to get to know [email protected] all delighting in this special place. you better and gain from your wisdom. We are fortunate to be kicking off In these last days of warmer weather, Angie Dykema another wilderness protection campaign, join us for one of our wilderness hikes. We Forest Project Coordinator this time in western Nevada (Lyon and are also scheduling a whole new season [email protected] Mineral counties). Collectively, we have of restoration trips and hikes for this Richard Knox the opportunity to set aside places like coming spring and summer for southern Membership Coordinator the Gabbs Valley Range, the Sweetwater and northern Nevada. Check out the [email protected] Mountains and Bald Mountain (Wovoka) schedule and I’m sure you will find great Rose Demoret south of Yerington. In order to ensure there opportunities to join us in wild Nevada. Administrative Director [email protected] Southern Nevada Office PO Box 97373 Welcome, Adriane! Las Vegas, NV 89193 (702) 650-6542 Adriane Zacmanidis joined Friends in August as our Southern Nevada Director in Las Vegas. She Adriane Zacmanidis Southern Nevada Director brings a wealth of experience that greatly enhances [email protected] our efforts to conserve wilderness in southern Nevada. Board of Directors “For me, the desert is home” she says. “I love the Hermi Hiatt, vast open spaces, the mountains, desert lakes, the State Chair Karen Boeger, flora, the fauna, the colors, and the unique smells. I Rural Vice-Chair am an extremely active outdoors person and I am so Bart Patterson, connected to this land that I couldn’t fathom calling Southern Vice-Chair Roger Scholl, anywhere else in this world home.” Treasurer Adriane spent the last 15 years working in Sarah Perrault, museums, building community partnerships, Secretary Bob Abbey outreach programs and curricula for teachers and Peter Bradley museum staff. She also worked with volunteers and John Hiatt designed interactive websites. She holds degrees in Kurt Kuznicki Public History, Archaeology and Museum Sciences Marge Sill and Education. “Protecting and acting as a steward [email protected] for this land and its cultural resources has been my www.nevadawilderness.org personal passion and life’s work thus far, and I really http://nevadawild.blogspot.com couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling journey.” Adriane, we’re glad to have you on the team. Photo by XXX www.nevadawilderness.org 3
TAKE A HIKE VOLUNTEER Luke and Sparky’s excellent heroes Sweetwater adventure By Karen Boeger
Luke and Sparky the burros get bored with domestic life on 70 acres in the Pah Rah Mountains. In mid-July, they put their hooves down and demanded their geezer Giving back is a way of life guardians, Dan and Karen, get for Howard and Ursula Booth. them out into Big Wild Nevada. They helped found Friends The solution: the Sweetwater of Nevada Wilderness 23 Mountains, which stretch years ago, and they’re still volunteering for Nevada’s wild between Wellington and places today. In February, Bridgeport, Calif. Ursula and Howard joined the The burros petitioned to Friends’ volunteer projects camp at the spring water and in the Rainbow Mountain lush grass at the cow camp and Black Canyon wilderness oasis trailhead. Dan’s signature areas. diamond hitch lashed packs on “I like to be outside,” said them instead. Several sweaty, Exploring the wild beauty of Nevada’s Sweetwater Mountains. Photo by Dan Heinz Ursula. “I like to be active, I puffing hours followed, up like to see things looking nice a rocky, steep canyon. If the at a perfect burro-pleasing and in a natural state, and it’s etting there. To burros hadn’t been so hot meadow by a creek. Luke nice to work with friends and and grumpy, they would have explore Nevada’s decided that night to “help” get to know people I haven’t noticed the starkly beautiful Sweetwater with the cooking. A burro nose met.” rock formations, numerous G “Nevada has given a lot to Mountains, Drive south from in one’s lap, let alone in a pot birds and wildflowers, and burning on the stove was not to us,” Howard said. “We try to been thankful for the shade Carson City on US 395. North be encouraged. “Discussions” give a little bit back. Without volunteers, things in this along the way by fragrant of Topaz Lake, turn left/east on resulted in a shortened tether country would really fall apart. stands of mountain mahogany. rope on the offending party. Highway 208. At Wellington, veer I think that when you have All was forgiven when the Sadly, the next day required right and head south on Hwy enough volunteers, it reaches gang reached high rolling a return to civilization, but we alpine meadows, obviously 338. After about 15 miles, turn a critical mass. It catches on to decided to explore a new route a wider group, and everyone quite wet in Spring, just below right/west onto Forest Road on the way out to maximize says ‘I need to get in on this, towering East Sister (10,404’), 050. Drive until the exploring new scenery. Back down too.’ That’s when things start signaling an end to the climb. Coyote Creek, past lovely aspen looks good. The road is passable getting better.” Even better was the spectacular stands along the ever-gurgling Ursula turned 70 in view from the pass: Middle in good weather, but storms stream, to a juncture with a February, and Howard turned Sister looming to the South might make the road impassable. faint horse trail that led over a 80 in March. They have (10,854’), the distant craggy pass with outstanding views, attended numerous Friends ranges of the Sierra to the west then down through Little Smith restoration projects, and and, more alluring to Luke creatures. After a colorful Valley to the cow camp and the Howard’s beautiful photos and Sparky, the lush expansive Sierra, we all slept under burro trailer. have graced our calendars, meadows of Little Smith Valley dazzling stars in the clear night After we loaded up the brochures and websites for just below them. sky. burros and started the truck, years. In 2005, Howard won No sooner did Karen and The next day led us up another black bear charged the John Muir Award from the Dan set up camp among the aspen-dotted meadows to startled right across our path. A Sierra Club, the club’s highest willows, than a healthy black another pass on Middle Sister. Nevada wilderness with bears, honor. bear, tawny fur golden in the Below were more meadows now that’s a primo adventure! Thank you very much, late afternoon light, sprinted and Coyote Creek dropping Ursula and Howard, for everything you have given to up the hillside and out of sight, away to the a magnificent view Karen is a founding member Nevada’s wild places! apparently unwilling to share of the Sierra on the western of Friends’ Board of Directors his meadow with these strange horizon. Camp that night was 4 www.nevadawilderness.org Summer stewardship successes During this busy summer, Friends has worked hard to connect volunteers with their public lands to help land management agencies keep Nevada wild.
Each year on the last weekend in September, more than 100,000 volunteers work across the country come together to give back to their public lands. Here in Nevada. Friends helped organize two projects: in High Rock Canyon country north of the Black Rock Desert, and in the Boundary Peak Wilderness. National Public LandsNational Public Day
Clockwise from top left: Fixing a trailhead sign at Boundary Peak (photo by Kevin Johnson), Pat Bruce swinging Dutch ovens like no one else can (Kurt Kuznicki), enjoying a well-deserved break at Boundary Peak (Kevin Johnson), and Finley and Logan surveying the work (Brian Beffort). www.nevadawilderness.org 5
Clockwise from far left: Volunteer David Von Seggern heading into the Boundary Peak Wilderness to clear the trail (Kevin Johnson photo), the team celebrating a great day above High Rock Canyon (Kurt Kuznicki), Black Rock NCA ranger Justin Robbins happy to have the help (Kurt Kuznicki).
Friends of Nevada Wilderness helped make landscape restoration a part of the 2007 Burning Man festival. In honor of the “Green Man” theme, our volunteers worked to protect the sensitive Coyote Springs Dunes on the Black Rock Playa. This unique dune complex is home to a rare spring, sensitive plants and kit fox dens. Volunteers raked away the off-road vehicle tracks that have destroyed much of the natural vegetation in the area, transplanted native vegetation to help the natural recovery process, and erected a rustic fence to protect the area from further damage by off-road vehicles. Burning Man festival 6 www.nevadawilderness.org
We’ll miss you, Making a difference: The power of one Alanah! Imagine hiking along in the wilderness By Brian Beffort with your canine companion when he begins howling in pain, caught in a leg trap meant for Alanah Woody, Executive bobcats. After several of these incidents near Director of the Nevada Rock the Mt. Rose Wilderness in Reno, Carol Tresner Art Foundation, died on July and Trish Swain decided it was time to do 19. She was 51. something. “I am a rock art evangelist,” When trapping in public areas became a hot- Woody told Smithsonian button issue in the local paper, Trish and Carol magazine in 2005. “Give me sprang to action, designing a TrailSafe website, people who think rock art is gathering letters of support, speaking out at nothing more than a bunch various meetings and gathering 700 signatures of old graffiti on a boulder or on a citizens’ petition requesting changes in cave wall. Let me take them out trapping regulations. into the desert to see 10,000- The next steps were year-old petroglyphs, and I a formal petition Trailsafe.org guarantee they’ll begin to feel a before the Nevada got the word out connection with the people who Wildlife Commission, lived here long before we came then a meeting with about steel jaw from the Tahoe Rim east, and from Mt. Rose to along.” the Nevada Trappers Interstate 80. It was unanimously approved. Woody also supported Association. Dialogue leghold traps. “Tenacity, media exposure, organization, Friends’ work for wilderness. had begun; trapping flexibility, wise counsel, compromise and She viewed rock art as part of was a hazard to the technology all factored in,” said Carol, reflecting the landscape, and in order to public, and the trappers knew this. Many people on her success. “Yes, luck and timing, too.” protect the resource, we needed reacted emotionally to recreational trapping, This small but significant victory started to work on behalf of the land. but what could be realistically achieved now? when two hikers gave voice to what many others Nevada has lost a great After more negotiation and compromise, Carol endorsed—all in six months. This is proof that defender of Nevada’s heritage, and the trappers presented a joint petition the person who greets you each day in the whose work will continue in to the Nevada Wildlife Commissioners that mirror might be a world-changing force waiting those she inspired. prohibited snares and leg-hold traps on trails to manifest. WHAT’S YOUR ISSUE? Volunteering Lyon, Mineral campaign continued from page 1 continued from page 1 Mail call tents open to stargaze and Delegation stated in a June 26 sleep simultaneously. In a press release, a main goal of Help designate few hours the sun peaks over this process would be to resolve Mount Wheeler to the east—the litigation over water rights in wilderness in Lyon wilderness is calling us to her. the Walker River basin. and Mineral counties. We eat heartily and hike up Friends of Nevada Wilderness to the wilderness boundary. is looking forward to working Write Nevada’s Congressional Mesmerized by the rocks with with interested citizens and delegation. Urge them to their beautiful swirls, stripes elected officials at all levels to support wilderness and glitter, I allow the dust to conserve some of this region’s for the Gabbs coat my skin and hair as I stop last beautiful and wild open Valley Range, to touch each dazzling stone. spaces. Burbank Canyon, This does not make me a If you are familiar with some Excelsiors, productive volunteer, and at of these areas, know Lyon or Huntoon times I have to pull myself Mineral county residents who Springs, from some shiny jewel so I would like to keep some of their Wovoka and can help the others finish our backcountry wild, or if you the Sisters. work to cover vehicle scars in Meghan Sural rockin’ the wilderness. would like to help protect these this wilderness. Heaving large Photo by Pat Bruce special places, please contact Senator Harry Reid rocks, I feel my spirit reveling in Brian Beffort at (775) 324-7667. 528 Hart Senate Bldg. Washington D.C. 20510 reconnection to the land. Each senses inside with freedom and For maps and more touch of a rock, each sniff of information about proposed devotion. As wilderness floods Senator John Ensign the sage, butterflies bounding wilderness areas in Lyon and this inner plain, I reconnect 119 Russel Senate Bldg. about, wildflowers popping Mineral counties, and a copy with my own wilderness inside Washington D.C. 20510 open—each is a salve soothing and realize that she is a part of of the press release issued my senses, a thousand rivulets me. She deserves my attention by Reid, Ensign and Heller, Congressman Dean Heller connecting me to the land, and respect. And in turn, my visit our website at www. 1023 Longworth Office Bldg. filling the cracks of my parched very being needs her. nevadawilderness.org Washington D.C. 20515 www.nevadawilderness.org 7
Wild fall hikes and restoration trips
Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness staff and board on a dayhike to a wild Friends of Nevada Wilderness organizes gem near you. Space is limited, so call now for more information or to RSVP at volunteer restoration trips to help (775) 324-7667. wild landscapes recover from noxious weeds, illegal vehicle use and other Wovoka Proposed Wilderness Area (1 hour south of Carson City), Nov. 3 impacts. You can explore scenic Join Kurt Kuznicki to explore the Pine Grove Hills south of Wellington in Lyon County. Nevada and help keep it wild at the These were the home turf of Wovoka, the Paiute mystic who started the historic same time! Our trips are free. The Ghost Dance of the 1800s. Open cross-country hiking. 10+ miles. Moderate beautiful wild places and smiling faces of others who love giving back to the Mount Charleston Wilderness (NW of Las Vegas), Oct. 27 land are priceless! Please join us on Spend the day with Friends’ board members Hermi and John Hiatt as we enjoy one of our upcoming trips! the changing aspen, rare plants and tremendous beauty on the slopes of southern Nevada’s highest peak. 5 miles. Moderate. We are currently scheduling winter annd spring trips for southern Nevada. For the Wine and Cheese in the Wee Thump Widerness (south of Las Vegas), Nov. 14 most up-to-date schedule of volunteer The quiet beauty of this Joshua tree forest west of Searchlight will be a perfect locale opportunities, log onto to enjoy the finer things in life: good friends, good food, good wine and natural beauty. www.nevadawilderness.org Join Friends’ Associate Director (and author of Afoot & Afield Las Vegas) Brian Beffort adn Friends’ Southern Nevada Director Adriane Zacmanidis. Easy: less than one mile. Transportation available. Limit 12.
LEAVE A LEGACY OF WILDERNESS ... FOREVER! Support the Friends of Nevada Wilderness endowment. Contact the Community Foundation of Western Nevada (Reno) at (775) 333-5499, or the Nevada Community Foundation (Las Vegas) at (702) 892-2326.
I want to keep Nevada wild by joining Friends of Nevada Wilderness! I would like to learn Yes!Yes! more about: Name: ______Volunteering Address:______A presentation at my company or club City: ______State: ______ZIP: ______Leaving a legacy Phone (day): ______Email: ______with a bequest _____ $25 Supporter _____ $50 Friend _____ $100 Superfriend _____ $500 Benefactor _____ Other _____ Monthly, charge my credit card Payment by: ______check ______charge (Visa & Mastercard only) Thank Card No.: ______Exp. Date: ______you! Signature: ______BECOME A MEMBER Make checks and mail to: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, PO Box 9754, Reno, NV 89507 8 www.nevadawilderness.org
Save the date! Friday, November 30, 2007 So many reasons to celebrate...
Join us to honor the birthday of Marge Sill, Nevada’s Mother of Wilderness, to thank all of our volunteers who have helped heal wild places this year, and to toast the wonderful holiday season. Hosted by the following merchants at Arlington Towers, 1st and Arlington Streets, Reno: Get your WILD calendar Our latest and greatest wall calendar is available, Se7en tea house and bar featuring handsome photos of Nevada’s beauty The Far East Corner boutique from across the state. The cost is (still) Aquarius eco-salon only $12 for a single calendar (less if you La Terre Verte eco-friendly boutique order in quantity).
Look for your order form in the mail soon, Look for your invitation in the mail, or check or order yours today by calling (775) 324-7667 out www.nevadawilderness.org or securely on our website,
for more information www.nevadawilderness.org.
Return Service Requested Service Return
Reno, NV 89507 NV Reno,
PO Box 9754 Box PO
Friends of Nevada Wilderness Nevada of Friends
PERMIT NO. 318 NO. PERMIT
RENO NV RENO
PAID
U.S. POSTAGE POSTAGE U.S. NONPROFIT ORG. NONPROFIT