FRIENDS OF NEVADA WILDERNESS SUMMER 2003 Eastward ho! Citizens’ Wilderness Proposal for east Nevada now available By Brian Beffort and Shaaron Netherton 16 BLM Wilderness Study Areas, several USFS Barely six months after the designation of 18 roadless areas and numerous citizen-proposed ar- new Wilderness Areas in and around Las Vegas, eas. In total, they stretch from the arid slopes and Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the Nevada ruggged canyons of the Mojave Desert to the high Wilderness Coalition have released the Citizens’ peaks and pine forests of mountain ranges around Wilderness Proposal for Eastern Nevada. Ely. Nominating almost 50 areas and more than 3 Among the crown jewels of the proposal are million acres of public land managed by the Bu- the Delamar Mountains, Mormon Mountains, Clo- reau of Land Management ver Mountains and Meadow Val- (BLM), U.S. Forest Service ley Mountains Wilderness Study (USFS) and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Eastern Nevada is Areas in southern Lincoln County. The 2004 Service (USF&WS) for Wilder- home to some of Another favorite area is the Wild Nevada ness designation in White Pine large USFS roadless area in the and Lincoln counties, the Propos- the wildest, most Schell Creek Range east of Ely. Calendar is al comes as Nevada Senators rugged and most With over 100,000 acres of cloud- coming! Harry Reid, John Ensign and beautiful kissed peaks, steep canyons and Congressman Jim Gibbons begin landscapes. aspen forests, this majestic moun- Celebrating newly work on a lands bill for the re- tain range faces increasing incur- designated gion. sions by off-highway vehicles. Wilderness designa- Wilderness Areas in “I’m excited to be working on areas in eastern tion offers the best protection for this still-wild Nevada, as well as Nevada,” said Executive Director Shaaron Neth- mountain range before it’s torn up by off-road ve- lands still awaiting erton, who lived for many years in Ely, Nevada. hicles. protection, this “The region is home to some of the wildest, most The Proposal also includes additions to the Cur- calendar will bring rugged and most beautiful landscapes in Nevada, rant Mountain, Quinn Canyon and Grant Range the beauty of wild and protecting these areas as Wilderness will pro- Wilderness areas, as well as proposed Wilderness Nevada to your vide both recreational opportunity and quality wild- on Highland Ridge, south of Great Basin National home and office. life habitat for generations to come. Park in the Snake Range. Order before Labor “Unlike so many other places in the United (continued on page 4) Day and get 10% off. States, Nevada still has some large tracts of land Order yours today! that remain relatively unmarred by human im- From the front lines Page 2 Call 775-324-7667 pacts,” she said. “We encourage Congress to take Hke the Schell Creek Range Page 3 this opportunity to protect some of our country’s Rewilding Nevada Page 5 last wild lands before their natural character is de- Nuts & bolts of wilderness work Page 6 stroyed by human activity.”

Inside: New staff in eastern Nevada Page 7 The Proposal includes recommendations for Northern Nevada outreach activity Page 7 1 d From the front lines by Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director

Board of Directors It has been a spring of ups and eastern Nevada by this fall. We’ll keep downs for Wilderness with positive our website updated with breaking news. So. Nevada Members happenings on the local front and We are sadly saying farewell to our Theo Byrns appalling actions on staff members Dino David Charlet the national scene. Fulgencio and Hermi Hiatt Friends of The Eastern Richard Knox. They John Hiatt Nevada Wilderness, both brought tons of Macaire Moran along with several Nevada campaign energy and ideas as other conservation well as diverse groups around the is in full swing. backgrounds and country, has initiated experience to Friends No. KarenNevada Boeger Members legal action to fight the Bush of Nevada Wilderness’ efforts to protect Henry Egghart administration’s attack on BLM’sThe Easternwilderness, and we will sorely miss Corey Lewis potential Wilderness areas. In a Nevada Wildernessthem. Ron Hunter sneaky, behind-the-scenes legal Friends of Nevada Wilderness Campaign is now Roger Scholl maneuver, Secretary of the Interior volunteers have shoveled a lot of dirt Marge Sill Gale Norton has gutted the abilityin offull andswing. planted a lot of sagebrush this the BLM to inventory and protect season with restoration efforts in the Staff potential Wilderness areas. Nevada, Wilderness areas in the Black Rock with 47 million acres of BLM- Desert region and in the Buffalo Hills Executive Director managed public land, will be hard hit WSA. A huge thanks to all the volunteers Shaaron Netherton by this action. that make restoration such a success. The Eastern Nevada Wilderness Las Vegas This summer is the time to make a Jeremy Garncarz Campaign is in full swing, and we are difference for eastern Nevada. Please delighted to welcome on board Pam take the time to write letters to the BrianReno Beffort White, our new rural Wilderness Nevada Congressional delegation and Pat Patera organizer in Ely, Nevada. Find out let them know you support the Citizens’ more about Pam in this issue of the Eastern Nevada Wilderness Proposal. PamEly White newsletter. It still looks like we may see a draft public lands bill for

NorthernPO BoxNe v9754ada Office Reno, NV 89507 (775) 324-7667 Contact your elected representatives Senator Harry Reid Senator John Ensign Sout1700hern E. Desert Nevada Inn #406Office 333 Las Vegas Blvd., S. 333 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Las Vegas, NV 89109 Suite 58203 (702) 650-6542 Suite 8016 Las Vegas, NV 89101 Las Vegas, NV 89101 (702) 388-5020 phone (702) 388-6605 phone www.nevadawilderness.orgWebsite (702 388-5030 FAX (702) 388-6501 FAX 400 S. Virginia St., Ste 702 400 S. Virginia St., Ste 738 [email protected] Get on the list Reno, NV 89501 Reno, NV 89501 (775) 686-5770 phone To get Wilderness news (775) 686-5750 phone and action alerts, (775) 686-5757 FAX (775) 686-5729 FAX subscribe to the Friends of Nevada Wilderness Representative Jim Gibbons Reno, NV 89501 email list: Send post to 400 S. Virginia Street (775) 686-5760 phone [email protected] Suite 502 with subscribe as subject (775) 686-5711 FAX 2 d

Take a hike:

Schell Creek Range: jewel of the east Photos: (top) Hikers trek the by Ron Hunter, Chairman of Friends of Nevada Wilderness Board of Directors spine of the range. (middle) Looking for adventure? Something off the beat- low the paved road about 10 miles and watch for Hikers gather at the summit. en track with views to die for? Then visit the the sign to the Forest Service Berry Creek Camp- (bottom) A forested ecosystem thrives on high. Schell Creek Range in eastern Nevada. Try climb- ground. The gravel road to the campground is Photos by Ron Hunter ing South Schell Peak from the Berry Creek drain- about 5 miles. This age. This U.S. Forest Service area is part of the campground has ta- Nevada Wilderness Coalition Citizens’ Wilderness bles and pit toilets Proposal for Eastern Nevada. You’ll find few peo- and makes a great ple, fewer trails and an base camp. From the unparalleled landscape. Berry Creek Camp- The hike gains about You’ll find ground (8,200 ft), 3,500 feet in three miles; hike up the North not for the faint of heart, few people, Fork of Berry Creek, but the views from the fewer trails which opens into a top are worth it. To the and an huge bowl below east is the Mt. Moriah South Schell Peak. Wilderness, to the south- unparalleled Follow the “path east is Great Basin Na- landscape. of least resis- tional Park, and to the tance” to the north is Taft Peak (11,705ft). On the way up are summit of South conifer species such as Douglas fir and white pine, Schell Peak sub-alpine fir to ponderosa and limber pine.You’ll (11,735), the last also see quaking aspen with Basque tree carvings. 500 feet being a You might run into elk, deer, golden eagles, moun- rather knarly tain bluebirds, American dippers, and blue grouse. scree slope. No Summer is a great time to visit the Schell Creek trail here, so take Range. a map, compass, Directions: From Ely Nevada on Highway 93 a sturdy pair of head north thru McGill to the turnoff to Duck shoes, and plenty Creek Basin (about 5 miles north of McGill). Fol- of water.

This spectacular area is at the heart of the Nevada Wilderness Coalition’s Wilderness Proposal for eastern Nevada. The approach to this area, in the Duck Creek Basin, has been hammered by off road vehicles in the last decade. Though the citizen-proposed area was administratively protected under the Clinton Administration Roadless Rule, the Bush Administration’s relentless assault on roadless areas continues. The only way to see this area’s wildland and wildlife values permanently protected is to designate the area as Wilderness. With the eastern Nevada public lands process underway, now is the time to visit, write letters, and call elected officials to tell them this area needs the protection afforded by Wilderness designation. 3 V Eastern Nevada campaign kick-off (continued from page 1) “The Proposal shows that there’s an abundance of Wil- derness-quality land in Neva- da,” said Kevin Mack, asso- ciate director of the Nevada Wilderness Project, who oversees mapping and inven- tory for the Nevada Wilder- Mission ness Coalition. “We’re also Statement finding that many of these Keeping areas were left out by the Nevada (land management) agencies Wild! in their original inventories.” Nevada’s Congressional delegation will spend the Friends of Nevada summer drafting a lands bill Wilderness is for Eastern Nevada, which dedicated to might be introduced to Con- preserving all gress as early as September. qualified Nevada We expect the bill to re- public lands as semble the Clark County bill Wilderness, in how it legislates Wilder- protecting all ness designation as well as potential Wilderness other public lands convey- from ongoing ances, and by the way it threats including seeks input from stakehold- mining, over- ers representing diverse in- grazing, road terests. Members of the Ne- construction, and vada Wilderness Coaltion will off-road vehicle use, spend the summer months educating the public generating support for the on the values of – Proposal in the region. and need for –

Wilderness, and b improving the Enjoy early order discounts management and Please help win wilderness protection restoration of these for wild lands in Eastern Nevada. on the 2004 public wild lands. Contact your Senators and Wild Nevada Calendar Congressman to express your support. Order before Labor Day and get If you can, tell about particular areas 10% off your order. Price: you’ve visited. Officials will appreciate 1- 4 calendars $12.00 each your comments. Your voice counts 5- 9 calendars $11.00 each when you ask elected officials to 10-24 calendars $10.00 each protect our precious public lands— 100 or more $ 7.00 each your lands! These make great holiday gifts. See page 2 for contact into. Order yours today! Call 775-324-7667 4 W Rewilding Nevada—one road at a time

By Brian Beffort NCC crew for work on now you see it ... Nevada Wilderness areas have become wilder the boundary between and more beautiful since last fall, when the Friends the North and South of Nevada Wilderness facilitated an agreement be- Jackson Mountains Wil- tween the Nevada Conservation Corps / Great Ba- derness areas, planning sin Institute and the Bureau of Land Management to decommission sever- to conduct wilderness restoration in Nevada. al vehicle trespass Since then, NCC crews (anywhere from eight routes. The rain had to 11 people in size) have conducted three week- other ideas, however, long tours in Wilderness Areas in and around the and drenched the week- Black Rock Desert-High end with a deluge remi- Rock Canyon National niscent of coastal Ore- Conservation Area. While Support gon or Washington. It in the field, the crews have was too muddy to work Nevada’s restored over 50 redundant much, and several of ... now you don’t or trespass vehicle routes in Wilderness the wiser volunteers wilderness. with pick & headed for home and Friends of Nevada Wil- shovel, warm, dry beds before derness encouraged mem- the sun broke out late bers and other interested sweat & toil. Saturday afternoon. volunteers to join the NCC It’s fun! Even with the rain, or crews for weekends that perhaps because of it, combine rewarding work, exciting exploration and the country was beauti- fun campouts under the stars. ful and the weekend ex- Of course, the work isn’t always as efficient as citing. Now we just expected. In early May, 10 volunteers joined an have to get back out there to finish the work. NCC crews aren’t National Public Lands Day(s) the only ones getting out Work trip in the South Jackson Wilderness September 20, 2003, Ely and restoring Wilder- decommissions a vehicle trespass route. Sept. 27, 2003, Black Rock Desert ness-quality lands in Each year on National Public Lands Day, Nevada. On the week- Several more land management agencies and volunteers end of May 17-19 vol- wilderness celebrate our commitment to our public unteers from the Sierra restoration work lands with a day of work to clean up and Club and Friends of Ne- parties are restore our beautiful public lands. vada Wilderness joined scheduled for the Declare your · the Eagle Lake Field wilderness Ely activities will take place in the Black Rock Desert support with a Timber Creek Campground in the Schell Office of the BLM for this summer. If you a restoration work party “wild” T-shirt Creek Range. A variety of work is planned, are interested in Printed on 100% in the Buffalo Hills Wil- along with picnic fun. Call (800) 865-8337 to joining one of them, organic cotton. get involved. derness Study Area call Brian at (775) New style says: · Black Rock Desert activities will include near the Smoke Creek 0324-7667. The KEEP IT WILD! restoration and clean up, and will include a Desert. Free of rain, the restoration season Please specify BBQ and campout on the playa. Call (775) volunteers successfully will culminate with size: S, M, L, XL 324-7667 to find out more. decommissioned several National Public Cost: $10 + Mark the dates in your calendar, and get vehicle trespass routes, Lands Day on $2 shipping. ready to have fun giving back to your public all the while enjoying September 27. lands! bountiful wildflowers Don’t miss it! and fine spring weather. 5 z z The nuts & bolts work of wilderness If you’ve ever wondered, “Just what does designation and our vision for Eastern Nevada Friends of Nevada Wilderness do?” Here is a Wilderness. breakdown of some of our activities in 2003: Federal Policy Nevada State Legislature Outreach v We have been involved in strategy sessions Although Wilderness designation and manage- with conservation groups from around the country ment are federal issues, issues often arise at the to counteract the federal administration’s efforts to state level that might affect Nevada’s wildlands. undermine wilderness protection. v We have provided information packets and BLM and Forest Service Oversight testimony for the Nevada Legislature Senate and v We have worked with a number of Nevada A heartfelt Assembly committees on Natural Resources, in- BLM districts on issues affecting wilderness and Thank You cluding testimony on, and amendments to, SJR 3, potential wilderness, including fire planning, nox- to all the SJR 4, and SCR 7. All of these resolutions dealt ious weeds, crashed planes, grazing, fences, etc. v Friends of with wilderness in Nevada and will We are working with the be given to Nevada’s Federal Con- federal agencies in Las Vegas to Nevada gressional Delegation. We were We worked with a develop an Interagency Wilder- Wilderness able to improve the language to in- number of Nevada ness Management Proposal. new members, clude some positive statements BLM districts on issues v We have attended scoping renewing members, about Wilderness. affecting wilderness meetings on the Ely District Re- Field Work and potential source Management Plan and Life Members v Jeremy and Brian have wilderness. submitted comments on potential and Patrons. spent long days out in Lincoln wilderness in eastern Nevada. County and in the Ely area, con- v We have attended many, ducting inventories and photo documentation of ar- many meetings to improve the management plan eas in our Eastern Nevada Wilderness Proposal. for the Black Rock-High Rock National Conser- Wilderness Land Acquisition vation Area / Wilderness Plan / EIS. v We have worked on several proposed land v We have attended meetings and commented acquisitions through the Southern Nevada Public on the USFS Jarbidge Environmental Impact Lands Management Act. These include the Home Statement road plan near the Jarbidge Wilderness. Camp properties in and around the Wall Canyon v We have worked with other groups to moni- WSA, a parcel to accommodate a trailhead to tor snowmobile use and trespass into the Mt. Rose Hunter Creek and the Mount Rose Wilderness, in- Wilderness. holdings within the Buffalo Hills WSA, plus inhold- ings within the East Humboldt Wilderness and the Notes from the field . . . Arcularius property near the Alta Toquima Wilder- by Jeremy Garncarz ness. In the middle of May, I spent several days Wilderness Restoration mapping the Becky Peak region in the northern v We rallied volunteers to help the BLM and portion of the Schell Creek Range located north- Nevada Conservation Corps restore native habitat east of Ely. The weather cooperated and the map- in the Buffalo Hills WSA and the North and South ping trip was a success. Jackson Mountains Wilderness Areas. From sunrise to sunset, we were out on the Public Education ground, driving or hiking and documenting every v We produced the Eastern NV Wilderness vehicle route in the region. The mapping process is Campaign brochure and associated displays for ed- labor intensive ucational outreach events. and involves taking detailed notes of the area, in- v We have begun production of the 2004 Wild cluding wildlife observed and special natural or Nevada Calendar (order early on the website and man-made features in the area. save $$$. Go to www.nevadawilderness.org). The Becky Peak region is spectacular and cur- v Brian and Jeremy have given numerous slide rently has no level of protection. I’ve encountered shows to community organizations and libraries to pronghorn antelope, elk, deer, wild horses, and a share our success with Clark County Wilderness golden eagle while hiking the hills. 6 z z New staff in eastern Nevada Pamela White recently joined the Friends of stressed that in order to use the land it must be Nevada Wilderness staff as the Eastern Nevada managed and protected. Wilderness organizer. She has been living in Ely “There comes a time when for almost three years and said she feels both sur- certain areas just need the pro- prised and welcomed by White Pine County and tection of wilderness designation all that rural Nevada has to offer. “I am really to ensure that there is nature left looking forward to expressing my passion for pro- to preserve cultural resources, tecting wilderness to the citizens of Lincoln and healthy watersheds, wildlife hab- White Pine Counties,” she said. itat and to provide recreation and Pam spent 10 years living the big city life. She a sense of solitude,” she said. went to Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, Pam’s job is to get out and where she earned a business degree in econom- talk to folks about wilderness. ics. Then she began climbing the corporate ladder. She works closely with the staff “All I can say is climbing the corporate ladder of the BLM and USFS, ranch- gave me no peace, and these days I stick to the ers, landowners, recreationists peaceful climb up a mountain.” and others who use our public Pam is a Wyoming native and was raised a lands in Nevada. She encourag- mountain kid. She says her parents instilled in her es wilderness supporters to get an undying passion and understanding of the bal- involved and she listens to people ance of nature and maintaining one’s livelihood. who have concerns about wil- “I started camping before I can remember,” derness. she recalls, “and my first backpacking trip was the “We’re here to help solve summer I turned six.” problems if we can,” said Pam. Pam understands that rural communities need “Sometimes really trying to understand people’s is- to use the land to fare well economically, but sues with wilderness can lead to creative solutions.” Las Vegas Volunteer Northern Nevada outreach activity tells Night Every first Thursday 4-8 pm people the dramatic tale of wilderness at Moose by Pat Patera McGillicuddy’s Hundreds of people in the Reno area gained a were treated to this informative and entertaining talk Happy Hour For more new awareness of wilderness at a wide array of about wilderness. Presented at 30 meetings to folks information, call outreach events this past year. of all ages and interests, this outreach work also at- 702-650-6542 Earth Day Festival – Of the 8,000 folks who tracted about 100 new member activists. attended this April 26 festival at Idlewild Park, These public outreach events are an integral part Reno area hundreds cruised by the Friends of Nevada Wilder- of attaining wilderness protection for our public ness booth to view the colorful photo display, pick lands – because it is the public who owns these Volunteer up a brochure, and chat with staff members about lands; it is the public who writes the letters to elect- Night the value of wilderness to all. ed representatives and to local media; it is the public Raise a glass to Forever Wild Concert – Walkin’ Jim Stoltz who makes their voices heard about the issues they Wilderness! sings rollicking trail songs and soulful ballads that care about. And it is from the general public that Every first Wednesday 5:30 to 7 pm go straight to the heart. Surely no one could have Friends of Nevada Wilderness draws those special at Silver Peak Brewery left this benefit concert unchanged! This event people who care about wilderness. Those people, 124 Wonder brought out 300 folks and inspired 25 newly-minted like you, become our members. (corner Holcomb) activists to join Friends of Nevada Wilderness after We couldn’t do it without you! For more information, the show. If you want to suggest meetings or events at call 775-324-7667 Slide Shows – Civic, social and business which a wilderness show should be presented, call groups in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas (775) 324-7667. 7