From the front lines: White Pine County update 2 Take a hike: Explore and protect the White Pine Range 3 In the field: Lend a hand, save a wild place 4 Why I love wilderness: Kurt Kuznicki 6 6 INSIDECalendar of events: Friends’ summer activities

Friends of Wilderness SUMMER 2006 Volunteers keep Mail call / The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will use public comment to create draft wilderness recommendations. Find out how you can help on page 8 the ‘wild’ Humboldt-Toiyabe in wilderness Congressional forest needs your help wilderness designation is just the beginning. Making sure Find an wilderness stays wild update requires diligent work of recent on the ground. Friends successes of Nevada Wilderness

and works to protect

upcoming wilderness areas and projects t on help them recover from page 4 impacts. But we can’t do it without volunteers. Friends would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers, who have worked to protect the health and beauty of Nevada’s wildlands. We would also like Toiyabe Crest / Brian Beffort Crest Toiyabe to invite those of you who have not yet

joined us for a volunteer work trip in our letters supporting wilderness roadless areas in wilderness. You can help wilderness are needed by August 1 to the new plan. At Y stay wild by joining one of Friends’ protect millions of acres of Forest Service stake are more three stewardship programs: Adopt-A- wilderness-quality roadless areas in than 2 million Wilderness, Leave No Trace training, Nevada and eastern California. acres of high and Wilderness restoration projects. Officials at the Humboldt-Toiyabe peaks, deep They’re all free; all we ask is your time National Forest (the “HT”), which covers Mount Rose / Brian Beffort canyons, lush and passion for wild places. Whatever 6.2 million acres in Nevada and California meadows and your interests and abilities, we have (the largest national forest in the Lower old-growth forests, which offer beauty, ways for you to become involved in the 48), have begun revising their forest plan. clean water, wildlife habitat and bountiful protection and preservation of Nevada’s By law, the HT must consider whether to opportunities for hiking, backpacking, wilderness legacy. Please join us! recommend wilderness designation for continued on page 8 continued on page 4 2 www.nevadawilderness.org

OUR MISSION

Friends of Nevada Wilderness is dedicated to preserving all qualified Nevada public lands as wilderness, protecting all present FROM THE FRONTLINES and potential wilderness from ongoing threats, educating the public about the values of — and White Pine public lands take center stage need for — wilderness, and As this newsletter goes update of the Friends of Nevada Wilderness improving the management and restoration of public wild lands. to press, the White Pine logo to more accurately represent our County Public Lands beautiful state. Additionally, the new look Northern Nevada Office bill should shortly be of the newsletter is the result of awesome PO Box 9754 introduced into Congress. design work of volunteer Laura Brigham. Reno, NV 89507 Once Friends of Nevada And last but not least, a big welcome and (775) 324-7667 Wilderness has carefully thanks to all our new members that joined Shaaron Netherton reviewed the entire bill, us this quarter and to all of our members Executive Director we will publish a special for getting involved – writing letters, [email protected] Shaaron newsletter informing our volunteering, etc. Our many successes members on just what the bill provisions in protecting wild places in Nevada are Brian Beffort Netherton Conservation Director executive will do. because all of you made it so. [email protected] director Statewide, the Humboldt Toiyabe Check this newsletter for upcoming National Forest has just come out with a wilderness stewardship and monitoring Pat Bruce list of forest lands that they believe have opportunities. These trips are great ways Field Project Coordinator wilderness qualities. While it is a good start, to give back to our state and meet folks [email protected] our analysis shows that many important who share many of your same interests Richard Knox areas have been left off that list. Read more and values. You can also find out about Membership Coordinator about what you can do in this issue. volunteer opportunities on our website [email protected] I’d like to give thanks to some special www.nevadawilderness.org. Southern Nevada Office volunteers who have really helped out Get out this summer and explore P. O. Box 230432 our organization. First, thanks to Sharon those wild places, be safe and wear your Las Vegas, NV 89105 Schafer, a fabulous graphic artist, for her sunscreen! (702) 650-6542 Susan Potts Southern Nevada Organizer [email protected] Eastern Nevada Office Thank you, Sharon! 1313 1/2 Avenue I Ely, NV 89301 (775) 289-8898 (office) Fresh look for Friends’ logo (775) 293-1007 (cell) We have always loved our Joshua tree logo, even Pete Dronkers though we understand that it doesn’t represent Eastern Nevada Organizer [email protected] all of Nevada. Thanks to the wonderful talents of Sharon Schafer, our logo now Board of Directors Karen Boeger, Rural Vice-Chair better represents Nevada’s wonderful Hermi Hiatt, State Chair Bart Patterson, wild diversity. Sharon is the artist of the Southern Vice-Chair mural at the new Mt. Charleston visitors’ Roger Scholl, Northern Vice-Chair center, and of many T-shirts at Red Rock Canyon Marge Sill, Secretary at-large and Mt. Charleston. Thank you, Sharon! If you’d like Bob Abbey to contact Sharon, and see some of her art, you can Peter Bradley John Hiatt email her at [email protected]. Ron Hunter Macaire Moran Sarah Perrault

[email protected] www.nevadawilderness.org www.nevadawilderness.org 3

TAKE A HIKE IN THE CURRANT MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS Explore, protect, enjoy Mail call Your letters can protect the White Pine Range

Additions to the Currant Mountain Currant Wilderness and other Mountain proposed wilderness is one of areas in the White Nevada’s Pine Range should great wilder- be addressed in the ness jewels. upcoming White Pine County public lands bill. Please write Nevada’s Congressional delegation; tell them why you support wilderness for the White Pine Range Complex.

Senator Harry Reid 400 So. Virginia Street, # 902 Getting there Reno, NV 89501 hen Congress designated Phone: 775-686-5750 The White Pine Range stretches between Highway 50 east of Fax: 775-686-5757 the 36,000-acre Currant Eureka, and Highway 6 between Ely and Tonopah. Mountain Wilderness in The most scenic country is on the southern end of the range Senator John Ensign 1989, they helped protect and is most easily accessed from Highway 6: From Ely, drive 26 Wone of Nevada’s great mountains, but 600 East William St., miles toward Tonopah on Highway 6. Turn right/west on Forest # 304 they didn’t go nearly far enough in Service Road 1163 (if driving from Tonopah, turn left/west 22.5 Carson City, NV 89701 miles past Currant on Highway 6), then drive 8 miles west on protecting all of the land that deserves Phone: 775-885-9111 1163 to the White River campground, which is the only designated wilderness in the region. Fax: 775-883-5590 Friends of Nevada Wilderness and campground in the area; this beautiful campground has 10 sites, pit toilets, cooking grills and costs $4 per night. the Nevada Wilderness Coalition have Representative Jim You can also access this region from Highway 50: About 48 proposed additions to the Currant Gibbons miles east of Eureka (40 miles west of Ely), turn south toward the 400 S. Virginia Street, Mountain Wilderness and additional Illipah Reservoir, then continue south on Forest Service Rd 400. # 502 wilderness areas along the White There is a designated campground at Illipah Reservoir, with 14 Reno, NV 89501 Pine Range, stretching north toward sites, shelters and grills. Phone: 775-686-5760 Highway 50 – all totaling more Although there are no designated trailheads in the region, there Fax: 775-686-5711 than 150,000 acres. Together, this are numerous opportunities for hiking and exploring; hike to an wilderness complex will conserve enticing high point for a view of what makes this area so special. large tracts of wildlife habitat for sage Note: The nearest services are in Ely and Eureka. When grouse, elk, and other species, as well traveling in this area, you need to carry all your own food, water as ample opportunities to hike, hunt, and shelter. Watch your gas gauge. High-clearance vehicles are recommended; roads may be impassible from weather or misuse. and camp in big, wild and beautiful country. Find out for yourself why we think Managing agency this area is so special. This region is US Forest Service, Ely Ranger District a great place to explore by vehicle or (775) 289-3031; www.fs.fed.us.r4/htnf/districts/ely.shtml on foot. Maps: Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Ely Ranger Brian Beffort District, west half. 4 www.nevadawilderness.org

Volunteer Lend a hand, for wilderness save a wild space continued from page 1 UPCOMING TRIPS Saving Nevada’s wild forests Friends’ new Forest Project August 5, Black Rock Coordinator, Angela Dykema, will work Desert. Join Friends and the with volunteers to provide the Forest BLM for a restoration project Service with monitoring, inventory and in wilderness. Details TBA. restoration work in wilderness areas For information, call Brian Beffort at (775) 324-7667. across Nevada. We’re also looking for volunteers to visit and evaluate roadless August 23-27, Pine areas affected by the Forest Service’s Forest Range. Join Friends forest plan revision (see the lead article and the BLM for a restoration in this issue). project on one of Nevada’s great mountain jewels (come Adopt-A-Wilderness for the full trip, or just a Nevada’s a big state, with diverse, couple days). Green grass, rugged and remote wildlands. Funding high lakes, sweeping views; to manage these areas is limited. Nevada doesn’t get prettier than this! For information, call Adopting a wilderness will let you Pat Bruce at (775) 324-7667. explore wilderness and play a vital role in keeping it wild. By visiting September 30-October your adopted wilderness a few times Mormon Mission 1, National Public Lands a year, you can get to know the area’s On March 25, 2006, Friends of Day, Stevens Camp and beauty and report damage to the area’s Nevada Wilderness volunteers and BLM the High Rock Canyon managing agency. staff completed a series of projects in Wilderness. Join us for our If you have a favorite place, or if you’d the Mormon Mountains Wilderness biggest volunteer event of the like to find a new favorite, take the next near Mesquite, Nev. While one team year – good work, good food, step and adopt it. Friends of Nevada restored a sensitive ecological area from speakers and stargazing. illegal vehicle damage, another removed Details TBA. Wilderness will provide you with all the information you need to monitor and overgrown bushes from a sensitive More trips to be protect your adopted wilderness. archaeological site, helping to reduce announced soon ... Check wildfire damage to the artifacts. out our website, Leave No Trace www.nevadawilderness.org Leave No Trace camping and hiking Mt. Grafton Goodness for updates. techniques will help you enjoy your Up the North Creek drainage in the wilderness experience while reducing Mt. Grafton WSA, illegal vehicle use your backcountry footprint. These is creating “hill climbs” in the heart trainings are provided with the help of of the wilderness. In June, Friends the BLM and the Forest Service during teamed up with the BLM to disguise two backpacking and car-camping trips in illegal vehicle routes with boulders and Nevada’s wilderness areas. There are struggling wildlife populations, Friends Trained volunteers can now monitor downed material, then rehabilitated the several courses offered this year. Check of Nevada Wilderness is joining the guzzlers in wilderness areas, providing stream zone by transplanting wild rose the schedule on our website. BLM, Nevada Department of Wildlife, NDOW with information that cannot be and native bunch-grasses, erasing both and the Fraternity of Desert Bighorn. obtained from their fly-over inspections. routes in a couple of hours. Adopt-A-Guzzler In March, volunteers met at the Arrow Consider adopting a guzzler somewhere With the work out of the way, we Without healthy wildlife populations, Canyon Range in northern Clark County in wilderness in Nevada. It’s a great headed back to the campsite for chicken wilderness is a lonely landscape. To to learn how to inspect and repair big- excuse to explore wild Nevada and help stew, black forest cake, stargazing and provide quality habitat for Nevada’s game water developments (guzzlers). the wildlife before their water runs dry. storytelling around the campfire.

Find out more about Friends’ stewardship programs at our website, www.nevadawilderness.org. To get more details or sign up for a trip, contact Pat Bruce at (775) 324-7667 or [email protected]. www.nevadawilderness.org 5

Clockwise from left:

Our man Louis shows how much fun working in the Black Rock Desert can be. Thank you save a space A proud crew relaxes wild after work well done to everyone in the Mormon continued from page 1 Mountains. Saving Nevada’s wild forests Friends’ new Forest Project Shaaron Netherton who has ever Coordinator, Angela Dykema, will work working on the with volunteers to provide the Forest Thomas Creek Trail. Service with monitoring, inventory and volunteered to restoration work in wilderness areas across Nevada. We’re also looking for volunteers to visit and evaluate roadless keep areas affected by the Forest Service’s forest plan revision (see the lead article WILDERNESS in this issue). Nevada Adopt-A-Wilderness RESTORATION Nevada’s a big state, with diverse, rugged and remote wildlands. Funding wild. to manage these areas is limited. Adopting a wilderness will let you Not only are you explore wilderness and play a vital role in keeping it wild. By visiting Mormon Mission your adopted wilderness a few times A few hours and volunteers can keeping wildness a year, you can get to know the area’s On March 25, 2006, Friends of make a big difference, as you can beauty and report damage to the area’s Nevada Wilderness volunteers and BLM tell from these before and after managing agency. staff completed a series of projects in shots from Mount Grafton WSA. If you have a favorite place, or if you’d the Mormon Mountains Wilderness alive on Nevada’s like to find a new favorite, take the next near Mesquite, Nev. While one team step and adopt it. Friends of Nevada restored a sensitive ecological area from Wilderness will provide you with all the illegal vehicle damage, another removed landscapes, information you need to monitor and overgrown bushes from a sensitive protect your adopted wilderness. archaeological site, helping to reduce wildfire damage to the artifacts. perhaps more Leave No Trace Leave No Trace camping and hiking Mt. Grafton Goodness techniques will help you enjoy your Up the North Creek drainage in the importantly, wilderness experience while reducing Mt. Grafton WSA, illegal vehicle use your backcountry footprint. These is creating “hill climbs” in the heart Friends of Nevada Wilderness trainings are provided with the help of of the wilderness. In June, Friends coordinates with land you’re keeping the BLM and the Forest Service during teamed up with the BLM to disguise two management agencies to identify backpacking and car-camping trips in illegal vehicle routes with boulders and areas in wilderness that need Nevada’s wilderness areas. There are struggling wildlife populations, Friends Trained volunteers can now monitor downed material, then rehabilitated the some TLC—areas that have been it alive in our several courses offered this year. Check of Nevada Wilderness is joining the guzzlers in wilderness areas, providing stream zone by transplanting wild rose impacted by irresponsible off-road the schedule on our website. BLM, Nevada Department of Wildlife, NDOW with information that cannot be and native bunch-grasses, erasing both vehicle use, invasive species, and the Fraternity of Desert Bighorn. obtained from their fly-over inspections. routes in a couple of hours. and/or vandalism. Join us and hearts! Adopt-A-Guzzler In March, volunteers met at the Arrow Consider adopting a guzzler somewhere With the work out of the way, we other like-minded volunteers as Without healthy wildlife populations, Canyon Range in northern Clark County in wilderness in Nevada. It’s a great headed back to the campsite for chicken we work to help these scars heal. wilderness is a lonely landscape. To to learn how to inspect and repair big- excuse to explore wild Nevada and help stew, black forest cake, stargazing and Restoration projects are a fun and provide quality habitat for Nevada’s game water developments (guzzlers). the wildlife before their water runs dry. storytelling around the campfire. rewarding way for people to truly experience Nevada wilderness. We work hard, camp under the stars, and take time to enjoy the area Find out more about Friends’ stewardship programs at our website, www.nevadawilderness.org. while we’re out there. To get more details or sign up for a trip, contact Pat Bruce at (775) 324-7667 or [email protected]. 6 www.nevadawilderness.org

Why I Love Wilderness / KURT KUZNICKI ilderness is about going back. Back to a simpler time, when Friends I carried my youngest on my shoulders while the oldest held summer my hand as we hiked down the trail. Back to when I first met my activities Wwife and fell in love on a hiking trip long ago. Back to a time, spent climbing UPCOMING EVENTS peaks, and month-long backpacks with the best of friends. Back to a time when the greatest hero any boy could know, my father, Join Friends of Nevada showed me how to catch a wild trout. Back Wilderness staff, board, fellow members and to a time when the entire world was Wild and coalition partners for the full of adventure.

following events in Reno Brian Beffort and Las Vegas:

July 25, White Pine County legislation party, Great Basin Brewery, VOLUNTEER Sparks. Join Friends and heroes other Wilderness Coalition partners from 6 to 8 p.m. as Without dedicated people, wilderness designation wouldn’t we examine the wilderness proposals in the White Pine be possible. We’d like to say a big THANK YOU to a public-lands bill. Call (775) 324-7667 for details. couple people who have made a difference in our efforts to conserve wilderness in White Pine County. August 5, Festival In the Pines, Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, Peter Druschke is a student Lee Canyon. Join Friends of geosciences at the University from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. of Nevada, Las Vegas, doing field in this celebration of the work for his dissertation in the Egan Spring Mountains. Call Range Wilderness Study Area in (702) 650-6542 for more southern White Pine County. As a information. critical resource of information to congressional delegation staff and August 19, Galena to our coalition, Peter has been the Creek Park (south/2nd most active in promoting the Egan entrance). Join us for a hike to Church’s Pond in Range. He’s spent so many weeks the Mt. Rose Wilderness, hiking around the area, he’s lost followed by a picnic among count. Keep it up, Peter! the pines. To RSVP or for more information call (775) 324-7667. Pete Dronkers August 27, Cathedral Rock picnic area, Upper Kyle Canyon, Mt. Neil Marchington, of Ely, has been to nearly Charleston. every proposed wilderness area in the county in Join us for a hike into the the last two years, looking for undiscovered caves. wilderness, followed by Providing photos, trip reports, and writing letters a picnic in the cool, high- to support wilderness designation for these areas, elevation forest. To RSVP Neil has been a widely heard voice – not only in (so we know how many Ely but in Washington DC as well. Living near burgers to buy) or for more the Heusser Mountain proposed wilderness, Neil information, call was instrumental during the county commission (702) 650-6542. hearings that led to its official recommendation for

wilderness. Thanks Neil! Nicole Marchington www.nevadawilderness.org 7

DEDICATED TO WILDERNESS Remembering Mark in the Meadow Valley Range WSA in 1996. Mark Saylor e at Friends of Nevada Mark named Wilderness mourn the passing of Friends Leaving a legacy WMark Saylor. He was a longtime of Nevada of wilderess supporter of wilderness and served on Wilderness as Friends’ Board of Directors and then as a beneficiary If you would like to State Chair from 1991 to 2000. of his estate, include Friends of Mark, who traveled all over the world, helping us Nevada Wilderness in

strongly felt that Nevada’s wild places Booth Howard to continue your estate plans, your were worth saving. He enjoyed the desert, his passion attorney or retirement plan hiking, camping and exploring with his for wildlands protection into the future. administrator will need the Jeep many areas in southern Nevada. “When you see your time on Earth coming following information: Mark loved maps, and his work with to an end, you think about what matters to the Technical Committee on an intensive you,” he told Friends of Nevada Wilderness Name: Friends of Nevada inventory of BLM wildlands resulted in a few months before his death. “Wilderness Wilderness wonderfully marked-up maps to show is fun and inspiring, and I like the idea of Address: 1 Booth St., more-suitable wilderness boundaries. leaving something to a group I believe in.” Reno, NV 89509 He was a man of wide-ranging Mark, thank you for everything you’ve Tax ID #: 88-0211763 interests, from bluegrass to equal rights. done for Nevada. We miss you. Your He provided free dentistry to deserving memory, passion and generosity will For additional communities in the United States, Mexico live on in our work to protect Nevada’s information, please call and Africa through Doctors without wildlands. (775) 324-7667 Borders. Hermi Hiatt

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 slide show 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 Mail call Yosemite National Park. What you can do Humboldt-Toiyabe lPearl Peak. 60,000 wild acres in continued from page 1 the southern Ruby Mountains; home to to keep Nevada’s bighorn sheep, ancient bristlecone pines, forests wild hunting, skiing, fishing and solitude. bountiful hiking and backcountry skiing. In May, the HT released a preliminary lJob’s Peak. 21,000 acres of gorgeous Please write a letter to the Humboldt- list highlighting roughly 1.5 million roadless mountains between Lake Tahoe Toiyabe’s Forest Supervisor by August 1. acres with “high” wilderness capability. and Nevada’s Carson Valley. Urge him to recommend for wilderness all Unfortunately, the HT also listed many lGeorge’s Canyon. 98,000 acres in the roadless areas identified as having “high” other wilderness-quality lands as having southern Monitor Range, near Tonopah. wilderness capability in the HT’s revised “low” wilderness capability. The HT will use lPine Grove South. 88,000 acres in forest plan. Please mention areas you public comment collected on these areas to southern Lyon County. have visited. create draft wilderness recommendations. lWilderness additions. The HT has For a list of roadless areas the Forest Your strong support will be necessary identified roughly 250,000 acres of high- Service s considering for wilderness to help both high-capability areas, and quality additions to currently designated recommendations, go to www.fs.fed.us/ deserving low-capability areas receive the wilderness areas. Expanding wilderness r4/htnf/projects/forestplan/index.shtml; or recommendations they deserve. areas to include these deserving lands will www.nevadawilderness.org and click on Here are a few of the remaining, significantly enhance Nevada’s legacy for the “Forest Service” link. unprotected wild jewels: people and wildlife. lThe Toiyabe Crest. 100,000 acres Despite their beauty and value to Send your comments to: adjacent to the wilderness recreationists, communities and wildlife, Forest Supervisor area; home to the Toiyabe Crest National these unprotected lands face increasing Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Recreation Trail. threats from off-road vehicle use, 1200 Franklin Way lHoover Additions. 26,000 acres mining, development, and unwise energy Sparks, NV 89431 adjacent to the Hoover Wilderness in exploration. Your support will help keep California; on the eastern boundary of them wild for future generations.

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Friends of Nevada Wilderness PO Box 9754 Reno, NV 89507

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