FROM THE FRONT LINES: Giving back is a beautiful feeling 2 WILDERNESS: Nature’s laboratory 3 TAKE A HIKE: Fish Lake Valley: A Geologic Wonderland 6 STEWARDSHIP 2007: Off to a great start 7 8 INSIDE2007 VOLUNTEER TRIPS: Mark your calendar Friends of Nevada Wilderness SPRING 2007 Preserving the past: Volunteers protect ancient rock art By Pat Bruce On May 12 Friends of Nevada Wilderness volunteers joined forces with the Ely BLM District to protect ancient rock art from off-road vehicle Kilala, Angelina and Zoe, the next generation of wilderness advocates. Photo by Brian Beffort trespass in the Weepah Springs Wilderness, about 90 minutes north of Las Vegas. The tracks Born to be crossed the wilderness boundary, entered w a wash, and led to rock art panels that are ild believed to be over 4,000 years old. Away from TVs, computers and DVDs, were partly selfish in organizing this “Families Our 10 volunteers made the tracks kids can just be kids in the Wild” trip in May. disappear in only a few hours. We then I want my son, Logan, to spent some time exploring this magical By Brian Beffort sticks into a mound of dirt. grow, play and explore “It’s a spider house,” she untrammeled by television, place and the pecked images left by people oe and Kilala spent said, for the spider she saw computer screens, traffic living here so long ago. We can only guess hours at the water, crawling there earlier. and the season’s must-have hopping from rock Here at Columbine toys. I want wilderness to at the meaning behind the images we to rock across the Campground, on the get under his skin. I want saw—bighorns, concentric circles, parallel creek, inevitably western border of Arc him to need wilderness as lines, and human figures that look to be getting their shoes Dome Wilderness in much as it needs him. Zand pants wet when they Central Nevada’s Toiyabe I also want to meet other waving their hands. These images have slipped. Logan was nearby Range, five families with parents who wish the same survived for thousands of years, and we in the shade, arms and kids between two and six things for their children. legs covered with dirt, years old were discovering What I didn’t expect was hope that the work we did that Saturday hammering tent stakes into wilderness—learning, how many other parents are will help to preserve them even longer. the ground—not because growing and exploring looking for the same thing. It is a great feeling to work for an a tent needed to be staked in the best classroom “I don’t want Angelina down, but because he liked available, the great sitting at home watching organization whose staff and members hammering. Next to him, outdoors. Angelina planted a grove of I confess my intentions continued on page 4 continued on page 7 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 Giving back to the land is a beautiful feeling need for — wilderness, and My daughter graduates featured in this newsletter, who will improving the management and from High School this undoubtedly grow up to be champions of restoration of wild lands. June and will be heading our wild places. Northern Nevada Office for American University Learning about the pleasures and PO Box 9754 in August. Her diploma challenges waiting outdoors is a huge part Reno, NV 89507 carries a certificate of growing to cherish wild places. I love the (775) 324-7667 recognizing her four years fact that wilderness offers something to the Shaaron Netherton of volunteer service. I’d very young, the very old and everyone in Executive Director like to think as a mom, I between. Wild nature teaches and inspires [email protected] Shaaron helped inspire her to give everyone. Whether you’re a four-year-old Netherton back to the land and our community. splashing in a creek, a young buck climbing Brian Beffort As part of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, a peak, or an elder walking a wilderness Associate Director executive you have helped create a legacy of trail with your hiking sticks, it is a place for [email protected] director wilderness, which we will leave to our wonder and wisdom. Pat Bruce young people to carry on and nurture. I am Take the time this summer to become Field Project Coordinator heartened by the talented and caring young re-inspired. Bring yourself and your family [email protected] people, like my daughter and your kids and to a restoration trip, camp out, have fun Angie Dykema grandkids, who are willing to take on that and reconnect with the land. I promise Forest Project Coordinator responsibility. you’ll feel better, more connected, and more [email protected] I am also heartened by the youngsters committed to our beautiful wild places. Richard Knox Membership Coordinator Attention all Washoe County [email protected] residents: Action needed! You need Nevada wilderness! Rose Demoret And it needs you. Administrative Director [email protected] Washoe County is updating their Open Space Plan, which needs to include places like the Wilderness helps us remember the past and Petersen Mountain, the Virginia Mountains, the preserve it for the future. Leave a legacy of Board of Directors Pah Rah Range and many others. Please come wilderness by including Friends of Nevada Hermi Hiatt, and support your wild open spaces. Wilderness in your estate plans. State Chair The most common estate or legacy gift is a Karen Boeger, Rural Vice-Chair Two workshops (attend either one) simple bequest. To include Friends of Nevada Bart Patterson, Saturday, June 16 Wilderness as a beneficiary of your mutual Southern Vice-Chair fund, retirement account, life insurance policy Roger Scholl, 9:00-11:30 AM or will, you and your professional advisors will Treasurer Sun Valley Neighborhood Center need the following information: Sarah Perrault, 115 W. 6th Avenue, Sun Valley Secretary Bob Abbey 2:00-4:30 PM Friends of Nevada Wilderness Peter Bradley South Valley Libraries 1 Booth Street John Hiatt 15650A Wedge Parkway Reno, NV 89509 Ron Hunter Tax ID #: 88-0211763 Kurt Kuznicki Marge Sill For more information, contact: Lynda Nelson, Washoe County Parks, 823-6511 For additional information, please call [email protected] Bill Whitney, Open Space Program, 328-3617 Shaaron Netherton, Executive Director, at (775) 324-7667. www.nevadawilderness.org Susan Juetten, Sierra Club, 849-9377 http://nevadawild.blogspot.com Join the team! Make a difference! Friends of Nevada Wilderness is looking for a Southern NV Outreach Coordinator. If you are someone who loves people, wilderness and making a difference to Nevada’s special places, contact us. If you know someone who would love to inspire others about Nevada’s wild places, please pass this on to them. For a copy of the job announcement, visit www.nevadawilderness.org, call (775) 324-7667 or email Rose ([email protected]) in our Reno office. www.nevadawilderness.org 3 Saving all Mail the parts: call The science Eastern Nevada of wilderness Travel Planning comments due By Peter Bradley and Brian Beffort The Forest Service is developing a transportation More and more, wilderness management is becoming a laboratory, a plan crucible, where we can observe for the Ely Ranger the intricate turning of the District in springs and gears of what Aldo All creatures have roles to play, but they need wild places to survive. Photo by Mike McCurry Eastern Leopold called the “natural Nevada. clock.” Large wilderness areas known by scientists all over the The comment connected to other diverse world as some of the best places period ends June wildlands can function as well- to study island biogeography; 21, 2007. Visit the FS oiled, finely-tuned ecosystems, website for maps and more right up there with the Galapagos details at: www.fs.fed.us/r4/ when all their parts are saved and Indonesian archipelagos and in proper order and htnf/projects/ely/2007/ely_ (read David Quammen’s book, travel/ely_travel.shtml function. The Song of the Dodo, to learn Take Yellowstone for example. more about this). Copies of the transportation After Yellowstone lost the wolf— As elsewhere, the complexity maps are available by one of its top carnivores—in the of Nevada’s natural systems calling the Ely Ranger 19th and 20th centuries, no one stretches far beyond the District at (775) 289-3031. expected, and few even noticed borders of our sky island Electronic comments can the simultaneous disappearance wilderness areas, and each be emailed to: comments- of vast riparian woodlands—the intermtnhumboldt-toiyabe- cog plays a role—from the [email protected] willow, cottonwood, ash and soil enrichment activities of mountain alder that grew along our gopher and ant species, the creeks and rivers. But when The Forest Service Sage grouse. Photo by Scott Smith to the seasonal migrations proposes to add about 254 land was protected as wild, and of our deer, elk, bighorn and miles of motorized routes the gray wolf was reintroduced, which led to improved breeding pronghorn, to the beaver’s to the Ely Ranger District’s all matter of ecological hell in elk and deer, which led to key role in preserving riparian transportation system. This broke loose. Or, was it heaven? more wolves, which…shall I go corridors for myriad migrators also includes a proposal to Reinserting the wolf gear into on? (songbirds, waterfowl and restrict motor vehicles to a Yellowstone’s ecological clock Nevada’s wildland clock bats) and year-round residents designated route system.