FRIENDS OF NEVADA WILDERNESS Keeping Nevvvada Wild Since 1984 WINTER 2005 Wilderness stewardship enters a new phase Helping Wild Lands Heal By Brian Beffort Because wilderness designation does not guaran- Wilderness Restoration tee landscapes will remain free of human impacts, In coordination with the BLM, we have sched- invasive plant species and other threats, Friends of uled wilderness restoration trips to help wildlands Nevada Wilderness is committed to working on the heal from impacts. These trips get volunteers out to ground to ensure a wilderness legacy for the future. wildlands, where they can enjoy the area’s beauty We accomplish this with our three Wilderness and help restore damaged habitat. Friends and the Stewardship programs: Adopt A Wilder- BLM will also be offering a series of Leave No ness, Leave No Trace and Wilderness Trace trips, to teach people how to travel Restoration. We invite you to become a Adopt a lightly on the land. Often these trips in- “Wilderness Warrior” and join us in the wilderness clude an opportunity to camp in the wild wild. Not only will you help us achieve today, and with other fun and like-minded volun- results on the ground, but you’ll meet teers. There’s often work for all skill and other dedicated wilderness defenders help keep ability levels. The only essential qualifica- and get to know wild Nevada. Nevada tion you need is a passion for wilderness. wild. A schedule of projects is listed below. Adopt A Wilderness Nevada is a big state with a lot of wilderness- Leave No Trace Happy quality lands, and there simply aren’t enough of us Developed over decades by National Outdoor Birthday here at Friends of Nevada Wilderness to keep tabs Leadership School and the Leave No Trace Center on all wild lands. By “adopting a wilderness,” you for Outdoor Ethics, Leave No Trace (LNT) is a sys- Friends of become the eyes and ears on the ground. It’s a tematic curriculum to help teach people awareness Nevada chance to visit your adopted area a couple times and respect for natural areas. With simple messages, each year, get to know its beauty and report im- such as “Pack it in/Pack it out” and “Leave it better Wilderness! pacts to Friends and the appropriate agency. than you found it,” LNT principles help people learn Not only will you have an excuse to get out on continued on page 6 the ground, but your knowledge of the area will We turn 21 on make you very effective when you communicate in Page March 21. defense of your area: View from the front lines 2 u To land management agencies as they re- Hike Highland Ridge 3 vise or develop land-use and wilderness plans; Welcome Lincoln Wilderness 4 u To Congress when they consider whether Water Pipeline Update 6 to protect the area through legislation (as wilderness Events, Hikes and Trips 7 BLM Wilderness Planning 7 or a National Conservation Area, etc.); Inside u To Friends to help us identify problems and Treasuring our Members 7 illegal actions. Wilderness Hero Award 8 1 From the front lines Enjoying our new wilderness areas, and Board of Directors looking ahead to a busy year I’d like you all to take a few minutes Northern Nevada Members South McCullough and Wee Thump wil- to meet your new centerfold wilderness Henry Egghart derness plans are out for public comment. areas from Lincoln County. I hope you’ll Ron Hunter See article in this issue. get the opportunity to get very personal Corey Lewis with them as the years go by. Roger Scholl A COMMITTED CORPS Marge Sill Someone special has donated an ex- WHITE PINE RISING traordinary amount of his time, equipment Rural Nevada Members Our next issue will officially kick off and expertise lately to help Friends of Ne- Karen Boeger the White Pine County wil- vada Wilderness Peter Bradley derness campaign. Just re- move into the digital Southern Nevada Members cently, the White Pine County age – Graham Theo Byrns Commissioners asked the Ne- Stafford. His compa- Geoff Frasz vada Congressional delegation ny is Trail Pictures. Hermi Hiatt to consider public lands legis- If you’d like more in- John Hiatt lation for their county. I’m formation about his excited by the prospect of in- Macaire Moran services, check out cluding wilderness in the bill, Bart Patterson his website at and I look forward to work- www.trailpics.net. ing with my old hometown of Staff Ely. If you’d like to get more Shaaron Netherton I’d also like to involved, contact Pam White, Northern Nevada Office welcome Richard Knox back to Friends of the Friends of Nevada Wilderness rural Shaaron Netherton Nevada Wilderness as our new Member- organizer in Ely at (775) 289-8898. Brian Beffort ship Coordinator. His great experience as a geologist, with computers and on the Pete Dronkers MONITORING AND RESTORATION Richard Knox ground in Nevada will help us immensely. Friends of Nevada Wilderness mis- I’d like to bid a fond farewell to Pat Pat- PO Box 9754 sion goes beyond protecting wild areas era, who has left Friends after four years Reno, NV 89507 legislatively. In 2005, Friends will focus (775) 324-7667 to become a reporter for Northern Nevada on wilderness monitoring and restoration Business Weekly. We wish her well in her trips throughout the year, working in Eastern Nevada Office new career. partnership with the BLM. This issue has Pam White a list of restoration trips scheduled in the PO Box 150374 Hermi Hiatt has assumed the Presi- next few months, and I invite you to join Ely, NV 89315 dent’s chair on our Board of Directors, us out on the ground. Visit our website (775)289-8898 and Bart Patterson has become the Vice and visit the Wilderness Stewardship Chair for Southern Nevada. I welcome the section on how you can get involved. Southern Nevada Office new energy they bring to our board. Susan Potts 1700 E. Desert Inn #406 I will also keep you posted on the Be Wild, Las Vegas, NV 89109 ways to get involved with wilderness (702) 650-6542 management planning in the Clark Coun- ty, the Black Rock region and Lincoln www.nevadawilderness.org County, as well as working with the [email protected] agencies to protect potential wilderness Shaaron Netherton until Congress can designate it. The Executive Director Newsletter published quarterly 2 Take a hike on Highland Ridge By Pete Dronkers Just south of Great Basin National Park, in the Snake Range southeast of Ely, is a high and jagged ridge of limestone surround- ed by miles of pristine roadless land. Here you will find fir, spruce, and aspen tress along with meadows, crystal-clear creeks and abundant wildlife. A hike north up John’s Wash will take you through miles of lush scenery in an intimate valley. In the wash’s lower reaches, the route is navigable through dense aspen forests, where tree carvings date back to the turn of the century. Today there is no real trail – only a few pieces of rib- bon tied to branches to guide the way, although getting lost in this steep canyon would be nearly impossible. Higher up, the underbrush is thick and hard to navigate. Occa- sionally your surroundings will open up with views of towering limestone cliffs and spires overhead. Those who make the diffi- cult scramble up onto the ridges will be able to continue north into Great Basin National Park, where you will find yourself among the Bristlecone Pines on the flanks of its massive peaks. Despite its beauty, Highland Ridge was left out of the 1989 Nevada Wilderness Protection Act, which designated Forest Ser- vice lands across the state. We’re hoping Congress rectifies this by designating the Highland Ridge Wilderness. The Highland Ridge citizen-proposed wilderness Getting to Highland Ridge area is one of the crown jewels of the Nevada Wilder- From Ely, follow Highway 50 east to Majors Place, then ness’ White Pine County Wilderness Proposal. Photo continue south on Highway 93 for a few miles until route 894 by Pete Dronkers. veers left/easterly toward Shoshone and Minerva. From Minerva, continue south on a dirt road (route 1116). To access Help make Highland Ridge wilderness! the area described above, veer left onto route 1114 and follow it After you visit Highland Ridge, write Nevada’s Congressional until it merges with route 1115, which leads through Murphy’s delegation and ask them to designate Highland Ridge as wil- Wash and into John’s Wash. In an aspen grove, a fallen tree derness in the White Pine County public lands bill. marks the end of the road and the start of this spectacular Senator Harry Reid Congressman Jim Gibbons hike through wild Nevada. 400 S. Virginia St. #902 400 S. Virginia St. #502 Agency: USFS Ely Ranger District, 350 8th St, PO Box Reno, NV 89501 Reno, NV 89501 539, Ely NV 89301; (775) 289-3031. Senator John Ensign Recommended map: Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 400 S. Virginia St. #738 Ely Ranger District, East Half, available from the USFS above. Reno, NV 89501 Why I Love Wilderness By Marge Sill, founding member of Friends of Nevada Wilderness Wilderness has been an important part of my life for 70 years. wilderness, I have wonderful memories: watching a lizard do From my first forays into the still-wild hills of Southern Califor- pushups in High Rock Canyon, hearing the murmur of the water nia, to trips with my mountain-climbing friends in the Southern in Hendry’s Creek, topping Half Dome to glimpse the length of the Sierra, to snowshoe adventures in the backcountry of Yosemite High Sierra, viewing 200 miles of Nevada and Utah in all direc- and Sequoia National Parks, to exploring the Gila Wilderness of tions from the summit of Wheeler Peak, and running down the Southern New Mexico, and finally to becoming acquainted with Arc Dome trail to avoid the flashes of lightning from the gathering the magnificent wild lands of Nevada, I have always been happi- storm.