Residents are invited to help improve and protect Southern Nevada's precious natural resources by taking part in activities surrounding National Public Lands Day, this Saturday, September 18. Hundreds of volunteers are needed for clean-up, planting and habitat restoration activities at Sloan Canyon, Spring Mountain, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
These efforts (a complete listing follows) are sponsored and organized by the federal Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Under the UNLV Public Lands Initiative partnership, these four agencies and the university collaborate on programs aimed at environmental education, research, volunteerism and conservation.
"National Public Lands Day is a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about our unique environment in Southern Nevada - from plant life to wildlife," said Nancy Flagg, Director, UNLV Public Lands Initiative. "Volunteers can really make a difference in preserving for future generations the public lands we all enjoy."
Residents are encouraged to sign up and take part in any of the following efforts:
Sloan Canyon clean-up (Bureau of Land Management)
- Saturday, September 18 - 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
- Volunteers should contact: Jim Cribbs at 515-5234
Spring Mountain clean-up, reclamation and tree planting (U.S. Forest Service)
- Saturday, September 18 - 9:30 AM
- Volunteers should contact: Claire Brecher at 515-5418
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Horse Power Cove beach clean-up (National Park Service)
- Saturday, September 18 - 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
- Volunteers should call Nancy Bernard at 293-8714
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge habitat restoration (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
- Saturday, September 25 - 9:00 AM
- Volunteers should contact Callie Leau Courtright at 515-5453
A program of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance public lands. Last year, nearly 80,000 volunteers at 550 sites covering every state built trails and bridges, planted trees, cleaned up trash and removed invasive plants, among other activities.
