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After trotting in snowshoes to a clearing, Richard Covey knelt down and shoved his bare hand down into the snow.

He dug and pushed his arm further down, trying to reach the frozen ground of the lower Bristlecone Trail at Mount Charleston.

He never reached his destination.

“That shows how much accumulation we’ve gotten,” the U.S. Forest Service field naturalist said on a recent February afternoon.

Covey then shook off his snowy hand and pointed out fresh deer tracks nearby.

“They don’t have snowshoes so they sink right in,” he said. “They’re basically on stilts.”

Covey’s quips aren’t just observations, they’re a segment of interpretive snowshoe hikes offered by the U.S. Forest Service through a partnership with the Great Basin Institute.

A field naturalist outfits participants with modern snowshoes and leads them on a trip through the snow-covered forest.

The walks are provided free of charge and conducted on weekends all winter for individuals and groups of up to 30 people.

“Don’t be afraid,” Covey said gingerly of the hike. “You’re not out of shape — it’s just the air.”

At elevations of between 8,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level, Covey, 25, leads groups on hikes of varying lengths and skill levels. He weaves in information about how animals and nature adapt to winter’s chill.

Animal tracks — deer, horse, chipmunk, fox — are imprinted alongside boot indents and snowshoe tracks. Covey tried to identify each he passed.

In between one set of stops, Covey encountered a fellow snowshoe hiker coming down the trail.

The man, Hal Street, was finishing up a solo three-mile hike, and the Las Vegan told Covey he knows several of the trails of the Spring Mountains well. “This is my second home,” Street said. “I don’t think I could live in Vegas without it.”

He skis or snowshoes two or three times a week, often never encountering fellow snow adventurers.

“A lot of the time, I am the only one,” he said. “It’s a good feeling — you’re it.”

Covey has led two snowshoe hikes so far this winter — “I just love any reason to get out,” he said — with adults and children.

He challenges youngsters to foot races to see who can top a snowy hill faster in boots versus snowshoes. He shows how humans conduct body heat with jackets, like animals use fur.

He fields questions along the way and, no, there are no bears, he says.

“It’s the wildlife that people are most curious about, and that’s maybe because they aren’t aware of everything up here,” he said.

The snowshoe hikes are a workout, but Covey accommodates for the speed and skill level of the group, he said. He also totes around a radio, a first-aid kit and supplies for emergency situations. Hikes are canceled if inclement weather is in the forecast.

Participants should wear clothing that protects their heads, hands and feet from the elements.

“It’s pretty basic,” Covey said. “If they show up, we have the shoes.”

Walks and other programs are provided year-round by the U.S. Forest Service.

For more information about reservations, call the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area Education Department visitors center at 872-5486.

- By Maggie Lillis, View Staff Writer for Centennial View

View the original article by clicking here.

Craig L. Moran/ViewRichard Covey, right, a U.S. Forest Service field naturalist, leads the way during a snowshoe tour on Mount Charleston, Feb. 3. Covey leads groups on hikes of varying lengths and skill levels.

Craig L. Moran/ViewU.S. Forest Service field naturalist Richard Covey displays casts of mountain lion footprints.

Craig L. Moran/ViewRichard Covey, right, stops to chat with snowshoe hiker Hal Street during a snowshoe tour.

Craig L. Moran/ViewU.S. Forest Service field naturalist Richard Covey holds up pinon nuts as he guides a snowshoe tour through the lower Bristlecone Trail at Mount Charleston, Feb. 3.

Are you a full-time student who will have junior or senior status by Fall 2010? Are you majoring in environmental studies, natural resources, biology, ecology, hydrology, resource economics, or statistics? Does working in the scenic eastern Sierra Nevada watershed, with renowned University of Nevada, Reno research faculty, on real-world environmental conservation projects, sound exciting to you? Summer 2010 REU projects will range from the impact of wildfire to watershed restoration to water quality issues facing Lake Tahoe. Doing hands-on research, you’ll learn how science influences land and water use policies, management, and conservation. And, you’ll learn how to present the research you do. Throughout your ten-week, REU experience, you’ll be provided with on-campus housing. You’ll also earn a $4250 stipend, just for participating in the program. If doing real science with great mentors in one of the West’s most spectacular regions sounds like a good way to spend your summer, the 2010 REU Program could be your ticket to ride! For more information about eligibility and application details, click on the following links. If you have questions, you can contact Mike Collopy at mcollopy@unr.edu or 775-784-8262, or Lynn Zimmerman at lzimmerman@thegreatbasininstitute.org or 775-674-5487.

Full position description.

Summer 2009 REU Article.

Martin Luther King Day presents an excellent opportunity to uphold the AmeriCorps mission of strengthening communities through public service. The Nevada Outdoor School (a BLM and AmeriCorps partner) organized a MLK Day Community Cultural Fair, aimed at engaging youth and adults in a celebration of Winnemucca’s diverse local culture. Held at the Armory Building on Monday, January 18, 2010, the afternoon fair featured many cultural groups and organizations. Each group was invited to host a table and offer an educational activity for youth, aged five to twelve.

At the table they hosted, GBI AmeriCorps members Allie Henson and Shannon Henke showed kids how to use recycled paper to make origami pygmy rabbits, an activity that could be translated into a simple educational message. Making the origami rabbits proved very popular with the target audience. This fun activity created an opportunity to discuss the importance of conserving habitat for sensitive species, such as the pygmy rabbit. Allie and Shannon also presented an informative poster, aimed at education outreach.

In addition to hosting their own table, Allie and Shannon also worked with the BLM’s Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist, Carmen Thomason, for the event. Carmen’s activity involved a message of fire safety, and kids learned the proper way to build and put out a camp fire.

After enjoying various activities and a free spaghetti lunch, the participants were ready to volunteer at different service projects for the rest of the afternoon. Overall, the MLK Day Cultural Fair was a great success. It created a forum for engaging the community through education and service on this important national holiday.

- Shannon Henke

Sunday, November 1 and Monday, November 2, 2009 marked the 9th annual “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) celebration, held at Winchester Park and Recreation Center in Las Vegas. Southern Nevada Agency Partners (SNAP) collaborated with law enforcement officers from four federal land management agencies (NPS, USFWS, BLM, and USFS) to take part in the celebration. Research Associates Emily Montoya, Laura Brinson, and Virginia Ramos, who work at Lake Mead NRA’s Education and Interpretation division on community outreach projects, oversaw this team effort. This was the second year that SNAP participated in the event.

The Day of the Dead, or “All Souls’ Day,” celebrations originated in Latin America, where for two days people honor deceased loved ones by constructing elaborate altars decorated with flowers, candles, food, and photographs. Across Mexico and the United States, people celebrate this tradition in similar ways, integrating themes and experiences common to their region. SNAP and federal agency law enforcement officers chose to remember the sixteen people who, in 2009, committed suicide on southern Nevada’s public lands. Emily, Laura, and Virginia took on the project of constructing an altar. Emily says, “We were given this theme, and complete freedom to express it.”

The three Research Associates bring their expertise as environmental educators to school fairs, career days, Earth Day festivals and other community events, such as this one. Emily explains, “Working with Lake Mead and SNAP, our goal is to educate the public about Southern Nevada’s diverse natural environment. We focus on how human activity, for better and worse, affects the desert environment. Our aim is to inspire groups of all ages to get outdoors and get involved.”

To honor the sixteen individuals, whose identities were kept anonymous, SNAP decided to build an altar, or “ofrenda,” that integrated four sites located on public lands in Southern Nevada: Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Spring Mountains, and Desert National Wildlife Refuge. The team also assembled a collage from photos of Southern Nevada’s public lands that served as a stunning backdrop for the ofrenda. “We had about 5 days to put it all together,” Emily recalls. “The GBI RAs, as well as Laura’s husband and SNAP volunteer, Jim, worked literally day and night to put the altar together. The process was exhilarating. Nobody knew exactly what the outcome would look like, so we took it day by day, hour by hour. Jim was instrumental in the ofrenda’s construction, because he wasn’t afraid to bust out the duct tape.”

The group embraced the spirit of the event, carefully attending to every detail of the altar’s construction, even tracking down traditional ofrenda items. Sixteen white candles commemorated each suicide, and marigold flowers, paper mache flowers, and “Pan de Muerto,” (Bread of the Dead) adorned the completed ofrenda. Emily made the bread herself. She explains, “The bread recipe I used originated with Frida Kahlo, which made it authentic and significant to me from the start. When I went to buy the ingredients, a baker at one of the Hispanic groceries gave me practical advice and encouraged me. Many people commented on how rare it is to make your own bread. That time of year, every Hispanic bakery has pan de muerto coming out of the oven seven times an hour!”

By participating in this Day of the Dead celebration, SNAP hopes to raise community awareness about the prevalence of suicide on public lands, and to send the message that Southern Nevada’s public land managers care about this issue. The personalized altar makes the point that, statistics aside, suicide involves real people. The event also gave SNAP the opportunity to meet informally with members of the community, many of whom they encounter in the course of managing public lands. “A few people had direct experience with suicide on public lands—finding someone while camping, or encountering someone climbing up a mountain with a loaded gun—and were happy to share,” Emily says. “Other people were moved by the directness of our topic and commented that these suicides often go overlooked.”

During the Day of the Dead celebration, SNAP shared its message with over 10,000 people. “We also let them know who we are and what we do,” Emily adds. “Because our ofrenda was a mock-up of Southern Nevada, we could talk to people about Red Rock RCA, Desert NWA, LAME, and the Spring Mountains, and share with them ways to get involved in fun outdoor activities.”

- By Emily Montoya, with Chris Robertson

Hi, I’m Devon the intern.

I’m not from around here.  You might not guess it from my Taft-esque moustache and brass Wild Turkey belt buckle, but if you ask me, sure, I’ll admit it: I’m from California. San Francisco even. I’m no gold miner, buckaroo or anything close to a cowboy poet. But I am a fan of interesting slices of American culture and a pretty adaptable dude. Maybe that’s why I finished college, packed up and moved to Elko, Nevada for an AmeriCorps internship with the Western Folklife Center.

I’ve only been here since August, and I’ve never even been to a Gathering, but – from the WFC to the NCPG, the poetry to the music, my coworkers to the townsfolk, and the nearby ghost towns to the all-night local karaoke dives – this place has made me into something of an Elkoholic.

I’m here thanks to the gov’ment. When the economy went south, Nevada’s Great Basin Institute harnessed some AmeriCorps coin, teamed up with the WFC and rescued me from a post-graduate life of Segway tour guiding and Awful-Awful gobbling in Reno.

Since arriving, I’ve tried on quite a few new hats. Working mostly alongside Meg and Tamara on our programming, I’ve had tasks as diverse as working on contracts and grants, organizing an Energy Symposium, selecting photos for the NCPG program book and packing saddles (well, to be shipped).  Whatever needs to be done, really.

It’s been nice acquiring new real-jobbish-type skills, as well as being around people who like to work good, long and hard every day of the week. Consequently, it’s also been nice having a bar downstairs.

Best of all so far, though, has been all the great people I’ve met here. Or at least talked to on the phone. With many of the artists, I expect no shortage of shaking hands and hearing “Ohhh! So YOU’RE that guy!” And now, after reading this, I guess you can do that, too.

For the Gathering, when it comes to education, I’m your man. If you’ve received an email about a workshop you’re attending, probably one with – to Tamara’s chagrin – a handful of exclamation points and lame jokes, it probably had my name at the bottom. And if you’re a local student yodeling with Riders in the Sky at the Cowkids Stampede or discussing songwriting with Corb Lund in your school’s band room next week, I’ll be the scrawny moustachioed dude running around making sure everything works.

In fact, I’ll probably be that dude all over town this Gathering. So if you see me, feel free to flag me down and remind me that I’m the intern and make me do something for you. Or to say hello and sneak me a quick nip of Wild Turkey. You know, whatever you prefer.

Either way, I’ll see you at the Gathering – my first, as I already can tell, of many.

– Devon Blunden, The Intern aka Programs Assistant aka AmeriCorps/GBI Volunteer

On November 8-9, eight lucky 5th graders from the Paradise Professional Development School (PPDS) took to the canyon land for a two-day camping trip, co-led by GBI’s Laura Brinson and Emily Montoya. Joined by Daphne and Amalia from the Public Lands Institute (PLI), the four environmental educators loaded the Environmental Science Club students into vans for a fun-filled trip to Moenkopi Campground, located in Red Rock Canyon NCA.

Housed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, the mission of the Paradise Professional Development School (PPDS) is to be a hub for teacher education, research, and innovative learning for pre-school through 12th grade students. Partnering with regional agencies, including nonprofits such as GBI, makes it possible for PPDS to provide access to environmental education opportunities.

As environmental educators trained in outdoor safety, Laura, Emily, Daphne, and Amalia are well equipped to manage an excited bunch of ten-and eleven-year olds on an outing like this one. After a safety lesson, the kids chose their own campsite and helped each other set up tents. Then they got down to the fun business of exploring their campground.

Later in the afternoon the group drove from Moenkopi campground to Red Springs for their first taste of hiking and rock scrambling. Afterward, Park Ranger Gina Mele met everyone at the base of the Calico Hills to introduce the students to Red Rock NCA’s geological wonders, including the Keystone Thrust Fault, as well as the surprising variety of native plants and animals that thrive in Red Rock Canyon NCA. One of three perennial springs in the Calico Basin, Red Springs feeds a grassy marshland area at the base of sandstone cliffs. Several Native American cultures have called this oasis home; Red Springs’ many petroglyphs—some etched into boulders, and others, such as a Blanket panel, carved into the cliff face—speak to the area’s cultural importance. Today, fencing protects the spring from wild burros and a boardwalk keeps people from trampling the meadow. After her talk, Gina led the group on a guided boardwalk hike for a closer look at the Rock Art.

Back at camp, Daphne showed the kids how to start a fire and taught them the importance of fire safety. Then they ate an authentic camp dinner of fire-roasted hot dogs and chips, which was of course followed by s’mores for dessert. That night everyone sat around the campfire telling ghost stories before capping off the night with a moonlight hike. The next morning everyone pitched in to make delicious breakfast burritos. After breakfast they packed up tents, sleeping bags, food, and trash before heading out to hike near Red Springs. For the next few hours the kids climbed, hiked, and scrambled up, over, and around the rocks. When it came time to leave, all the kids exclaimed, “This campout was fun!”

The four educators and their students worked together to make this trip special. Outings to places like Red Rock Canyon NCA give these budding scientists from PPDS a chance to explore the outdoors, and to shine as a group.  As Emily said, “The kids got along great and were very well-behaved.”

-Emily Montoya

Saturday, October 3, 2009 proved a fine day for fishing at the 11th Annual C.A.S.T. “Catch a Special Thrill” for Kids Event. The C.A.S.T. Foundation, created in 1991, aims to increase awareness about disabled and disadvantaged children in communities nationwide. This year, Lake Mead played nature’s host to 39 excited children from AmeriFace, the Blind Center of Nevada, Give me A Break, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Ranger Amanda Rowland and GBI Research Associate Laura Brinson gave participants and their families short interpretive talks on various animals that live in the Mojave Desert. The whole group also enjoyed a full morning of fishing. Afterward, the happy anglers and their families joined the hard-working volunteers for a fantastic lunch, provided by the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino. Following lunch, participants were presented with a trophy and a gift bag filled with goodies. The Bureau of Reclamation is a primary sponsor of C.A.S.T. for Kids events. Cohosts of this event include the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Las Vegas Boat Harbor, and the Nevada Striper Club.

- Laura Brinson

In the summer’s intense Mojave heat six people strained their eyes against dust and brilliant sun, seeking signs of vegetation in tortoise territory. Walking for miles across the desert, they carried sampling frames, GPS units, and vital liters of water, all to assess the devastating effects of wildfires on the habitat of the threatened Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Research Assistants for the Great Basin Institute, this team of explorers spent eight months in the wide open spaces of southern Lincoln County, Nevada, a region of mostly public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

When the 2005 wildfires swept through the northeastern Mojave Desert four years ago, an unprecedented 787,414 acres of protected and grazed land burned. Many species, some threatened like the desert tortoise, some introduced like cattle and sheep, were affected by the fires. Already scarce food and cover plants vanished. Several seasons following the fires, what was the condition of plant resources for desert tortoises in the burned habitat? As part of its mandate, the BLM rehabilitates degraded lands. An effective desert recovery management plan called for systematic data collection and assessment. Enter, stage right, GBI’s vegetation research team.

Orchestrating this complex data collection project took expertise, planning, and tenacity. GPS units in hand, the team zeroed in on all 81 sample sites chosen for study in burned, unburned, grazed and ungrazed areas. Next, they pounded stakes into the bajada—ground characterized by hard-packed gravel—to mark each and every site, some just meters off the road, others a mile’s walk or more. As summer temperatures ramped up, cresting 115 degrees, already remote sites seemed, like mirages, beyond reach. Still the team persevered. Measuring tapes were unfurled into huge rectangles. Plant numbers and species within each sample site were systematically recorded. Not far from the main rectangle, an even longer tape measure was extended. At ten meter intervals along this tape sampling frames were placed over plants, which were then carefully removed, weighed, and stowed for reweighing. Shrubs were also measured and counted, and the sparse cover they provided—or, more often, didn’t—was recorded as the gap between woody plants—or their charred remains—on data sheets. Yet, after taking all of these vegetation measurements at each sample site, the crew’s work had hardly begun.

The six spent hours entering data into spreadsheets, weighing dried plant matter, labeling and processing the photographs they’d taken at each site, and identifying “mystery” plants using classification keys. Quality control

2009 vegetation sampling crew: Steve Saletta, Helen Kurkjian, Kyle Doherty (left to right in back row), Steve Paris, Sedona Maniak, Lindsey Washkoviak (left to right in front row). Photo by Alicia Styles 2009

came next: each data sheet was checked against its digital counterpart; each photograph was scrutinized; each bag of forbs was weighed, and weighed again, for accuracy. And when all these steps were completed? Restocked with supplies, the team returned to the desert. In order to capture vegetation structure data three times during the desert tortoises’ activity season—spring to fall—the team repeated each step in this rigorous sampling process not once, but twice more.

After a long summer in the Mojave, an accurate and complete data set was delivered to the BLM by a satisfied and weary field crew.

During the 2009 season, the vegetation crew spotted and photographed eight desert tortoises, repaired 24 flat tires, witnessed the destruction of three shade structures by the Mojave wind, and extracted countless cholla spines from clothing, backpacks and bare skin. The six researchers emerged otherwise unscathed from a scorching field season in the Mojave Desert, awestruck by the desert tortoise’s persistence in this challenging landscape, and hopeful that their efforts will help the tortoise endure.

By Sedona Maniak, GBI RA – Crew Coordinator, September 2009

A summer 2009 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant from the National Science Foundation brought together twelve students selected from around the nation to work with an interdisciplinary team of UNR professors, researchers, and GBI staff on issues ranging from the Asian clams invading Lake Tahoe to differing perceptions of wildfire risk in Nevada communities. The ten-week program, “Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake: Natural Resource Issues in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin Regions,” paired students with research mentors on several ongoing projects. Working in the Lake Tahoe-Truckee River-Pyramid Lake watershed, teams investigated water quality, measured invasive species, analyzed landscapes, surveyed water management, and studied links between resource policies and socioeconomics (click here for REU research projects). The student researchers gained valuable training in project development, data collection and analysis, and how to present research findings. A well-attended poster session gave students the chance to share their work with UNR’s research community. “Participating in the REU program,” said one student, “has been a wonderful, viewpoint-changing experience. I gained a lot of confidence as a biologist. I see more options for myself in the future.” Another simply said, “Best summer of my life.” Awarded jointly to UNR’s Academy for the Environment and the Great Basin Institute, the REU jumpstarted research that all are excited to see continue. Recruitment for the summer 2010 REU program will begin in the spring. For more information, please contact Lynn Zimmerman.

The Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly spends its entire lifetime—just one week—within a two-hundred foot radius of its sole food source, a wild buckwheat plant. Found nowhere else in the world, increasing threats to the habitat of this slight, gossamer winged butterfly have sparked a team effort to manage the Sand Mountain Recreation Area, south of Fallon. The Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC), Churchill County, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have joined forces to put into action an interim management strategy for the area.

A popular Off Highway Vehicle destination for enthusiasts on dune buggies, motorcycles, and all terrain vehicles, as well as for hikers, the 4,795-acre Sand Mountain Recreation Area draws as many as 35,000 visitors to its dunes every year. The new management strategy balances recreation use with habitat conservation. Project efforts are aimed at restoring sites selected for their importance to butterfly habitat and providing education and interpretation for Sand Mountain visitors. Working with BLM and the County, NCC crews are rehabilitating areas now closed to OHVs, signing and marking approved OHV routes, placing information kiosks at key access points, and installing new interpretive signs.

While safeguarding the habitat of the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly is the focus of this collaborative conservation effort, the dunes are home to many other native plants and animals. This unique area also boasts the historic Sand Springs Pony Express Station, a remnant of the short-lived (1860-1861) Pony Express system that carried mail across the west, making the site a boon for local history buffs. The project is funded through the State Question 1 grant program and is scheduled for completion in December 2009.

David Mensing
Director of Special Projects, GBI