Support Great Basin Institute in Serving Public Lands in the West

Destination Devils Hole Event Report

The day began with a Jr. Ranger Program at the Point of Rocks picnic area. Ranger Rose led several young children in a lesson about the wildlife that lives in the Mojave Desert – and what they might encounter along the hike. The kids enjoyed listening to some Native American legends and touching the pelts of a bobcat, coyote, jackrabbit, and other native animals.

Stewardship Saturday: Native Planting at Tubb’s Spring

The area around the spring had been farmland prior to the Refuge’s establishment in 1984. After years of lying fallow, it had become overgrown with non-native weeds, particularly Russian knapweed. These weeds provide little value to wildlife and have a tendency to outcompete native plants.

Stewardship Saturday Volunteer Cattail Cutting

Five volunteers from Amargosa Valley and Las Vegas braved the high wind speeds to help cut cattails from Kings Pool outflow. After an orientation to the project by FWS biologist Darrick Weissenfluh, volunteers worked for 2.5 hours, removing cattails with hand clippers along approximately 40 meters of stream channel.

Stewardship Saturday Volunteer Cattail Cutting

While cattails are native to Ash Meadows, historically they were not as abundant as they are today. The reason for their overgrowth in the springs and streams at Ash Meadows is largely due to past habitat alterations – namely, the large-scale farming and ranching that occurred in the 1950s-1970s.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Area- Let’s Explore Snakes and Lizards!

The sand dunes at Peterson Reservoir were literally crawling with snakes, lizards and kids on Saturday, September 11th, for Ash Meadows’ fall kickoff event: Let’s Explore Snakes & Lizards! Approximately 43 children and 15 adults attended the event, from Amargosa Valley Elementary School, Death Valley Academy, Shoshone Middle School, Tecopa-Francis Elementary, and the Pahrump 4-H Rockhounds.

Lake Mead Research Associates Work with PLI and SNAP to Celebrate “Dia de los Muertos”

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.