1. Viva Las Wilderness
Viva Las Wilderness
A Newsletter of the Nevada Wilderness Project www.wildnevada.org
Issue Number 1. December 2003.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS and welcome to the
PREMIERE issue of Viva Las Wilderness, a
newsletter of the happenings of the Nevada
Wilderness Project! We look forward to passing
along the monthly newsletter to give you updates
Our mission is to protect on our current Wilderness campaigns, outings to
explore Nevada's potential Wilderness, special
Nevada’s remaining events, and other opportunities to learn about
Nevada's wild places and how you can get
Wilderness as part of the involved. Please feel free to forward this on to
anyone you think may be interested and send us
National Wilderness
any questions or comments you may have. Also,
Preservation System, and in an effort to save money and paper we are
currently only sending the newsletter out
to create and sustain an electronically. However, if you would like a
hardcopy, please let us know and we will get you
enduring grassroots one. We always like to hear from our supporters,
commitment to Nevada so please contact us at 775.746.7850 or
info@wildnevada.org. Here's to keeping Nevada
wilderness. Wild and celebrating the holiday season with
loved ones!
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Board of Directors:
Stefan Bergill
Kim Jardine
Kristie Connolly
Brett Riddle
Chris Todd
Morlee Griswold
Tori King
Gray Fox in the East Mormon Mountains Proposed Wilderness
Staff: (Photo by Ron Hunter)
John Wallin
Director
DONATE TO THE NEVADA WILDERNESS
Anna Ball
PROJECT TODAY!
Development Director
Erika Pollard
Conservation Director
Kevin Mack
Washington D.C. Rep.
Contact us at:
8550 White Fir Street
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Reno, NV 89523
Hikers on South Schell Peak in the South Schell Creek Proposed
Tel: 775.746.7850 Wilderness
Web: www.wildnevada.org (Photo by Ron Hunter)
Click here to become a member of the Nevada
Wilderness Project and to make a tax
deductible donation to help protect Nevada's
last remaining Wilderness.
Director's Corner: Looking Forward to a New Year
As the year winds down, a review of a busy 2003 signifies a busier 2004. In the
past year, you have made the Nevada Wilderness Project a conservation force to
be reckoned with! With your time, your money, and your dedication to Nevada's
unique wild heritage, you are creating the success stories of 2004 yet to be told.
At a time when most conservation news is both discouraging and vexing, we've kept a laser-like focus
on our mission: to protect Nevada’s remaining Wilderness as part of the National Wilderness
Preservation System, and to create and sustain an enduring grassroots commitment to Nevada
Wilderness. It is often a difficult balance for us, because there are so many worthy conservation
efforts out there. As the Bush Administration dumps nuclear waste on Nevada, weakens clean air
and clean water laws, opens up protected public lands for oil drilling and development, and defiles
Yellowstone National Park with snowmobile smog, we have a difficult choice. That choice is to get
involved in a wide variety of public lands issues in a minor way, or keep our focus on protecting
Nevada Wilderness, the wildest and most under appreciated state in the lower 48. We choose to
marshal our limited resources on affirmative Nevada Wilderness campaigns, and in the process
empower a new generation of Nevada Wilderness advocates.
In the past year, the Project, our members, and our volunteers have accomplished an incredible
amount of work! We've conducted wilderness inventories of hundreds of thousands of acres
throughout the state: in Eastern Nevada, where we continue to work with the Nevada Wilderness
Coalition on the Eastern Nevada Wilderness Campaign, and north of Pyramid Lake, where we
inventoried 200,000 acres of BLM Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). We've inventoried some potential
additions to Mt. Rose Wilderness, just outside of Reno. We've gotten thousands of letters written on
behalf of the Eastern Nevada Campaign, dozens of letters to the editor, and we conducted four
volunteer outings to Citizen-Proposed wilderness areas like Becky Peak, Shellback Ridge, and Big
Rocks. We've given slide shows, tabled at Farmer's Markets, spent lots of time on campus at UNLV
and UNR, and taken our letters and clipboards to the trails.
Why do we do this? We believe getting you and your friends to realize your grassroots power is the
most important work we do. So if you'd like to learn more, or want to recruit friends to do the
shoulder-to-grindstone work of Wilderness protection, contact me at john.wallin@wildnevada.org. We
have lots of ways to utilize your particular talents, whatever they may be!
In 2004, we have a chance to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of Wilderness in Eastern
Nevada. We may also have a chance to protect Wilderness in Pershing County (about an hour and a
half northeast of Reno, on I-80) This county contains a number of BLM WSAs, and a remarkable
citizen-proposed area called Lava Beds. Look for an update on these areas in the coming months.
Also look for updates on our work in Gold Butte, the Spring Mountains, and Mt. Rose. As always,
we'll be working every step of the way with our partners in the Nevada Wilderness Coalition.
Thanks again for all your support in making 2003 an unbelievably successful year for the Nevada
Wilderness Project. May your holiday season be a wonderful time for you to spend time with family
and friends!
John Wallin, Director
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Eastern Nevada Wilderness Update
Senator Reid, Senator Ensign, and Congressman Gibbons'
staff members continue to work with the Nevada
Wilderness Project and the rest of the Nevada Wilderness
Volunteer Spotlight:
Coalition (Nevada Wilderness Project, Friends of Nevada
Wilderness, Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club, Red Rock Matt Albrecht
Audubon, The Wilderness Society, Nevada Outdoor
Recreation Association and Campaign for America's
Wilderness) on potential public lands legislation in Lincoln
and White Pine Counties of Eastern Nevada. Among other
public lands issues, this potential legislation will include
designating new Wilderness in these two Counties.
However, As Congress nears their end of the year recess
through mid-January 2004, hopes for an introduction of a
Lincoln County public lands bill before the recess dwindle.
The Nevada Wilderness Coalition continues to gain public
support for our Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for Lincoln and
White Pine Counties and continues to encourage the Matt climbing at Big Rocks Proposed Wilderness in
Congressional delegation to include as much the nearly 4 Eastern Nevada. (Photo by John Wallin)
million acre Wilderness Proposal as possible. The Citizens'
Wilderness Proposal includes approximately 3,272,800
acres of proposed Wilderness in Lincoln County and 709,225 Matt Albrecht recently joined the Nevada
acres in White Pine County for a total of 51 proposed new Wilderness Project as our (volunteer)
Wilderness areas. This includes public lands managed by Volunteer Coordinator. When he's not
the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, working in sales for Patagonia's
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Beneficial T's, an organic cotton t-shirt
company in Reno, Matt spends his time
As negotiations continue in Lincoln County, the Nevada rock climbing, hiking, camping, skiing,
Wilderness Project and our Coalition partners have put a and hanging with good friends in the
high priority on protecting the Big Four Wilderness Study mountains. Hailing from southern
Areas of southern Lincoln. These areas include the California and landing in the Reno/Tahoe
Delamar Mountains Proposed Wilderness, the Meadow area after college, Matt claims “now that
Valley Range Proposed Wilderness, the Mormon Mountains I have given up on reversing the aging
proposed Wilderness, and the Clover Mountains Proposed process I've committed to making the
Wilderness. In addition to the Big Four Wilderness Study most out of the rest of my time here”. In
Areas of southern Lincoln County, their are several Citizen following that commitment, from
Proposed Wilderness Areas of high priority to the September to November of this year,
Wilderness community. These include portions of the Matt did an internship with the Project.
Pahranagat Range, Big Rocks Proposed Wilderness and His salary and benefits were paid by
several areas within the Mount Irish Range. See articles Patagonia, while Matt did outreach to
below for highlights of several of these areas. local businesses, tabled and got letters
supporting Wilderness signed at events,
trailheads, UNR, and local businesses
Stay tuned in early 2004 for a potential Lincoln County public
including Wild Oats and Sundance
lands bill introduction...
Bookstore. Matt did a fantastic job and
basically filled in the gaps whenever and
wherever we needed him!
When discussing his ongoing volunteer
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When discussing his ongoing volunteer
work with the Project, Matt says " as
busy as the NWP staff are, I'll help out by
working with folks that are passionate
like we are about Wilderness. I want to
get 100 people out to proposed
Wilderness. After seeing how beautiful
and unique these places are, I'll have 100
new volunteers to help protect them!"
Desert Hills - Pahranagat Proposed Wilderness
(Photo by John Wallin)
DONATE to the Nevada Wilderness Project TODAY!
Click here
House Party Fundraising Successes!
As the Nevada Wilderness Project
pushes through to the end of 2003, we
have ramped up our fundraising
efforts. As part of those efforts, two of
our new board members have very
generously hosted house parties to
raise funds for the Project and to help
get the word out about our work. On
November 8, 2003, Southern Nevada
board member, Professor Brett Riddle,
hosted a fabulous Wilderness
fundraiser/house warming party at his
new digs up in Cold Creek. Located
right next to the Mt. Charleston
Wilderness and the Mt. Sterling
Wilderness Study Area, UNLV biology
department faculty, grad students,
and other friends gathered to sip
libations, talk Wilderness, and
contribute to the Nevada Wilderness
One of the fantastic view's from board member Brett Riddle's home in
Project. The event was great fun and
we all look forward to spending more Cold Creek, Nevada. (Photo by Brett Riddle)
time soaking in the views from Brett's
solar powered home! Thanks Brett!.
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More recently, on November 20, our
fabulous board member, Kim Jardine
hosted a hugely successful house
party fundraiser at her funky house
north of Reno. Kim gathered friends
from Patagonia, chefed up some tasty
appetizers and had her partner Marcial
give an incredible slide show of their
wonderings in Nevada's Wilderness. It
was a great evening with additional
entertainment by Kim's granddaughter,
Oceana, and a great success in terms
of funds raised! Thanks Kim and
Marcial!
Board chair Stefan Bergill chats with Eddie Occhipinti, Christina Allen,
Tena Garlick, and Pakorn Chumsalab at board member Kim Jardine's
house party. (Photo by Marcial Riley)
Following up on Kim's fabulous house party with the majority
of attendees working at Patagonia's warehouse facility in
Reno, we had an incredible daylong fundraising event at
Patagonia's corporate headquarters in Ventura, CA on
December 4. Nevada Wilderness Project board members and
Patagonia employees in Ventura, Chris Todd and Morlee
Griswold, orchestrated a Fabulous Wilderness silent auction
followed by an after work fundraising party. Both fundraising
efforts were hugely successful!
Since the Nevada Wilderness Project was created under
Patagonia's roof in Reno, it was fun to spend some time with
our larger Patagonia family in Ventura. It was especially
exciting to have Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard,
attend the fundraiser and praise the Nevada Wilderness
NWP's favorite t-shirt design. Created by two
former fabulous Patagonia employees! Project to party goers as the "best thing we've
(Patagonia) ever done". Yvon was referring to the fact that
the Nevada Wilderness Project is truly a product of
Patagonia's fantastic environmental mission and the
employee internship program they offer employees to work
with environmental groups during their time working for
Patagonia. The result is that all Nevada Wilderness Project
employees are actually former Patagonia employees who left
TO ORDER A "FABULOUS the company to pursue Wilderness protection in Nevada full
WILDERNESS" ORGANIC time!
COTTON T-SHIRT AND
We owe so much of our success to Patagonia and its
DONATE TO NWP, CLICK INCREDIBLE employees! Thank you so much to Yvon
HERE! and Malinda Chouinard, Chris Todd, Morlee Griswold
and all of our Patagonia supporters!!
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If you are interested in hosting a house
party for the Nevada Wilderness
Project, please let us know! It's easy,
it's fun and it's a great way to raise
funds for Nevada's Wilderness.
Contact us at info@wildnevada.org or
give us a call at 775.746.7850.
WHAT EXACTLY IS WILDERNESS?
Click here for a description of
Wilderness.
Click here for facts on what you can
and can not do in Wilderness.
Photo by Marcial Riley
The D.C. Connection
Kevin Mack is the Nevada Wilderness Project’s Washington D.C. Representative. He works out of
the Wayburn Wilderness House on Capitol Hill—just a five minute walk to the Capitol. The Wayburn
Wilderness House houses the offices (or, in the case of the Project, cubicle!) of national and state
wilderness groups from around the country. Kevin is the only Nevada wilderness activist based in our
nation’s Capital.
Kevin works to bridge the gap between the grassroots activity YOU generate in Nevada, and the halls
of Congress where Wilderness bills are drawn. Kevin formerly worked in Nevada managing our
ongoing inventory of wilderness. He travels back to the state regularly to meet with our members,
volunteers, and fieldworkers. A typical day in DC will see him working on ArcView software to develop
maps for Wilderness proposals based on fieldwork, meeting with members of Nevada’s Congressional
delegation, and working with other Nevada Wilderness Coalition members to educate other key
Congressional staff on Nevada’s unique wilderness resource.
Look for Kevin’s DC Update on the progress of the Eastern Nevada Wilderness Campaign in future
issues of “Viva Las Wilderness.”
January 2004 Calendar:
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January 20, 2004
WILDERNESS VOLUNTEER HAPPY HOUR
Please join the Nevada Wilderness Project and the Nevada Wilderness Coalition
for a happy hour/volunteer night on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. at the Great Basin
Brewery in Sparks. Come hear about the latest happenings with Wilderness in Eastern Nevada, learn about
how you can help and meet new folks interested in protecting our wild places. Tuesday nights are "Tightwad
Tuesdays" at the Great Basin Brewery with $2 pints 'o beer, so come on down and join us!
Not interested in drinking beer? Come anyway for a soft drink and a good wilderness lovin' crowd.
For directions, check out the brewery website at www.greatbasinbrewingco.com .
Eastern Nevada Wilderness Proposal Area Spotlight:
Delamar Mountains Proposed Wilderness
One of Southern Lincoln County's Big Four Wilderness Study Areas
The 126,257 acre Delamar Mountains Proposed Wilderness is located in far southern Lincoln County
approximately 75 miles to the north of Las Vegas and 15 miles southeast of Alamo, Nevada. One of
the "Big Four" Wilderness Study Areas of southern Lincoln County, the Delamar Mountains Wilderness
proposal area encompasses the southern portion of the Delamar Range and represents the entire
Delamar Mountains Wilderness Study Area managed by the Ely District of the BLM. With its deep
canyons and rocky cliff faces, the area provides steep, rugged terrain for desert bighorn sheep, a
variety of raptors, the banded Gila monster, and threatened desert tortoise. Along with providing
important wildlife habitat, the area is also filled with ancient cultural sites including rock art, milling
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sites, lithic scatters and shelters. The preservation of these areas from vandalism and degradation is
important to the culture and history of native people. The Delamar Mountains Proposed Wilderness
provides excellent primitive recreational opportunities including hiking many of the deep canyons and
rocky washes, scrambling among cascading rock gardens or rocky cliff faces, hunting upland game
birds, horseback riding near Gregerson Basin and photographing or studying any of the area’s
magnificent vistas, rocky plateaus, or Joshua trees rooted on the long sloping bajadas.
To reach the Delamar
Mountains Proposed
Wilderness area from Las
Vegas, take Interstate 15
north to State Highway 93
north. Follow 93 north for
approximately 45 miles to
Kane Springs Valley Road.
Access into the Delamar
Mountains Proposed
Wilderness can be gained by
following Kane Springs Valley
Road east for several miles.
The Proposal Area will lie to
the north of Kane Springs
Valley Road with various
access routes taking off to the
north. Remember to stay on
existing vehicle routes and to
pack out what you pack in.
If you are interested in visiting the Delamar Mountains Proposed Wilderness
with us, give a call (775.746.7850) or send us an email (info@wildnevada.org).
We are always eager to take folks out to explore these places!
Great Holiday Gift Ideas!
Help Protect Wilderness while giving and drinking organic coffee!
Grounds for Change will donate 15% of all sales from
orders placed via this link to Nevada Wilderness
Project.
Grounds for Change is a family owned and operated
coffee roasting company offering certified fair trade,
organic and shade grown coffee from communities
throughout Latin America and the Pacific.
They offer great gift packages including coffee,
organic chocolate, handicrafts from around the
world, and more.
Click here or on the Grounds for Change logo to
begin.
GIFT MEMBERSHIPS TO THE NEVADA WILDERNESS PROJECT
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Give a gift membership to the Nevada
Wilderness Project and give a family member or
friend the opportunity to help protect more of
Nevada's incredible wild places. Members of the
Project receive invitations to special events,
newsletters to keep updated on the latest
happenings, and the opportunity to directly
impact the protection status of OUR public
lands. Click here or on the Nevada Wilderness
Project logo to make an online gift donation.
Have a safe and happy holiday season! We look forward to seeing
you all in 2004!
- John, Kevin, Anna, and Erika
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