NPS RELEASES DRAFT WILDERNESS PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

LAS VEGAS – The National Park Service has released its draft wilderness management plan and environmental assessment for eight of the nine wilderness areas located wholly or partially within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Public comment will be accepted through May 14, 2010.

Park staff will be available at three informational open houses being held next week.

Tuesday, Apr. 20
3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Laughlin Public Library
2840 South Needles Hwy.
Laughlin, NV 89029

Wednesday, Apr. 21
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Lake Mead Headquarters
601 Nevada Way
Boulder City, NV 89005

Thursday, Apr. 22
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Downtown Recreation Center
105 West Basic Rd.
Henderson, NV 89105

This draft plan proposes several changes in how the eight wilderness areas are managed. Three alternatives have been developed that vary primarily in the level of public access and degree of management. The proposed changes address access and visitor distribution, visitor information services, and resource conditions.

Three of these areas have portions that are located on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and these areas are included as part of this draft plan. Because the majority of the wilderness area is within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the National Park Service has taken the lead in the planning process. The plan will guide both agencies in the administration of these wilderness areas.

The wilderness study and recommendation process began in 1974, when the National Park Service completed an initial wilderness review of all lands within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. At that time, 409,000 acres were proposed for wilderness. The 1986 General Management Plan for the park identified 558,675 acres as meeting the criteria. These areas were subsequently managed to ensure no actions being taken would diminish their wilderness suitability, pending action by Congress. In 2002, the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act was signed into law. This act designated 18 wilderness areas in Clark County, Nevada, as part of the national wilderness preservation system.

The draft plan is available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/lake.

Please provide us your comments by May 14, 2010. Comments may be mailed to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV 89005, submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/lake or at one of the informational open houses.

La Madre Mountain Wilderness Project
March 6, 2010

What a great day!

Every volunteer event is fun, but then there are always those that seem to stand a bit above the rest: this was one of those projects. It seemed like everyone was really energized and ready for some fun. We did a tough restoration on a hillside (a real ankle twister), but everyone pitched and we were finished in no time.  We hiked to the second route, but not before some PB&J's and an interesting game of Ninja Wars(???). After lunch Tom (one of the Archeologists) talked about his work in the La Madre Mountain Wilderness and the importance of leaving what you find for future generations of Americans to enjoy. We then grabbed our Pulaski's (a tool that combines an axe and a mattock) and restored the second closed route in no time flat.

It seemed that even when the trip was over no one wanted to go home so we just hung out and chatted for a while. I think we all felt that we made a difference and made some new friends along the way.

The La Madre Mountain Wilderness was designated for the whole people, past, present and future, and that message seemed to resonate throughout the day. There were folks of many backgrounds and different countries all working together to make a difference so future generations could see glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning.

Justice Rwechungura, a naturalized citizen from Tanzania said, "In my old country we are very poor, we cannot afford wilderness. I ask you what do we tell our children when we leave them no wild places."

The volunteers had fun and worked hard knowing that future generations of Americans would enjoy the fruit of their labors.

Wings and Wildlife Festival Makes a Second Appearance

Wings and Wildlife Festival of Southern Nevada
March 11-15, 2010
Laughlin, Nevada

An annual birding and wildlife-watching festival is coming to Southern Nevada for a second time. The Wings and Wildlife Festival will take place March 11–15, 2010 along the riverfront in Laughlin.

The festival is sponsored by the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership, whose mission is to promote ecotourism in the rural areas of Southern Nevada.

A celebration of all things wild in the Mojave Desert, the Wings and Wildlife Festival promises days of exploring, fun and learning along the Colorado River. Educational seminar topics will include falconry, bats, bighorn sheep, attracting hummingbirds, wildlife uses of plants, and binocular use.

Transportation will be provided for field trips, which will take bird and wildlife enthusiasts to such sites as Big Bend of the Colorado River State Recreation Area, Colorado River Heritage Greenway Trail, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Hualapai Mountains, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Wee Thump Joshua Tree Forest. Kayak trips will allow bird and wildlife viewing along the Black Canyon, Colorado River and Topock Gorge.

A wine and cheese gathering is planned for Friday night, with renowned local photographer and artist Sharon Schafer and other nature artists displaying their work. On Friday and Saturday, there will also be approximately 20 informational booths, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Red Rock Audubon Society, and others. Exhibitors will have information on wildlife watching and will include live raptors and reptiles, and even a bird taxidermist. An evening banquet and keynote speaker, Ted Floyd, is planned for Saturday. Ted Floyd is the Editor of "Birding", the flagship publication of the American Birding Association.

The festival will include:

• Indoor displays emphasizing nature or environmental and conservation-oriented messages
• Educational workshops and demonstrations including falconry, taxidermy, and live animals
• Multi-media presentation by Boulder City artist, Sharon K. Schafer
• Keynote speaker and editor of "Birding" magazine, Ted Floyd, at Saturday night banquet
• Guided hiking and kayak tours for both beginning and advanced nature watchers
• Friday night social and Saturday evening banquet

For more information about this event, visit http://www.wingsandwildlifefestival.org

Cover artwork © Sharon K. Schafer ‌ www.skschaferart.com

Celebrating 20 years of Mount Charleston Wilderness
December 5, 2009

America's Wilderness areas can be found in amazing settings across the nation. Nevada is home to many Wilderness Areas, including the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this Saturday, December 5, 2009.

Today, the Mount Charleston Wilderness consists of 56,081 acres, which spans across the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area and the Las Vegas District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In 1989, Congress designated 43,000 acres to be part of the Mount Charleston Wilderness. Additional acreage was added in 2002 to make up the 56,081 total acres it is today.

The Mount Charleston Wilderness is an inspiring place with invigorating mountain air, ice-cold springs, and acres of noble evergreen forests. The rugged mountain scenery extends across the crest of the Spring Mountains and includes towering crags, deep and wide canyons, narrow slot canyons, and steep hillsides. Elevations range from 6,500 feet to nearly 12,000 feet at the summit of Mount Charleston Peak, the highest elevation in the Spring Mountains. The Mount Charleston Wilderness contains 18,000 acres of bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), the oldest living organisms on earth. Roughly 40 miles of trails traverse areas such as Fletcher Canyon, Robbers' Roost, and Mummy Springs.

The Mount Charleston Wilderness is part of the 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System, created through the Wilderness Act of 1964. This system of lands provides clean air, water, and habitat critical for rare and endangered plants and animals. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, horse packing, bird watching, photography, stargazing, and extraordinary opportunities for solitude.

Celebrate Mount Charleston with us by enjoying the land responsibly and supporting Federal land managers in their work to preserve and protect Wilderness Areas for generations to come. The east side of the Mount Charleston Wilderness is best accessed by Lee Canyon via Highway 156, Kyle Canyon via Highway 157, and Deer Creek Highway (Highway 158), which connects the two canyons.  The west side of the wilderness is only accessible by unimproved roads.

You can virtually explore the Mount Charleston Wilderness Area through our interactive map. Learn more about Wilderness Areas throughout Nevada at agency websites and at other great organizations like Friends of Nevada Wilderness.

Thanks to Kurt Kuznicki for contributing the photos below of Mount Charleston Wilderness Area.

More stories continued from news quick links on the home page:

The Volunteer Newsletter at Get Outdoors Nevada is available to read online. There are lots of exciting volunteer opportunities this summer.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is hosting a Fee Free Saturday on September 26th in celebration of Public Lands Day. There will be special events volunteer programs scheduled throughout the day. Also, the Visitors Center for Lake Mead NRA will be showing a sneak preview of Ken Burn's new documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea. This is America a 45-minute film by Ken burns that compliments his The National Parks: America's Best Idea will be shown every hour beginning at 9 a.m. in the visitor center theater.

National Public Lands Day is the only time that entrance fees are waived systematically on public lands throughout the country where fees are typically charged. Other federal agencies participating and offering free admission on Saturday include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Southern Nevada safe boating campaign
Lake Mead is at its most beautiful in the fall so now is the perfect time for boaters to take a look at the condition of the safety equipment on their boat. Park rangers and wardens are on hand to talk about equipment requirements and summer boating safety. NDOW and its partners have announced an exciting new campaign to encourage safe boating in Southern Nevada. For more information about boating safety visit the website of the Lake Mead Safe Boating Partnership. Additional information is also available at the website of the National Safe Boating Council.

Spring 2009 produced some spectacular wildflower blooms. Check them out on the wildflower blog produced by Alan O'Neill of Outside Las Vegas Foundation.