1. Viva Las Wilderness
A Newsletter of the Nevada Wilderness Project www.wildnevada.org
Issue Number 4. April 2004.
Our mission is 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.
Board of Directors:
Stefan Bergill
Kim Jardine
Kristie Connolly
Brett Riddle
Chris Todd
Morlee Griswold
Tori King
Staff:
John Wallin
Director
THIS ISSUE
Directors Corner
Pershing Counties "Lava Beds" Ignored by BLM
Eastern Nevada Wilderness Update
Awaiting Lincoln County Public Lands Legislation
Scientists Ask Congressional Delegation to Minimize Open Vehicle Routes in Lincoln
County Wilderness
Volunteer Spotlight: Nancy Hall
A Mesquite, Nevada local, Nancy Hall fights for protection of her Mormon Mountains
backyard Wilderness
Nevada Wilderness in the Media
"Congress Should Use Hall Way", Las Vegas Sun (3/20/04)
"Lava Beds rest quietly", Reno-Gazette Journal (4/8/04)
Fundraising Update
Project Board member, Kim Jardine, spreads the word in Southern California
Erik Holland Art Benefit Show, May 12 in Reno
The D.C. Connection
Cherrystems in Wilderness - What Are They?
April-May Calendar of Events
Earth Day festivities, Fabulous Wilderness Volunteer happy hours, Erik Holland Art
Benefit Show
Take Action: Cherrystems in Wilderness
Write a letter to help minimize the number of open vehicle routes in Lincoln County
Wilderness
Nevada Congressional Delegation Contact Info
Mailing address, phone number, email address, and website info for Nevada's
Congressional delegation
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2. Viva Las Wilderness
Anna Ball
Development Director
Erika Pollard
Conservation Director
Kevin Mack
Washington D.C. Rep.
Contact us at:
8550 White Fir Street
Reno, NV 89523
Tel: 775.746.7850
Web:
www.wildnevada.org
Spring wildflowers in bloom on the southwestern bajada of the Mormon Mountains
Proposed Wilderness (photo by Nancy Hall)
Director's Corner: Pershing Counties "Lava Beds" Ignored by BLM
Our mapping and inventory work drives our Wilderness campaigns to protect
Nevada's wild heritage. Often, we find our information (gathered with maps,
cameras, GPS units, and a whole lot of hiking, biking and driving) is more accurate
and up to date than is the information of the managing agency. Our fieldwork
indicates, and further research with the BLM bears this out, that many areas in
Nevada were eliminated from Wilderness consideration for dubious reasons.
One of the truly amazing wilderness-quality areas overlooked by the BLM is an area
called Lava Beds, just south of the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County (about 3
hours northeast of Reno). On the approach to the Lava Beds, shark-like fins of granite poke into the
sky, a visual landscape of breathtaking beauty. In and among these fins of granite there are abundant
opportunities for wild recreation: chukar and wild horses, stunning geologic formations, and in the
lower slopes, antelope.
When we looked into this area, we were surprised to find out that the BLM didn't consider this area
suitable to be a Wilderness Study Area (WSA). We were really surprised to find that one of the main
reasons the area was dropped from wilderness consideration was the "lack of opportunity for
solitude." Apparently, the BLM, way back in the 1970's and 1980, felt there were millions of acres
that, like Lava Beds, "lacked solitude." Recently, the Reno Gazette Journal ran a story on Lava Beds
that highlights the area's wilderness qualities and the BLM's lack of protection for the area. Click here
to read the article: http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/04/07/67965.php
The Lava Beds area is one of the classic examples of an area deserving of wilderness protection, but
ignored by the BLM. If you are interested in learning more about Lava Beds, or want to do a trip to the
Lava Beds, contact me at john.wallin@wildnevada.org, or Sierra Club trip leader Kurt Kuznicki at
kbkuzhm@sbcglobal.net.
John Wallin, Director
Eastern Nevada Wilderness Update
Nevada’s Congressional delegation continues to craft Volunteer Spotlight:
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3. Viva Las Wilderness
legislation for a Lincoln County public lands bill. At this
point, the legislation will not likely be introduced to Congress
until May. With help from our volunteers and supporters, the
Nevada Wilderness Project and our Coalition partners have
delivered our priorities for the Wilderness component of the
legislation with hopes to see as much Wilderness included
as possible. For those of you who did not see our “Take
Action” section in the February 2004 issue of “Viva Las
Wilderness”, click here for details on our Wilderness
priorities for Lincoln County. In addition to protecting the
southwestern bajada of the Mormon Mountains Proposed
Wilderness and the Pahranagat Range portion of the Desert
Hills – Pahranagat Proposed Wilderness, the Nevada
Wilderness Coalition is also concerned about the number of
cherrystems or open vehicle routes, which may be included
in some of the Wilderness designated in the Lincoln County
legislation. Although the Nevada Wilderness Coalition is not
completely opposed to allowing for cherrystems as access
points to Wilderness, we are concerned that having too
many within one Wilderness will lead to negative impacts on
the ecosystem and abundant archeological sites. By
continuing to let the Congressional delegation know there is
strong support for minimizing the number of open vehicle
routes within Wilderness, we hope to ensure that the
Wilderness component of the Lincoln County legislation is
as strong as possible once it's introduced to Congress. See
the current “Take Action” section below for details on the
cherrystem issue and how you can help.
Volunteer Spotlight:
Mesquite ’s Nancy Hall -
The Best Friend the Mormon
Mountains Ever Had
Like the rest of Nevada , Mesquite , a
small town two hours northeast of Las
Vegas , grew fast in the 90’s. That
growth brought a boom to Mesquite
and the surrounding area, with resorts,
golf courses, and rapid population
growth. Lucky for Nevadans who care
about wilderness, the boom also
brought Nancy Hall.
Nancy, who in her spare time away
from the desert works as a waitress in
one of the local resorts, has spent the
last 8 years exploring every nook and
cranny of wilderness in areas like Gold
Butte and the Mormon Mountains.
She hadn’t volunteered with wilderness
groups before, but after seeing her
beloved Mormon Mountains trashed
by rampant off road vehicle use, she
decided to get involved. “I’m too old to
hike in the mountains,” she jokes. “We
need to make sure that we protect
some of the low stuff so folks like me
can take our grandchildren out there.”
(For a recent article in the Las Vegas
Sun highlighting Nancy's role in
working to protect the Mormon
Mountains, click here.)
With the help of her partner Marvin
(who does the driving but is not in the
driver’s seat, according to Nancy!)
Nancy has taken on the role of super-
volunteer: when she’s not working on
Wilderness inventories, leading hikes,
or taking pictures, she volunteers in
the BLM’s archeological site steward
program trying to prevent lasting
Bloomin' Pineapple Cactus on the Mormon Mountain bajada
Photo by Nancy Hall
Scientists Support Minimizing Open Vehicle
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program, trying to prevent lasting
damage to some of southern Nevada ’s
finest archeological sites.
While we honor and appreciate all of
Nancy ’s hard work, both in the field
and in the office, no mention of her
work on behalf of Nevada ’s wild
heritage is complete without divulging
another key role she relishes: chuck
wagon for the trail. Folks at the
Nevada Wilderness Project who’ve
gone out to the wilderness with her
have learned to stay close to Nancy
and her Jansport backpack for the
bounty of candy, nuts, and ham
sandwiches to be had. And if you’re
one of the lucky volunteers she takes
out to her favorite places, once back at
the car she’ll offer you a trade: a cold
beer for a letter supporting Wilderness!
Routes in Lincoln County Wilderness
A group of 20 Nevada biologists and archeologists recently
sent a letter to Nevada's Congressional delegation asking
them to minimize the number of "cherrystems" or open
vehicle routes within any Wilderness designated in an
upcoming Lincoln County public lands bill. The group
stresses the need to take an ecosystem based approach to
Wilderness designation and cites the negative impacts on
biodiversity from roads and associated motorized vehicle
use. The studies of Conservation Biology and Landscape
Ecology have shown that the proliferation of roads and
associated human activities can negatively impact wildlife
species by fragmenting habitat, creating barriers to wildlife
dispersal, causing direct mortality of many species, and
modifying animal behavior. The proliferation of roads can
also cause local species extinctions, the spread of exotic
species, damage to stream channels and riparian areas and
overall ecosystem degradation. The group also notes that
irresponsible off-road vehicle use, a likely result of having an
excessive number of open vehicle routes within a
Wilderness, has already been the cause of destruction and
vandalism of important cultural sites found throughout
Lincoln County. Click here to read the letter.
Nevada Wilderness in the Media
Check out the following links to recent articles on Nevada's Wild Places and the people who care
about them:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/read/2004/mar/29/516603672.html
"Congress Should Use Hall Way" by Las Vegas Sun Columnist, Susan Snyder. This is an article on
Nancy Hall's efforts to protect the Mormon Mountains of southern Lincoln County as Wilderness.
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/04/07/67965.php
"Lava Beds rest quietly" by Reno-Gazette Journal outdoor writer, Mark Vanderhoff. This is an article
on northern Nevada's Lava Beds, a Citizen Proposed Wilderness a couple hours drive north of Reno.
Fundraising Update
-- Anna Ball,
Development Director
Our Board and staff are out in full effect taking the message of Wilderness
protection in Nevada to all kinds of venues, including weddings in southern
California, if you can believe that! Congratulations to Nevada Wilderness
Project members Dawna & Robert Mirante who were married on March 27th
in Ventura, California. In lieu of party favors they made a donation to the
Nevada Wilderness Project and invited Kim Jardine, Project Board member,
to man a display at the wedding reception. Our members are critical to our
success in so many ways. This type of creativity is what we at the Project
love about our membership. Thanks again Dawna and Rob for allowing us to
be a part of your special day and using the opportunity to support Wilderness
protection in Nevada!
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5. Viva Las Wilderness
Project Board member, Kim Jardine, with the Nevada Wilderness Project display at Dawna and
Rob Mirante's Ventura, CA wedding.
If you are interested in hosting a fundraising house party for the Nevada Wilderness Project, please let
us know! It's easy, it's fun and it's a great way to learn about and support Nevada's Wilderness.
Contact us at info@wildnevada.org or give us a call at 775.746.7850.
YOU'RE INVITED: ERIK HOLLAND BENEFIT ART SHOW, MAY 12TH
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Wild Nevada Sky, by Erik Holland
From Tahoe to Tonopah: Travels Throughout the Stunning State of Nevada. Join Reno artist Erik
Holland for a benefit art show for the Nevada Wilderness Project on Wednesday, May 12th from 6:00pm
to 9:30pm at the Patagonia Service Center.
Erik Holland fell in love with Nevada during a stint reporting for the Battle Mountain Bugle in 1985.
Although the job was short-lived, it was during this time that he experienced the smell of sagebrush
after a summer shower, the sunset glow of the desert mountains, the startled glance of an antelope
during a hike. Sadly, this desert paradise is imperiled. Through his art, Holland supports the work of the
Nevada Wilderness Project to preserve it.
Join us for appetizers and drinks!
Patagonia Service Center
8550 White Fir St.
Reno, NV 89523
(775) 746-7850
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TO ORDER A "FABULOUS WILDERNESS" ORGANIC COTTON T-SHIRT
AND DONATE TO THE NEVADA WILDERNESS PROJECT, CLICK HERE!
The D.C. Connection
Kevin Mack, Washington D.C. Rep
Cherrystems in Wilderness
So the question you are probably asking yourself is “What is a cherrystem and what
is it doing in our Wilderness?” A cherrystem is a vehicle route left open within a
Wilderness for various access purposes. These vehicle routes do not entirely
bisect the Wilderness but they “dead end” at some point within the Wilderness.
While an ideal Wilderness would have none or a very limited number of short
cherrystems, the reality is that competing interests often influence policy in ways that leave a network
of vehicle routes open within Wilderness. Some land users, for instance, often want multiple
cherrystems into Wilderness because of the notion that their vehicle needs as much access as they
do.
While cherrystems can provide legitimate access to all Wilderness users, there is a need to look at
each cherrystem and determine what impact it will have on the Wilderness resource and its ecological
viability. The Nevada Wilderness Project's mapping & field inventory work is one solution to this
problem. While fieldwork alone only gives a snapshot in time of use on a particular vehicle route, it is
an incredibly useful tool that does show the impact the route is having on soils, vegetation, and other
ecological factors. When reviewing fieldwork photos and notes to determine if a route within a
proposed Wilderness should be left open, several factors other than the photos and commentary of a
particular fieldworker are taken into account. These factors include land management agency
comments as well as the collective, on-the-ground experience of members of the Nevada Wilderness
Coalition. All of this information allows us to frame the conversation about a particular vehicle route
and whether or not it should be included as a cherrystem.
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While the Nevada Wilderness Project and our Coalition partners are not opposed to cherrystems
where the facts on the ground indicate its need, many groups opposed to Wilderness often use the
cherrystem as a way to weaken on-the-ground protections afforded by Wilderness designation. In
many cases, the issue of cherrystems is often one of the last issues to be dealt with when
designating a Wilderness.
The challenge we face then, is to make certain that regardless of the size of the Wilderness,
proposed cherrystems do not take away from the value of Wilderness as a wild place. A Wilderness
is no Wilderness if it is marred by multiple vehicle routes. However, there is no easy answer to
cherrystems. While our Wilderness proposals seek to limit the numbers, length and impact of
cherrystems, we compete with interests that seek to add additional, longer routes into proposed
Wilderness. The best way for all of us to keep our wild places as wild as possible is to get involved.
Get out on the ground, adopt a wild place as your own and become familiar with the landscape. By
doing so, we can all work together to keep the pesky cherrystems to a minimum.
April -May 2004 Calendar of Events:
EARTH DAY EVENTS - Reno
The Nevada Wilderness Project will have informational tables at the following Earth Day events. If you are
around, come out to say hello, sign a letter supporting Wilderness and partake in the festivities celebrating
the environment!
Saturday, April 24 - Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe from 11am- 5pm.
This all volunteer, non-profit, community event is being organized to recognize, celebrate and promote the
Lake Tahoe region's unique beauty and to raise awareness of the fragility of its ecosystem. Educational focus
areas include watershed health, pollution prevention, alternative energy, waste management, and more. The
event will include live music on solar powered stage, kid's activities, booths and displays, and a giant Earth
Day raffle. For more information, go to http://www.trpa.org/documents/earthday_2004.pdf.
Sunday, April 25 - Reno's Idlewild Park from 10am-5pm
The theme for Earth Day 2004 comes from a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, who stated, "We must be the change
we wish to see in the world." The event will include live music on a solar powered stage, live entertainment
on an acoustic stage, children's area activities, booths and displays, a river clean up and more. For additional
information go to http://www.environleader.org/earthday.html#general.
WILDERNESS VOLUNTEER HAPPY HOURS - Reno
Please join the Nevada Wilderness Project and the Nevada Wilderness Coalition
for TWO Fabulous Wilderness happy hour/volunteer nights each month in Reno!
The second Tuesday of every month we'll be gathering at the Record Street Cafe (351 E. 9th St at the corner of
E. 9th and Record Street just south of UNR) and the last Tuesday of every month we'll be at the Great Basin
Brewery in Sparks.
Come enjoy a coffee, beer, glass of wine or soft drink and some food and 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.
Come on out and join us for a good wilderness lovin' crowd and conversation!
UPCOMING HAPPY HOUR DATES:
April 27 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. at the Great Basin Brewery in Sparks.
May 11 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. at The Record Street Cafe in Reno
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May 25 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. at the Great Basin Brewery in Sparks.
For directions to the Great Basin Brewery, check out the brewery website at
www.greatbasinbrewingco.com . For directions to The Record Street Cafe, click here for a Mapquest Map.
MAY 12, ERIK HOLLAND ART BENEFIT SHOW - Reno
From Tahoe to Tonopah: Travels Throughout the Stunning State of Nevada. Join Reno artist Erik
Holland for a benefit art show for the Nevada Wilderness Project on Wednesday, May 12th from
6:00pm to 9:30pm at the Patagonia Service Center in Reno.
TAKE ACTION: Cherrystems in Lincoln County Wilderness
As Nevada's Congressional delegation continues to craft a Lincoln County public lands bill, we urge
you all to remind them of your support for Wilderness by writing a letter. Along with the need to
protect all of the Wilderness quality lands in Eastern Nevada, there is also a need to make sure
that the Wilderness includes a minimum number of "cherrystems" or open vehicle routes.
Although the Nevada Wilderness Project and our Coalition partners do not completely oppose
cherrystems (we actually include some in our Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for Lincoln and White
Pine Counties), we are concerned about negative impacts on the ecosystem and archeological sites
from excessive open vehicle routes and subsequent irresponsible off-road vehicle use. We need your
help voicing this concern to the Congressional delegation. Please take a few minutes to write a
handwritten letter to Senator Reid, Senator Ensign and Congressman Gibbons asking them to
minimized the number of "cherrystems" or open vehicle routes in Lincoln County Wilderness.
Scroll down for talking points on cherrystems to include in a letter or phone call. Please let us know
when you do send a letter to the delegation by shooting an email to erika.pollard@wildnevada.org.
Your voices are critical to this process and we appreciate your efforts to help us make this
legislation a positive step forward for Wilderness protection in Nevada! Thank you, thank you!
Talking Points for Cherrystem Letters
During the last 20 years, ecological values have begun to supersede scenery and recreation as
the fundamental goals for Wilderness Area selection.
Protecting an area for its ecological value, rather than its scenic or recreational opportunities,
requires looking at a completely different set of characteristics and examining how an area fits
into the context of the larger natural landscape.
Both agencies and individuals have proposed many Wilderness Areas that have long, narrow
exclusions for roads up canyon bottoms or along ridges. These “cherrystems” severely
compromise the protection of an area and impair its ecological viability.
While many Wilderness supporters understand that “cherrystemming” in proposed wilderness
areas is occasionally necessary, we seek to minimize cherrystems because of their negative
ecological impact and the management problems that they create.
Frequently, cherrystems end at springs or traverse sensitive riparian areas (often with repeated
crossings). Care should be taken to lessen vehicle and human impacts on plants and wildlife in
these riparian and spring zones.
Roads and associated off-road vehicle use negatively impact biodiversity by fragmenting wildlife
habitat, allowing for exotic species invasion, damaging native plant species, causing soil
erosion, and altering stream channels and riparian areas.
Irresponsible off-road vehicle use, a likely result of excessive cherrystems in Wilderness, has
already resulted in damage to important archeological sites in Lincoln County. These cultural
sites have important spiritual significance and provide critical links to our cultural and
environmental history.
By minimizing the number of open vehicle routes within Lincoln County Wilderness, we are more
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likely to protect important desert bighorn sheep habitat as well as low elevation habitat for the
threatened desert tortoise.
CONTACT INFO FOR NEVADA'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
Senator Harry Reid
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL LINK
Carson City
600 East Williams Street, #302
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-882-7343
Fax: 775-883-1980
Las Vegas
Lloyd D. George Building
333 Las Vegas Boulevard South, # 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-388-5020
Fax: 702-388-5030
Reno
400 So. Virginia Street, # 902
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: 775-686-5750
Fax: 775-686-5757
Rural Nevada Mobile Office
Phone: 775-772-3905
Fax: 775-201-6010
Washington
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
Senator John Ensign
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL LINK
Carson City
600 East William St., # 304
Carson City, Nevada 89701
Phone: (775) 885-9111
Fax: (775) 883-5590
Las Vegas
333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, # 8203
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Phone: (702) 388-6605
Fax: (702) 388-6501
Representative Jim Gibbons
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL LINK
Las Vegas
600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 680
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Phone: 702-255-1651
Fax: 702-255-1927
Reno
400 South Virginia Street, # 502
Reno, Nevada 89501
Phone: 775-686-5760
Fax: 775-686-5711
Elko
491 4th Street
Elko, Nevada 89801
Phone: (775) 777-7920
Fax: (775) 777-7922
Washington D.C.
100 Cannon House Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-6155
Fax: 202-225-5679
Representative Shelley Berkeley
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL LINK
Las Vegas
2340 Paseo Del Prado, Suite D-106
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone: (702) 220-9823
Fax: (702) 220-9841
Washington DC
439 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5965
Fax: (202) 225-3119
Representative Jon Porter
CLICK HERE FOR EMAIL LINK
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Reno
400 So. Virginia St. #738
Reno, Nevada 89501
Phone: (775) 686-5770
Fax: (775) 686-5729
Washington
364 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6244
Fax: (202) 228-2193
TDD: (202) 224-7638
Henderson
2501 N. Green Valley Pkway, #112D
Henderson, NV 89014
Phone: 702-387-4941
Fax: 702-434-1378
Washington
218 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3252
Fax: 202-225-2185
If you are interested in visiting any of our Eastern Nevada Wilderness
Proposal Areas, give a call (775.746.7850) or send us an email
(info@wildnevada.org). If we can't join you, we can always guide you toward
some fabulous Wilderness locations!
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
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.
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