FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 2, 2017                                                                                      

Media Contact:                                                                                                                

Jaina Moan, Executive Director, Friends of Gold Butte, jaina@friendsofgoldbutte.org, 702-208-8377

Grace Larsen, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, grace@nevadawilderness.org, 702-515-5417

MEDIA RELEASE: A Day of Stewardship in Gold Butte National Monument

GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT – Over thirty volunteers spent Saturday in Gold Butte National Monument painting kiosks, repairing fences damaged in summer flooding, installing signs to keep drivers safe on designated roads, and picking up trash.

The stewardship event was held in recognition of National Public Lands Day, a national, single-day volunteer effort that connects people to public lands in their community. This year also marked the first Nevada Public Lands Day, which recognizes the importance of public lands in the state with stewardship and a fee-free day for all state parks.

The Friends of Gold Butte partnered with the Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the Southern Nevada District office of the Bureau of Land Management to coordinate six stewardship projects in Gold Butte National Monument. The BLM provided supplies, equipment and logistical support. “We appreciate the spirit of volunteerism that we felt here today” said Lee Kirk, acting Monument Manager for the Bureau of Land Management.

Volunteers from communities across southern Nevada including Las Vegas, Pahrump and Mesquite attended Saturday’s service projects in Gold Butte. “We had several new volunteers who had never been to Gold Butte join our project,” said Grace Larsen, Stewardship Coordinator with Friends of Nevada Wilderness. “What a great way to experience our newest National Monument.”  

“Public Lands Day is a way to give back to the land that we all collectively own,” said Jaina Moan, Executive Director of the Friends of Gold Butte. “The work that we did in Gold Butte will help to preserve the natural environment in the Monument and at the same time ensure that people stay safe while traveling on designated roads.”

The Friends of Gold Butte is dedicated to promoting the responsible enjoyment of Gold Butte National Monument through education, stewardship, advocacy and the preservation of natural and cultural resources.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness is dedicated to preserving all qualified Nevada public lands as wilderness, protecting all present and potential wilderness from ongoing threats, educating the public about the values of and need for wilderness, and improving the management and restoration of wild lands.

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