FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Media Contact:
Jaina Moan, Executive Director, Friends of Gold Butte, jaina@friendsofgoldbutte.org, 702-208-8377
MEDIA RELEASE: From Military Service to Green Service: volunteers with Nevada Conservation Corps complete stewardship projects in Gold Butte National Monument
GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT – For two weeks this spring, Nevada Conservation Corps were in Gold Butte National Monument repairing roads, removing illegal offroad incursions into wilderness, and installing brand new directional signs along Gold Butte Road.
For one project, the crew improved access to the trailhead for Virgin Peak. The road to the trailhead was badly washed out during Monsoon rains in 2017. A flash flood ripped down the wash and pulled tons of rock and sediment downstream obliterating the route. With the help of the Nevada Conservation Corps, the route is now repaired and passable for carefully driven, medium clearance 4×4 vehicles.
“It is amazing to see what this crew can accomplish,” says Justin van Wijk, Community Outreach Manager for Friends of Gold Butte, “For five months this route was completely washed out, but in just two and half days they got it fixed.”
Nevada Conservation Corps crews are composed of AmeriCorps volunteers who work full time on public lands conservation for three to six months at a time. They are compensated with a meager living allowance, per diem and an educational award similar to a scholarship upon completion of their term.
“It is easy to assume that they are contract workers, and lots of people do,” says Justin van Wijk, “but these corps members are really volunteers and our public lands across Nevada would really be in a sorry state without their help.”
Before their tour in Gold Butte, the crew collected data from weather stations installed by a previous “From Military Service to Green Service” crew, installed traffic counters, and inventoried recreation resources at Basin and Range National Monument. All of this data will be used in the monument management planning process currently underway.
“The From Military Service to Green Service program in its third year would not be possible without the support of the NV Energy Foundation” ” says Jocelyn Torres, Nevada Program Director for Conservation Lands Foundation, “The young men and women who have been a part of the corp over the years have improved access to our National Conservation Lands, gained valuable public lands experience, and many have moved on to careers with various public lands agencies and organizations.”
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.
Click on this link to see additional pictures of the NCC work in Gold Butte National Monument.
###
