At a time when development is endangering Nevada’s natural places, the Sierra Club’s Southern Nevada Group (SNG) is stepping up its stewardship of public lands. Volunteers participated in two Saturday events, the Coyote Springs cleanup, as well as the colorfully headlined, “The Great Unconformity Cleanup,” on November 12, and November 19, respectively. To keep our public lands thriving, we partnered with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service, Go Mt. Charleston, and Get Outdoors Nevada.
Expressing an interest in how cleanups are organized, Linda Stout, SNG volunteer and Conservation Chairperson, graciously decided to join me. We were relieved to discover that protective equipment, gloves, shovels, pick-up tools, and garbage bags or buckets were all provided.
We had breezy conditions during the cleanup at Coyote Springs, a few miles on Route U.S. 93 North from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Weather can be a major factor with these events, so wearing protective masks can help, especially if you are sensitive to dust and debris.
BLM Park Ranger Courtney Turner and our team of volunteers cleared out massive amounts of debris. Pockmarked targets of all shapes and sizes were riddled with bullet holes. Metal chairs, broken glass, and cracked clay pigeons were strewn throughout the desert bushes and sands. Undeterred, we collected as much debris as possible into large black trash bags, which were loaded into Ranger Turner's BLM truck and emptied into an enormous dumpster located at the entrance of the dirt road.
Although target practice is legal at Coyote Springs, visitors rarely pick up their casings and targets. Propane cylinders with bullet holes were evidence that gun owners may have attempted to create explosions. Tannerite, a very volatile chemical, is often used to create fire bombs out in the desert, and it’s legally sold when the activator is stored in a separate container. This is incredibly dangerous and foolish. Arid lands, under drought conditions, could ignite dry grasses and bushes, causing a widespread wildfire, and threatening wildlife, visitors, and nearby communities.
Our next visit was to “The Great Unconformity Cleanup,” sponsored by Get Outdoors Nevada. Located at the far end of East Lake Mead Boulevard, this unusually ancient geological range on Frenchman Mountain represents about 1.2 billion years, about a quarter of the Earth’s age. Over five times the amount of volunteers arrived for the event. Once again equipment, gloves, pick-up tools, and colorful collecting buckets were provided. The weather was much milder. The vista below the trailhead had a sweeping view of gorgeous snow-capped mountains. However, as we prepared for the cleanup, we noticed a “sparkle” in the desert soil and vegetation. Shining like so many diamonds, was a landscape littered with broken glass, ceramic pieces, discarded tires, ripped fabric, and much more.
Visitors to Frenchman Mountain are permitted to drive their licensed vehicles on this public land. Off-road vehicles are not permitted, nor is target practice ever allowed. We heard gunfire in the distance, which was coming from a law enforcement shooting range as confirmed by two armed BLM park rangers who visited our cleanup event.
This larger group of volunteers had Park Ranger Courtney Turner at the helm. Get Outdoors Nevada staff promoted the event, provided us with a popup tent, and they featured a pep talk from a geologist knowledgeable about Frenchman Mountain. With only a few hours allotted for these cleanups, volunteers made some progress, but you could safely assume that it would take months and years to restore these public lands to their pristine natural beauty.
While I was writing this article I recalled that classic and easily recognizable folk song from singer-songwriter and political activist Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land.” Guthrie’s lyrics emphasize the attractions of our treasured resources, our wondrous lands all across America, “From California to the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me.” Another part of that song mentions “I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts while all around me a voice was sounding this land was made for you and me.”
I fervently wish that visitors planning to visit our public lands in Clark County would heed those words. Now is the time to give back by cleaning up, preserving, and protecting our precious public lands!
By: Nancy Jennis Olds