By Nancy Jennis Olds and Richa Pandhi

After a few tough years amid a growing pandemic, struggling with acute water shortages at Lake Mead, coupled with severe climate change, this past year has shown a remarkable resurgence with Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter's Southern Nevada Group (SNG) addressing these issues and revealing some solutions while capping off the year with distinguished accomplishments.

On Monday, December 12, members of SNG gathered at the Tap House in Las Vegas for a holiday celebration and catered buffet including vegan options organized by Richa Pandhi and arranged by Christian Gerlach, Organizing Representative for Our Wild America Campaign. Christian Gerlach’s singular efforts, along with Native American tribes, residents, businesses, and government partners, to make Avi Kwa Ame a National Monument was coming to fruition. President Joe Biden has promised to sign this historic proclamation in order to permanently protect this site which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999. It was amazing to learn that this designated monument meant that 450K acres of sacred and biologically diverse desert land would be protected by the federal government from any future attempts at development. Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, is located in Southern Nevada in the Lake Mead Recreation Area near Laughlin and Searchlight.

This significant celebration of a newly designated monument in Southern Nevada was combined with the further recognition of several members’ outstanding contributions during the year. Executive Committee (ExCom) members Teresa Bell and Vinny Spotleson introduced each actively contributing member and distributed certificates of recognition in their honor.

Christian Gerlach provided a comprehensive slide show about Avi Kwa Ame, a place of ancient Joshua trees, Native American petroglyphs, and diverse wildlife encompassing 450,000 acres. Gerlach received a resounding ovation from the audience for his sheer hard work and years of determination in gathering petitions and working with his visionary partners to make Avi Kwa Ame, a sacred place, a monument.

One of the honored recipients was Lisa Ortega who spearheaded a major program in planting sustainable trees in suburban and urban desert communities. These communities need critical native foliage to provide much needed shade and they're instrumental in reducing the carbon footprint. Ortega is departing from SNG to resume her tree planting projects with several sponsors.

There were many notable contributors this year who have attended statewide meetings informing us about the current issues concerning clean energy, reliable and energy efficient public transportation, protecting our public lands, and other core environmental community issues. Among those honored were Linda Stout, Misty Haji-Sheikh, Nick Christenson, Vinny Spotleson, Janet Carter, Teresa Bell, Richa Pandhi, Christina Patterson, Tracey Puckett, Justin McAfee, and myself. Michael Haji-Sheikh, Misty Haji-Sheik’s husband, graciously provided the group photos when I was called up front during the certificates of appreciation presentations.

Here is a general outline of some of those major campaigns and projects:

• Transition to 100% Clean Energy
  Led by Teresa Bell, Nick Christenson, Linda Stout, and Vinny Spotleson
• Urban Planning and Public Transit: including coverage of NEDCA/Clark County Lands Bill, Yucca Mountain, Red Rock, and Blue Diamond Hill
  Led by Vinny Spotleson
• Discussions about Water and Land Issues (WALT)
  Led by Linda Stout

During the event, many of our SNG members introduced themselves to the guests interested in joining the SNG and to some of our former members, who remained isolated during the Covid pandemic, who were considering re-activating their memberships.

Given all the accomplishments from last year, let’s hope that this new year will also point the way for the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter in planning and implementing more sustainable opportunities for Southern Nevada.

We welcome you to attend our monthly virtual meetings, join volunteer opportunities, and consider donating, and, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” ~ Mahatma Gandhi.