Projects

Mar

2020

The Military Service to Green Service Program Returns

Friends of Sloan Canyon is proud to announce the return of a local annual program called From Military Service to Green Service with a generous $40,000 grant from NV Energy Foundation. In partnership with the NV Energy Foundation, the Bureau of Land Management, and Great Basin Institute, this project supports recently discharged military veterans seeking career opportunities in natural resource management. The recruits are trained to become part of the Nevada Conservation Corps and assigned to a six-week detail performing trail repairs, signage installation, and other on-site work at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. This is the fifth year NV Energy Foundation has supported this program providing a unique opportunity for veterans to gain work experience for a post-military career managing our nation’s public lands.

“Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is a special place, with amazing cultural resources, desert wildlife, and exotic geology right next door to the City of Henderson” said Jim Stanger, Board President of Friends of Sloan Canyon. “We are extremely grateful for NV Energy Foundation’s support and commitment to helping provide veterans with work experience, and support for Southern Nevada’s public lands—lands that are enjoyed by so many people and contribute to Nevadans’ quality of life.”

Members of prior years’ Veterans Conservation Corps have gone on to work in wildland firefighting teams or have taken specialist or ranger positions with Bureau of Land Management or other federal land management agencies. This year’s Veterans Conservation Corps is just starting their detail and will be building and repairing trails in and around the North McCullough Wilderness area. Near the end of their detail they will receive their “red card”, the first stages of training on an optional path to joining national wildland firefighting crews. Crew members also receive AmeriCorps education awards that may be applied for college classes or to pay student loans.

To find out more about the program visit: friendsofsloan.org/vcc

Oct

2019

Geocache Removal at Sloan Canyon NCA

The Bureau of Land Management is no longer allowing geocaches within the boundaries of Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area or Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. As a stewardship partner of BLM’s we’ve been asked by them to assist in removing those materials from within the Sloan NCA boundaries.

I want everyone to know that we respect the geocaching community. I have experience hunting for these caches myself. It’s a fun, family-friendly activity, and Friends of Sloan Canyon is otherwise happy to support the hobby. There are still plenty of local areas in Southern Nevada’s to place and hunt for geocaches. If you have any questions as to where you can place a new geocache refer to Groundspeak’s Regional Geocaching Policies Wiki.

As our trail crews collect the geocache containers within the NCA boundaries we’re noting their geocache code and date of retrieval. All containers and contents are sealed shut or bagged and stored for pickup. BLM is working with Groundspeak, the operators of Geocaching.com, to alert the cache owners with instructions to claim their cache.

Would you like to help retrieve geocaches? Keep on eye on our calendar for dates or email volunteer@friendsofsloan.org and we’ll get you in the crew.