Winnemucca, NV, January 7, 2026 — Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) is proud to announce it has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the NV Energy Foundation. This funding will support NOS’s youth outdoor education programs and AmeriCorps initiatives, helping expand access to meaningful outdoor learning opportunities across rural Nevada.
“We are grateful to the NV Energy Foundation for their continued support of our work,” said Nevada Outdoor School Executive Director, Melanie Erquiaga. “This investment helps us reach more students and communities with hands-on outdoor education, workforce development opportunities, and experiences that foster stewardship, curiosity, and connection to the natural world.”
The NV Energy Foundation supports programs that strengthen communities, improve quality of life, and promote a sustainable future throughout Nevada.
“Investing in rural outdoor education provides meaningful learning outside the classroom, and gives students opportunities to explore the outdoors, develop leadership skills, and discover new pathways for their future,” said Tony Gildone, Director, District Delivery Operations. “By expanding access to high‑quality outdoor experiences, we strengthen not only young people, but the rural communities they call home.”
For more than 20 years, Nevada Outdoor School has connected youth in rural Nevada with the outdoors through experiential education. NOS programs integrate science, art, language arts, and physical education to enhance classroom learning, increase time spent outdoors, and encourage a personal outdoor ethic. Each year, NOS’s Nature in My World program alone reaches more than 4,000 K–8th grade students across six rural Nevada counties: Humboldt, Elko, Lander, Pershing, Eureka, and White Pine.
This grant will help support NOS’s AmeriCorps Outdoor Educators, who deliver school-based and community programs, trainings, and outreach throughout rural Nevada. AmeriCorps members receive professional development and hands-on training in skills such as Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly, OHV Safety, and First Aid/CPR. Through programs including Nature in My World, Nature in the Park, and Nature Explorers, AmeriCorps members help youth build critical thinking skills, environmental awareness, and a lifelong connection to the outdoors.
About Nevada Outdoor School
Nevada Outdoor School’s mission is to inspire exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat, and dedication to community. Through a wide range of outdoor and environmental education programs, NOS promotes healthy, active lifestyles and empowers Nevadans to become engaged and responsible citizens.
Learn more at nevadaoutdoorschool.org/home.aspx
About NV Energy Foundation
The NV Energy Foundation provides charitable grants to nonprofit organizations and causes most important to NV Energy customers and our community. Funding priorities include environmental stewardship, education, workforce development, utility assistance, food insecurity, homelessness, affordable housing, and public safety. NV Energy customers do not fund the NV Energy Foundation or the company's charitable giving.
Learn more at NV Energy Foundation | NV Energy
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