AmeriCorps Spotlight - Kaitlin Phipps (Outdoor Educator for Nevada Outdoor School)

 Hello, my name is Kaitlin Phipps and I’m an Outdoor educator for Nevada Outdoor School in Elko, Nevada! I’m originally from Washington State but moved to Elko when I was young. Currently, I’m attending college for Elementary Education and hope to continue on that path when I move in August! 

I found out about AmeriCorps by finding my host site first. I was incredibly interested because it had so many benefits and amazing opportunities for me currently and in the future. I loved Nevada Outdoor School and wanted to learn more and expand my knowledge and experience so I decided that I definitely wanted to apply! I’ve been an AmeriCorps member for 10 months and I absolutely love it! AmeriCorps is such an incredible service to be participating in and has given me amazing opportunities. It has helped me find my passion and wonderful people. AmeriCorps is a program that’s helped shape me and truly expanded my horizons in life. It’s so important to the people serving, as well as the people who are involved in other ways such as students who were able to teach! I’ve been able to not only teach in schools and classrooms all over Northern Nevada but I’ve also been able to reach so many people in the community! By hikes and lessons outside to, in-office work. It has impacted everyone around me as well as myself. 

My favorite part of being an AmeriCorps member is all of the amazing students I’ve been able to teach and help in my community. I love that students are able to recognize me outside of the classroom when I serve at different events, and they’re able to tell me things they’ve learned. 

I think that AmeriCorps is a wonderful and truly positive and powerful experience that I think more people should be involved in. It has helped me grow and learn so much and I’m so thankful for it. I would really love to continue with AmeriCorps in the future either serving or attending events at different host sites. I’m so thankful for everyone who has helped me so far in my journey with the AmeriCorps program. 

Destination Recreation: Valley of Fire State Park

 View on Map!

Breathtaking views, scenic drives and hikes, cool wildlife, and a stunning array of colors, Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada is well worth the trip!

Located about 1-hour northeast of Las Vegas, near the town of Overton, Valley of Fire State Park is a great place for a day trip or an overnight adventure.  Many of the park’s stunning features are easily viewed from the car but don’t be fooled, there’s much more to discover on the trails.

Valley of Fire gets its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago.  Red isn’t the only color you see though, whites, pinks, and yellows blend together to create a beautiful rainbow landscape. 

When visiting Valley of Fire State Park, I would recommend making the visitor center, located near the center of the park and open from 8:30am-4:30pm daily your first stop.  At the visitor center, you can pick up a helpful map and visitor guide, learn about the park’s history, plants and animals, see some of the cool wildlife up close, look around their small gift shop, and talk to someone at the help desk if needed.  Don’t forget to fill up your water bottles and also take the small hike out back up to an impressive sight!

Valley of Fire State Park can be done pretty easily as a day trip – a lot of the notable features including Elephant Rock, the arch and Fire Canyon can be viewed from the road and most of the main trails are only about 1 mile long, making it possible to hike multiple trails in 1 day.  However, you could spend many days in the park and still not get bored, there is so much to see! It’s super important to practice Leave No Trace and plan ahead and prepare for your visit.  Fall, winter and early spring are good times to go if you plan to get out and hike as temperatures in the summer months usually exceed 100 degrees, making it dangerous to be outside for too long.  Proper footwear is also important as desert plants can be quite poky and many of the trails are located in desert washes making them extremely sandy (not fun if you are wearing tennis shoes). 

The Fire Wave is another notable feature in the park which can be accessed on the Fire Wave trail which is only 1.5 miles, but don’t be fooled though - lack of shade and extreme temperatures in the summer can make this trail extremely dangerous.

My favorite trail in the park is White Domes, located at the end of the road going north out of the visitor’s center.  This trail is about 1.25 miles long and takes you through an old movie sight and super cool slot canyon.  Another one of my favorite places in the park is the Rainbow Vista trail.  The trail itself is cool but the overlook view at the end which gives the trail its name is amazing!  Ancient Indian artwork can be found all around the park, but taking a quick hike down the Mouse Tank trail is definitely one of the best ways to see a lot all together.  It’s fun trying to “read” the petroglyphs left by the ancient people.  Other cool features in the park include massive petrified wood logs, crypobiotic soil, and tons of desert wildlife including lizards, tarantulas, and big horn sheep.

Camping at Valley of Fire is a unique experience that I definitely recommend.  If you are going with a big group and are up for planning your trip WAY in advance, you can call and try to reserve one of the three big group use sights which are AMAZING!  They book up pretty fast though and are hard to get especially on the weekends.  Don’t stress though, the park has 2 other first-come campsites with 72 units and additional RV spots that are also really cool to stay at. 

So, whether you are just going for the day or staying for a while, Valley of Fire State Park is definitely worth the trip!

 Happy Trails!

Upcoming Special Events!

 3rd Annual Fire and Ice Charity Golf Scramble Event 

On May 20th, 2023 in Spring Creek, Nevada we will be kicking off fundraising season with our 3rd Annual Fire and Ice Charity Golf Scramble! 

Funds from this event help with providing low-cost to no-cost outdoor education programs throughout rural Nevada. Golf teams are $400 with a $26 discount per person for being a Spring Creek Golf Course member. On the course, there will be advantage games! Participants in this golf tournament will also receive lunch and a NOS goodie bag. Cart rental fees are not included with the team sign-up. 

Not only are we golfing during this tournament but we are also having a firearm and cooler raffle (hence the name Fire and Ice!). Firearm tickets are $20 each. Winners will have their choice of the following firearms: Mossberg 12ga Shotgun, Tikka .300 Win Mag, Savage 20ga Shotgun, and Savage 17HMR. Cooler tickets are $10 each. Winners of the cooler raffle will have the choice between (4) 48 quart Cordova Coolers all custom wrapped. All coolers are hard-shelled, have sturdy handles, airtight, and made in Idaho! Anyone can buy raffle tickets and does not have to be present to win. But being present does help because winners who are present get the first pick of firearms and coolers! 

Team registration and raffle ticket purchase can be done here:  https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/F5t1Cw?vid=xvsas. Team sign-ups can also be done at the Spring Creek Golf Course. For more information please feel free to call either the Elko or Winnemucca office.

Nevada Outdoor School 20th Anniversary Art Gala

We would love to have you join us for dinner, music, drinks, and a wonderful art auction to celebrate our 20th Anniversary on June 3rd in Battle Mountain, Nevada. This special celebration wouldn’t be possible without all our amazing funders, volunteers, staff members and board members over the years! 

There is still time to get tickets for this great event! Please be sure to RSVP by April 30th. And if you are in need of a hotel room that night please let us know since we are reserving a block of rooms at the Super 8 for that night for $98 a night! 

As for the art, we currently have pieces varying from paintings, framed photos, birdhouses, quilts, jewelry, handbags, and skirts! The deadline for nature-inspired art donations is May 15th. Pictures of art that has already been donated can be found https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/04dQ8Q?vid=xrmb6. Art can be dropped off at either our Elko office (2363 N. 5th Street) or Winnemucca (655 Anderson Street). Tickets can be purchased on our website here: (https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/04dQ8Q?vid=xrmb6). If you would like to pay by check at the dinner please call one of our offices to RSVP.         

For more information please feel free to contact either office or send us an email at information@nevadaoutdoorschool.org! And we hope to see you June 3rd in Battle Mountain, Nevada!

AmeriCorps Spotlight - Brittany Abel (Elder Program Assistant at Pleasant Senior Center)

Hello, I am Brittany Abel, the current AmeriCorps Elder Program Assistant at Pleasant Senior Center as of Oct 17, 2022. I was looking for a part time position and found this one on indeed! 

 

 

Although I thought it was a long shot, I applied and was surprised and excited to be called for an interview. My experience caring for my sick and disabled mother and late Grandfather with patience and love helped prepare me for this position. I can now give that same care to the aging and enjoy this work because they are the reason most of us as a younger generation made it this far and how we learned to live life and survive. Although I started my service a little late, I love this job! I feel very content and enjoy meeting people that come in for my help. Knowing that I can put a smile on their faces and release the stress for them makes me happy. I try my hardest to make sure nobody leaves my office without an answer or if I can’t make that happen at that moment, I do my homework, go fishing and find the solution. I am a person who has to finish what I started and I will make it happen no matter how long it takes me. I have been the person on the other side asking for help and sent away without answers so I know how frustrating that can be. I believe that there is always a way to help and I make sure for others that I find a way to ensure that I do for others what I would want for me.

 

I’m especially happy with the learning experiences I’ve gained, how well the center is organized and how friendly folks are as well. The ladies who come from Elko are always willing to give me advise when I need it. I have succeeded in making the aging community smile and keeping them happy with all my assistance that I offer them. They bring me joy as well as smiles and I always have a great day after leaving the Center. It makes me feel confident in knowing that I have helped them with what I can and relieved some of their worries. I have always enjoyed being around older people even as a kid. They have more knowledge and I could learn from them by just watching or listening to their stories. I am a strong believer that Elders are the teachers to our parents while they are growing and parenting. I know that I don’t know it all, but I know in my heart, just by watching and listening to words spoke to me by the older generation.

I am gaining a lot of knowledge here in this position as I speak and work with each client. This knowledge will be useful in the future as I pursue a career as a Social Worker or Nurse. I like that I am becoming more responsible and more organized. I find it very important to be able to offer help to my community and myself as well. It’s important to have knowledge as well as a heart to give kind support and help as needed. I am super excited to see what the rest of my service has in store, how much more I will gain, and how many more people I will make happier. I am blessed to have this opportunity and I appreciate it daily.

February Programs at NOS!

Nevada Outdoor School inspires exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat and dedication to community.

Here are some highlights from February 2023!

AmeriCorps member, Johnny Cooper, showing participants how to use a compass.

On February 3rd 2023, NOS was able to facilitate two fun workshops on Maps and Compasses in Elko and Winnemucca where participants learned about compasses and how to use them in an exciting way! These Workshops facilitated by NOS staff and AmeriCorps Outdoor Educators reached 10 participants.Each of the participants were able to learn something new about compasses and how to use them in a fun and exciting way! The event was pirate themed and the participants all got to use the compasses with a guide to get to each destination. At each destination they found pieces of a map that had degrees written on them as well as clues as to where the next piece was. Once the participants made it to the end they each got a NOS water bottle with fun goodies! 

 

 

NOS Education Team learning all about Tread Lightly!

On February 8th, the NOS Education team came together to participate in an 8 hour long Tread Trainer Course! By taking the opportunity to receive this training, our team can go out to lessons or roadshow events and speak on the 5 Tread Lightly! Principles. In total, we had 6 staff and AmeriCorps members complete the training, which was hosted by Master Tread Trainer and Programs Coordinator, Allana. 

Elko Romantic Night Hike attendees enjoying a warm fire! 

With the weekend before Valentine's day NOS hosted a romantic night hike for the communities of Winnemucca and Elko of which 24 members came to enjoy the campfire, hot coca, and smores under the stars. This was facilitated by NOS and run by AmeriCorps members. This romantic night allowed people to come and spend some time under the stars around a warm campfire with a cup of hot cocoa and end their self-guided hike with a fresh smore. NOS puts on these community hikes for the public to enjoy the outdoors in their area while also being a conduit for meeting like minded people who enjoy outdoors activities. This fits NOS’s goal of getting people from the community outside throughout the year and throughout the day and night.

 

BLM and Forest Service Rangers playing Trash Timeline, a game that shows how long items can take to decompose. 

 

This Valentine’s Day, Nevada Outdoor School celebrated by teaching a Tread Lightly! Awareness Workshop in Elko.The workshop was hosted by Elko Program Coordinator and Tread Trainer, Meghan Rich. Attendees of this workshop included 6 members of BLM from the California Trail Center and 5 Snow Rangers from the Forest Service. This 4 hour awareness workshop covered the 5 Tread Lightly! Principles and how they can be applied while recreating outdoors. Participants left with new found knowledge and the ability to help spread awareness for keeping our access to motorized trails open. This was accomplished with discussions and hands-on games and activities, a NOS specialty! 

 

AmeriCorps members presenting the RS2 Tread Master Skit to elementary students in Round Mountain. 

Four of Nevada Outdoor School’s staff and AmeriCorps members traveled to Round Mountain to teach students from kindergarten all the way to high school about Ride Safe, Ride Smart. This was achieved by a fun skit that introduced the 5 Tread Lightly! principles. After the skit the students had time to further explore the 5 Tread Lightly! principles through interactive stations. One of the stations was on traveling responsibly where students got to learn about how being prepared and having enough fuel before riding is important by carrying 2 full gas cans 40 feet. During the event the students explored their actions and impacts and how to choose to make a small impact when riding ATV’s. 

 

 

Instructor Allana has a victory selfie as the participants finish the course.

 

When riding an ATV one needs to be observant and safe that’s why NOS held an ASI training course for the public at the Elko county reserved range. In this ASI training taught by ASI certified trainer Allana Havernick three members of the public attended to sharpen their skills on an ATV. The participants learned skill sets such as braking within the correct timing and where to look when applying their machine’s braking system, how to properly check and turn on the machine, and how to safely and successfully drive over or around obstacles on the trail. NOS offers these classes to the public in an interest to foster knowledge and develop skills in the public for ATVS. Having these skills and knowledge lets the public ride safely and keep on the designated trails.

 

Destination Recreation - Fly Ranch

In the middle of nowhere Nevada, lies a unique feature that has been shared countless times on social media, in magazines, and has received travelers from all over the world to enjoy its beauty- Fly Ranch and Fly Geyser. 

 

Fly Geyser is on 3,800 acres of land located some miles north of Gerlach, NV. It is on private property managed by the Burning Man Project and Nature Walks are offered in partnership with the Friends of Black Rock High Rock. In order to view this masterpiece you will need to reserve a space during one of Friends of Black Rock High Rock Nature Walks, with their season beginning on April 1st! 

Fly Ranch is a Leave No Trace fan just like Nevada Outdoor School! There is no garbage service at Fly Ranch so everything you pack in with you (water bottles, sunscreen, clothing) you need to pack back out with you when you leave. Additionally, leaving behind any plants, rocks, bones, or artifacts that you may find on your walk needs to be left on the property so others can enjoy it in the future as well!

A big aspect of the Nature Walk is traversing through two sections of the 3,800 acre Fly Ranch, around 2 miles in total. On your guided walk, you will learn of local flora, fauna, and natural resources as well as be able to view some of the past historical Burning Man Projects from past events that are now housed on the property. What kind of wildlife might you see when you go out to the ranch? When I went I was able to see a group of wild horses, lizards, scorpions, coyotes, rabbits, several species of birds, and even antelope! You may also see rattlesnakes, deer, badgers, and more! Remember when you encounter any wildlife to respect them by using Leave No Trace’s the rule of thumb.

 

Another thing to note, which is quite amazing in the whole experience, is that they request you keep your cameras, phones, recorders, etc tucked away during the walk until you reach the Geyser and can take photos. This is because everyone is increasing their time in front of screens and we want to spend the time increasing our time spent outdoors and connecting with nature and all it has to offer. 

After your walk you will most likely be looking for somewhere to eat. In Gerlach, there are some great local businesses ready for your support! At NOS, we typically eat (and stay) at Bruno’s Country Club and Motel. They are fast, friendly, and have an amazing story with pictures all around the restaurant to explore. 

To learn more and to reserve your spot for the 2023 season, head over to https://flyranch.burningman.org/

 

photo credit: Allana Havernick