Plan Ahead, Prepare, and Adapt

Last weekend’s trainer course had a slight change of plans from Lamoille Canyon due to treacherous water crossings from the mass amounts of snow and rain we got this winter. Thankfully this was figured out during the scouting trip instead of when there was a line of participants waiting behind me on the trail at an impassable water crossing – Leave No Trace principle number one: Plan Ahead and Prepare!

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces –
practicing off-trail travel by dispersing their
impact to avoid creating a trail

Even with the change of plans, the course was a huge success with 13 participants, exciting presentations, thought-provoking activities, and a chance to put new-found knowledge to use. We ended up exploring our own backyard by backpacking into Water Canyon. Here are a few highlights from the course!

Dispose of Waste Properly – participants had a
problem or solution taped to their forehead and
had to find their match by asking yes or no questions

Nevada's latest batch of LNT Trainers!

See you on the trail!

Trails

ATV Rider Camp

Eight participants revved their engine for ATV Rider Camp earlier this week! Nevada Outdoor School and Humboldt County Cooperative Extension 4-H Program hosted a three-day camp for local youth to learn safe riding habits, Tread Lightly! ethics, and basic first aid skills. The first two days were at the fairgrounds and full of activities including talks from local ATV shop owners, pop-up obstacles, outdoor ethics dash, a poster project, and more. On the third day, campers were able to bring their ATVs to the Winnemucca sand dunes and practice safe ATV riding habits.

Rider practices his quick turns during camp

We would like to give a special thanks to Jim White, owner of Snowstorm Sports; Jeff Thompson, owner of Ravenswood; and Northern Nevada ATV Association for their generous help with ATV Rider Camp.

Campers display their posters that showed off what they
learned at camp

Beyond the Sagebrush

A moment of quiet on Lake Tahoe during our
sixth grade Sierra Summit Camp

2011 Rendezvous Snap Shots

Playa moonboots after a morning of rain

This year’s Black Rock Rendezvous was full of excitement – including a bit of inclement weather. However, thanks to planning ahead and preparing, our partners were able to weather the storm and continue the festivities by relocating camp off the playa to higher ground.

Gorgeous view from our second camp at Cassidy Mine

Leaving No Trace in Lamoille Canyon

Favre Lake - our destination

Fish your backpack out of your gear closet and come learn more about Leave No Trace (LNT) and teaching techniques while exploring Nevada granite wonderland. Nevada Outdoor School is hosting an LNT Trainer Course Saturday, June 25 through Monday the 27 in Ruby Mountain’s Lamoille Canyon.

We will explore the various principles of LNT while enjoying a three-day, two-night backpacking trip. Each participant will give a short presentation on an assigned principle; this is a great way to practice your teaching techniques and get ideas from fellow LNTers.

Visit http://www.nevadaoutdoorschool.org/ for more information and to register. Sign up now – this course is filling up fast.

On the road for Tread Lightly!

Two of Nevada Outdoor School’s own are spreading the Tread Lightly! message throughout eastern Nevada. We’re visiting third through sixth grade classes in Ely, Pioche, Panaca, and Caliente. Through these lessons students are learning the importance of leaving what they find (except trash!), ATV safety, being prepared for outdoor adventures, and invasive species.

It is important to reach out to these rural communities with Tread Lightly! because a majority of the students partake in off-highway vehicle recreation; we want them to be safe and take care of nature while recreating. This is the second year NOS has toured eastern Nevada and we aim to continue this outreach in the future.

Bringing State History to Life

Students get to go into Lovelock Cave

Nevada Outdoor School and the Bureau of Land Management brought state history to life for more than 300 fourth graders last week. This annual field trip included educational stations at Lovelock Cave and the Marzen House Museum. This experience is beneficial to fourth graders for many reasons, one of them being sparking that outdoor ethic within students.

Prior to the trip NOS instructors visited classrooms to help students explore the importance of the Leave No Trace principle – Leave What You Find. It was rewarding to hear students remind each other – and chaperones – to leave rocks and other natural treasures where they found them.

Spark your outdoor ethic by visiting your local public lands!