Nevada Wilderness Programme, USA
USA, Nevada
Ecosystems: low arid desert, mountains, lakes, pineforest
Significance: The landscape of Nevada is the most mountainous and geologically diverse the United States has to offer. With a life zone ranging from a couple of hundred feet to over 13,000, Nevada also harbours some of the most sensitive and fragile species of flora/fauna found in North America. From the low arid desert in Death Valley to the peaks of the Spring Mountains and to Lake Tahoe
Description: The wilderness areas were this programme is taking place is confronted with the challenge of
providing ecologically sensitive recreational activities for the thousands of visitors enticed to the natural beauty of the wilderness. Recreational activities often result in cumulative impacts that are destructive to the very environment that these people come to enjoy. Improperly maintained and/or constructed trail systems provide access to remote regions. For example in the Great Basin the fragile desert ecosystems have been severely impacted by renegade off road vehicles.
Also Lake Mead provides critical habitat for the endangered desert tortoise, the threatened desert Bighorn Sheep and many other species of plant and animal life that is endemic to the upper Sonoran Desert. Through these projects, as international volunteers, you will join NCC volunteers in closing and obliterating illegal roads, constructing barricade fencing to prevent encroachment, re-vegetating native plants, and converting closed roads into trails. Thus protecting this very unique desert ecosystem.
Course of action: The volunteer work include a variety of restoration practices from removing illegal roads to restoring the native vegetation that once thrived in these desolate and beautiful lands. For road decommissioning, volunteers are decompacting illegal OHV roads and transplant native vegetation to the area. Native plant restoration will involve the removal of non-native invasive plants, and the transplanting of native plant seedlings.
Valued Skills: You should be between 18 to 35 years old, fit, healthy and capable of carrying out work in strenuous conditions. In addition, you need to be prepared to hike to get around, and to be comfortable living in and camping in a tent. No specific skills are needed, but those with previous experience of manual conservation work, trail work, and so on, would be particularly useful, as well as those who are self-motivated, as you will get more out of the project if you are. This project will appeal to those with an interest in conservation, restoration, wilderness and low impact camping. Anyone with additional skills are especially welcome!
Other Information: The programme cost for six weeks is covered by the Nevada Conservation Corps, which includes all project costs, including all food, camping, equipment provided for the project (not personal), all training and supervision by project manager and volunteers. Volunteers pay WorkingAbroad Projects a backup and placement support for 75 GBP to organise the arrivals. Airfare to Nevada (or San Francisco), travel/medical insurance and personal expenses must be borne by the volunteers. It is mandatory for you to take out travel and medical insurance for the duration of the project.
For more details on the above programme and how you can volunteer or become a supporter, please fill in the following form:
Contact Details:
Andreas Kornevall
PO Box 454, Flat 1
Brighton
England
0033 468 26 41 79
