Saturday, May 31, 2008, was a day of “first-evers” for Southern Nevada residents. The first-ever Don’t Trash Nevada Day was celebrated at Red Spring Picnic Area in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The family event, which was held from 10 a.m. to noon, included environmental displays and information, as well as the first-ever “Race for Our Desert,” where local mascots competed in a 10M (10 meters, or 33 feet) “race.”
“The idea is to draw attention to the problem of desert dumping and littering, and what we can do to protect our public lands,” said Doug Joslin, project manager of the Don’t Trash Nevada program. “We’ve created a campaign to focus on increasing awareness. As people become more environmentally conscious, they tend to appreciate the beauty of our desert and want to take better care of it.”
The Don’t Trash Nevada program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and managed by the UNLV Public Lands Institute on behalf of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service).
Don't Trash Nevada is a call to action – to encourage residents to volunteer for clean-up efforts and to discourage others from littering and dumping on our public lands. The Red Spring Picnic Area is a living example. It is a high use area that was frequently trashed. But it has gained renewed respect with dozens of volunteers coming out to remove litter and graffiti and the Bureau of Land Management renovating the area. That was the main reason it was selected as the location for Don’t Trash Nevada Day.
Don’t Trash Nevada Project Manager Doug Joslin announced that May 31st was a day to celebrate our beautiful public lands in Southern Nevada and what it takes to keep them beautiful. In the past year, Don’t Trash Nevada has worked with the interagency team to conduct four different clean-ups in this area. We’ve also worked with many of the people who attended the day’s event to make a real difference -- volunteers from the Green Climbers club, the Clark County leadership forum, and volunteers from Get Outdoors Nevada.
Mary Jo Rugwell, field manager for the Las Vegas Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, also spoke as a representative of a unique interagency partnership, the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership. Rugwell said the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service are working together to be more effective as they support our communities and partners to conserve and enhance the public lands of Southern Nevada for current and future generations.
Erika Schumacher, anti-litter team lead with the Bureau of Land Management, announced Phase II of the Don’t Trash Nevada campaign, which officially started May 31. The messaging campaign was introduced two years ago in an effort to increase awareness about littering and dumping and ways we can prevent it.
You’ve never seen a gathering like this – Mojave Max, Deputy Drip, Smokey Bear, Hey Reb, Summerlin Sam, and a Star Wars storm trooper “race” to the finish line as a wacky crew of assorted other mascot characters cheer them on in the first-ever “Race for Our Desert.” Mojave Max crossed the finish line first, followed by Deputy Drip and Smokey Bear.
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