Winter 2010

Wallin’s Alien Adbuction Confirmed

As we get ready to dive into 2011, the Nevada Wilderness Project has a clear vision for habitat
conservation: We see special landscapes such as Gold Butte, Blue Lakes, and Alder Creek bet-
ter managed and protected as Wilderness and National Conservation Areas. We see “smart
from the start” renewable energy projects fueling Nevada’s economy and additional habitat
conservation. We see royalties from the sale of solar energy coming back to the very counties
from whence that energy sprung. We see a focus on landscape connectivity and large-scale
protections for sage grouse—heading off that species’ downward trend and a federal listing
as an Endangered Species.
In other words, the Nevada Wilderness Project is strong and we’re moving into year three of a
five-year strategic plan—with clear purpose, solution-oriented advocacy, and a sharp eye out
for new conservation opportunities.
Inside, you’ll read about the progress we’ve made in our three programmatic areas and the work
that lies ahead. Most of what the staff and board of the Nevada Wilderness Project accomplishes
is directly connected to the involvement and action taken by you—an NWP member. Communi-
cating with members of Congress, writing letters to the editor, attending the Wild & Scenic Film
Festival, forwarding an Action Alert, being someone who loves and cares for the land... all of these
actions are meaningful and effective. We count on you and need your continued engagement.
The only thing missing from NWP in 2011 will be our founder, director, and instigator of all
office silliness, John Wallin. After eleven amazing years at the helm of NWP, John has decided
to move on. “I’m negotiating with my wife,” he has said, “to take a two-month to five-year sab-
batical... she doesn’t think that’s very funny.”
John assures us he will stay in the field of conservation, and that’s a good thing. Few people
have accomplished so much in such a relatively short time. Because of his leadership, vision,
work ethic, and an unusual knack for enlisting the help of diverse and committed people,
Nevada has 2.5 million acres of new Wilderness; 500,000 acres of National Conservation Area;
a new approach—catching on Westwide—for habitat conservation that is tied to renewable
energy development; respect among the national conservation community for trying new
and brave approaches to old problems—and getting things done. John and NWP led success-
ful campaigns and created more Wilderness in Nevada in these first ten years than all other
states during the same period of time.
And few people know how to make everything from camping trips to board meetings, road
trips to conference calls, strategy sessions to employee evaluations... so darn much fun. So
thank you, John, from past and present staff, board members, and the many members of the Top: Trekking up Boundary Peak, Esmeralda
Nevada Wilderness Project. We want you to take a well-deserved break, have an NWP closure County. Photo by Trevor Clark. Middle: Desert
drink on us, and get busy again. tortoise. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service. Bottom: John Wallin scopes it out.
And NWP will continue firing on all cylinders, many of which you can read about inside. In par- Photo by Run Hunter.
ticular, Board Treasurer Lynn Schiek has brought her finance experience to NWP for five years.
Greg Seymour, a 15-year resident of Las Vegas, has joined the NWP staff as Renewable Energy
Coordinator to address new conservation opportunities that lie at the intersection of renew- The Nevada Wilderness
able energy development and our vast public lands. And more. Thanks for reading. Project is a catalyst for wildlife
For the wild, habitat conservation, wilderness
Charlotte Overby preservation, and smart
Charlotte Overby, Acting Director, development of renewable energy.
Communications Director, Nevada Wilderness Project www.wildnevada.org
charlotte.overby@wildnevada.org
Nevada’s Special
Landscapes
The backstory
Special landscapes are places in Nevada
identified by local residents and the
broader conservation community as
some of our state’s most spectacular and
unspoiled, natural gems. With our part-
ners, NWP works to legislate Wilderness,
National Conservation Area (NCA) or other
designations for these special places.
All summer and fall, we have been deliver-
ing a consistent message to our Congres-
sional delegation about one such place:
Gold Butte. Our campaign for Nevada’s
“piece of the Grand Canyon puzzle,” as Paulette Cameron James T. Reynolds Annie Hoskin Bill Potter
Gold Butte is often called, began 10 years cocktail waitress retired National Park Service retired teacher casino floor supervisor
superintendent
ago. We have helped secure a unanimous
Mesquite City Council resolution support- Photo by Tyler Roemer

ing protection for this land of petroglyphs,

Joshua trees, bighorn sheep, ponderosa
pines and so much more. Next came a near
Wilderness is our common ground.
People from all over the world visit southern Nevada in search of our famous wild places. Certainly, one of
unanimous resolution of support from the the wild places is the Vegas strip. But, we think our best wild lands are actually about an hour up the road in
Clark County Commission (the commis- the beautiful desert landscape of Gold Butte. Whenever we’re looking for a bit of solitude among the red rock
sion representing, among others, that little canyons, a day exploring ancient rock art, or a chance encounter with an endangered desert tortoise, we look to
the vast beauty of the real wild west—Gold Butte. We came from all over to find this amazing place, it’s vital
town called Las Vegas.) we take care of it, so future generations can enjoy Gold Butte just as we do.
A decade of public meetings, hikes, events
and outings, and the flowering of a new
Help Protect Nevada’s Gold Butte. www.CommonGroundGB.org
local stewardship and advocacy group—
Friends of Gold Butte—have culminated in
this: The time is now for Gold Butte. And at
this writing, Congress is grinding through a
lame duck session, after which we are confi- A series of “Wilderness is our Common Ground” ads appeared over the summer in the Las Vegas
dent we’ll be celebrating a new Gold Butte Review-Journal and other publications.
National Conservation Area with Wilderness.
And in the northern part of the state, NWP e-mails announcing dates, and check
What lies ahead grassroots work to protect Blue Lakes www.friendsofgoldbutte.org for volun-
and Alder Creek wilderness study areas in teer opportunities.
At NWP, we include mentoring
Humboldt County is also underway. NWP’s
others to get involved in conser- And we recommend a trip to Blue Lakes or
staff biologist Gregg Tanner has been par-
vation as one of our organizational values. Alder Creek. Seeing this area firsthand will
ticipating with a committee of local peo-
And this year, NWP’s Gold Butte organizer, no doubt inspire you to help advocate for
ple—in a unique process spear-headed
Nancy Hall, will “spin off” at the beginning Wilderness designations. We’ll keep you
by Trout Unlimited—to find the best way
of the year and run Friends of Gold Butte posted on progress and opportunities to
to protect this wild backcountry and first-
to focus solely on stewardship projects and get involved at www.wildnevada.org.
class trout-fishing area. And in the process,
educational outreach for this stunning place.
the group secured a unanimous recom-
Hall came to NWP as a volunteer while work- mendation from the Humboldt County
ing as a waitress in Mesquite. She began Commission in support of designating
volunteering her time on wilderness cam- these areas as Wilderness. Work continues
paigns in early 2001 and was instrumental this spring to gain the support of Nevada’s
in seeing the Clark County (’02) and Lincoln congressional delegation for introduction
County (’04) bills passed. She exchanged of legislation in 2011.
coffee re-fills for grassroots organizing, join-
ing the NWP staff in 2006 to turn fulltime Up-coming opportunity
attention to Gold Butte. We couldn’t be hap- All Nevadans, but especially those in
pier for Nancy, the Friends of Gold Butte and southern Nevada, will have the chance to
all southern Nevadans who have worked so help out with trail building, road restora-
hard to protect Gold Butte and secure such a tion work, native plant restoration and Blue Lakes, Humboldt County, NV. Photo from the
bright future for this national treasure. clean up projects in Gold Butte. Watch for NWP collection
Climate Change, Energy & Wildlands
The backstory
Threats to Nevada’s wild public lands and sensitive habitats look a
lot different than they used to. In the past, our greatest challenges
were the rapid pace of growth, poor management and ignorance
of the spectacular qualities of our public lands. Today the chal-
lenges are more severe because they are more complex. Climate
change is gripping the southwest, affecting precipitation patterns,
migrating habitats and driving wildlife to new extremes.
That’s why the Nevada Wilderness Project has invested its resources
and expertise in the brave new world of renewable energy on pub-
lic lands. Our team developed the concept of “smart from the start”
renewable energy projects. These are projects that, simply put,
develop good renewable energy projects, protect wildlife habitats,
and do them both at the same time.
We have focused our work in this programmatic area in two ways.
First, we have been evaluating Nevada’s 11 so-called “fast-track”
renewable energy projects proposed for construction on BLM
lands. We have determined some are “smart from the start” and we
support them; others, such as the Spring Valley Wind Project, are
terrible projects embodying the worst in terms of poor siting, tech-
nology that will kill wildlife, and an environmental review process
that excluded meaningful public input.
Second, we have helped write legislation that establishes two
“smart from the start” solar developments in southern Nevada and
a royalty on the sale of that solar energy that will go into a Renew-
able Energy Mitigation and Fish and Wildlife Fund to be spent for
conservation work in the county where the solar development lies.
Legislation was introduced over the summer and Congress will
consider it over the lame duck session. Pursuing this type of legis-
Adam Bradley goes the distance. Photo by Tyler Roemer
lation will be a high priority for us in the coming year.
need—and this is the important part—additional conservation
What lies ahead
to go with the approval of those projects. These are either extra
We are going to continue to champion our “smart from the start” financial resources for habitat restoration or land acquisition, or
approach to developing renewable energy projects. Interior a legislative solution that establishes new Wilderness or National
Department officials and the media are beginning to use the term, Conservation Area on nearby lands. Develop renewable energy.
and we are collaborating with other Western conservationists to Protect wildlife habitat. Do both at the same time.
make “smart from the start” a national campaign. Yes, we need
good renewable energy projects that make use of appropriate Up-coming opportunity
technologies sited in environmentally appropriate places. We also You may recall last spring’s “SWIP Trip,” that extraordinary hike
by Adam Bradley along the path of a 500-mile transmission line
in eastern Nevada. We organized that hike because it offered us a
way to paint a realistic picture of the line’s impact on the landscape
and highlight conservation opportunities accompanying its con-
struction. While we recognize that its construction will result in the
loss of some lands and habitat, the SWIP line will also carry the very
kind of “clean” energy we have been clamoring for – energy gener-
ated by solar, wind and geothermal facilities that will help reduce
our state’s carbon output. Adam’s journey—and the media and
blog coverage that came out of it—was an exploration of these
complex issues.
A film crew traveled with Adam during his hike. They have made
a 26-minute film about the journey called, “Walking the Line: New
Energy in the Old West.” It will premier at the Wild & Scenic Envi-
ronmental Film Festival in Nevada City, CA January 14-16, then be
part of Wild & Scenic’s national film tour. We’re excited about it
The Documentary Group filming in eastern Nevada. and will let you know when and where you’ll have the opportunity
Photo by Charlotte Overby to see it. www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org
American pronghorn. Photo by Tyler Roemer

Linking Landscapes for Wildlife

This fall, a few NWP staff members traveled to eastern Oregon to
take part in the Desert Conference, which was attended by about
150 conservationists with a particular interest in the Great Basin
and Oregon’s high desert lands. We were there to talk about
Nevada’s Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, the Hart Mountain
Antelope Refuge just north in Oregon—and the vast public lands
that lie between the two.
Plans are shaping up to focus organizational and volunteer
energy on this area. Spearheaded by the Oregon Natural Desert
Association (ONDA) and the Nevada Wilderness Project, we dis-
cussed ideas for a significant conservation area that would pro-
tect a large, unbroken landscape of some of the best sagebrush
habitat in the U.S.
Both these refuges were established in the 1930s to protect prong-
horn antelope, and given how much we’ve learned about this spe-
cies and how they move, we know how important connectivity is
between protected areas—connectivity ensures pronghorn (and
dozens of other species) have room to roam, benefitting from sea-
sonal migrations and contiguous access to food, water and cover.

Getting oriented. Photo by Jim Little

A conservation area of this magnitude would also help the sage
grouse, a beautiful bird that is threatened with listing on the Fed-
eral Endangered Species List. Addressing habitat issues now—and
keeping sage grouse off the list—is in the bird’s best interest as
well as Nevada’s economic interests.
So what lies ahead? More discussion among conservation
groups, local residents, ranchers, local and state elected officials,
agency employees, and more. A Hart-Sheldon National Sage
Grouse Conservation Area is a ways off, but much more than just
a glimmer in the eyes of conservationists. We’ll keep you posted
On the edge at the Hart Refuge. Photo by Jim Little on www.wildnevada.org.
Project People
Five years ago, Lynn Schiek volunteered to serve on the Board of
Directors for the Nevada Wilderness Project. She brought profes-
sionalism, hard work and more than a decade’s worth of business
experience to the organization (and on every camping trip, a nice
bottle of wine to share.) In many ways, she helped NWP “grow up”
in terms of its fiscal management and board governance.
“I was drawn to volunteer for NWP because of the group’s entre-
preneurial attitude. They’re not afraid to take pragmatic risks and
have a strong desire to get work done. They also knew all the
most beautiful and impressive landscapes in Nevada, and could
show me where they are,” she says. “People involved in the orga-
nization want to have fun and make a difference.”
She saw an organization accomplishing big things for Nevada’s Members of the NWP Board of Directors get it done. Photo by John Wallin
natural landscapes with limited financial resources and knew her
experience in the worlds of business development and finance are really nice people too,” she explains. “I urge people to support
could help NWP stretch those even farther. She challenged the NWP because they have the people, knowledge and organization
staff and succeeded in raising NWP’s game when it came to to influence the conservation of wilderness and wildlife habitat in
financial planning and setting sites high for fundraising and tight Nevada—and at such a critical point in its history.”
fiscal management.
Schiek leaves the board, but not NWP, in January after guiding
“It has been gratifying to be part of developing a strategic vision the organization through a thorough and successful first audit—
that positions NWP ahead of the curve. We’ve worked to get the among so many other contributions. She is an integral part of that
right people on the board and staff to execute the plan. And they success she describes above, and the NWP family is ever grateful.

Way back at the beginning of ‘09 when we revised our mission “This MOJO volunteer position has helped me appreciate the
statement to include addressing renewable energy development pressures that our public lands are under,” explains Greg. “The
on Nevada’s public lands, we knew the time would come to bring biggest challenges we’re facing with renewable energy develop-
new expertise on staff to work on this emerging intersection of ment on our public lands has to do with the fast pace at which
habitat conservation and renewable energy development. We things are happening. And the federal agencies were not pre-
wanted to accomplish both at the same time, and in April, Greg pared. Like any large organization, getting that ship to change
Seymour became NWP’s Renewable Energy Coordinator based course is a slow process.”
in Las Vegas.
Seymour will engage proposed renewable energy projects at the
Seymour’s experience with the National Environmental Policy Act local, state and national levels to weigh in and assist governmen-
(NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and wilder- tal procedure and policy change, so that the projects reaching the
ness policy has given him a broad perspective on public lands finish line, so-to-speak, are the right projects in the right locations
issues. He also serves as a member of the BLM Resource Advisory with additional habitat conservation measures factored into them.
Council–MOJO (Mojave-Southern Great Basin).
Seymour spent the summer getting up to speed on Nevada’s 11
so-called fast-track renewable energy projects, further defining
NWP’s “smart from the start” approach to renewable projects, and
introducing himself and offering NWP’s habitat expertise to energy
companies and agency staff ready to cooperate on conservation.
Last month, you may have heard him interviewed on KNPR 88.9
in Las Vegas. It was a hectic time, and next up for Seymour in the
short-term: opening a new NWP office at 7465 W. Lake Mead Blvd.,
Suite 105, Las Vegas, 89128.
“I have been pleasantly surprised how the conservation commu-
nity as a whole has come on board with us to incorporate “smart
from the start” policy at the national level,” he says.
“It confirms that NWP’s perspective on renewable energy projects
and conservation is the right approach. This is one reason why I
decided to work on the smart from the start initiative, along with
my extraordinary colleagues at NWP. These issues are complex and
have lots of moving parts. Our responsiveness and on-the-ground
approach is an asset to getting positive things done.”

Greg Seymour atop Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park. You can read much more about Seymour’s work and NWP’s “smart
Photo by a friendly passing stranger from the start” approach at www.wildnevada.org.
You allow us to look to the future Your support and trust allows us to meet these challenges with
solution-oriented creativity. The work we have done together was
Your financial support and your time and energy have allowed us
only made possible because of your steadfast financial support.
to set a visionary and breakneck pace for conservation that is the
pride of the West. You know that when you give to the Nevada We are grateful for your past faith and support. Please continue
Wilderness Project, you are supporting a conservation organiza- our partnership in defending Nevada’s quality of life by sending
tion that ranks, pound-for-pound, as one of the most effective and your gift today, or save the postage and donate securely online
efficient conservation organizations in the country. at www.wildnevada.org.

Thanks to your support for our mission, NWP has scientists and
wildlife experts; communications and organizing pros; a sophis- www.wildnevada.org

FIND US:
ticated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) shop; and a track www.facebook.com/NevadaWildernessProject
record for success. http://twitter.com/wildnevada
http://www.youtube.com/user/nevadawilderness
Your faith in us allowed us to peer into the future and be ready By telephone: 775-746-7851
for the onslaught of renewable energy and transmission projects.

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Tel: 775.746.7851
Reno, NV 89523
8550 White Fir Street

www.wildnevada.org
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