Date: September 10, 2004

CONTACT: Jamie Thompson, Public Affairs Officer, (775) 623-1500

BLM TO HOST TWO AREA PUBLIC LANDS DAY PROJECTS

The weekend of September 17-19 will provide opportunities for people to volunteer their time to help clean up and protect their public lands and resources. Saturday, September 18th is National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and also Nevada Public Lands Day as proclaimed by Governor Kenny Guinn. Each year on NPLD ordinary Americans fan out across the country to work on a variety of worthwhile projects on public lands.

This year the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be hosting two National Public Lands Day events in northwest Nevada, one sponsored by the Winnemucca Field Office at Porter Spring on the west side of the Seven Troughs Range about 35 miles northwest of Lovelock and the other sponsored by the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NCA) at Soldier Meadows Hot Spring about 60 miles north of Gerlach. Volunteers are needed and welcome at both events and will receive NPLD T-shirts and coupons good for a free day between now and October 1st 2005 at any site managed by the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Porter Spring is a green oasis in the midst of the desert that was occupied by various people for a number of years. Abandoned vehicles, trash and debris have accumulated there making the area both unattractive and unsafe. "It's very important to clean up and rehabilitate Porter Spring," says wildlife biologist Clarence Covert, "because it's a vital stopover for neo-tropical birds on their long migrations. It provides the only water, trees, shade and shelter for many miles in all directions."

The Porter Spring project will take place at the site between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday, September 18th. Volunteers should bring their own gloves, a lunch, beverages, and plenty of sunscreen. A metal fire ring will be installed for the convenience of future visitors to the site, several small sheds will be torn down, miscellaneous metal pieces will be gathered into piles, wood debris will be piled or cut into firewood and stacked at the site as appropriate, and glass and plastic will be gathered into piles. At a later date, metal will be removed and recycled along with the abandoned vehicles, and trash and debris will be hauled away to an approved dump site.

Because of its remote location, the Soldier Meadows Hot Spring project will take place from Friday September 17th through Sunday September 19th and will involve camping out at the Soldier Meadows Guest Ranch. On Saturday evening there will be a potluck barbecue with meat provided, followed by talks on local history, geology and wilderness. On Sunday morning, Friends of Black Rock-High Rock Inc. will provide a continental breakfast for the volunteers. Again, volunteers should bring their own gloves, water and sunscreen. Those who would rather have a room than camp should contact the Soldier Meadows Guest Ranch at 530-279-4881 for the cost and availability of reservations and meals by no later than Monday, September 13th.

"Soldier Meadows is very popular with the public as a place for both day visits and overnight camping," explains NCA outdoor recreation planner Dave Lefevre. "The repeated use has trampled vegetation and put debris and sediment into the stream. This would be a problem with any overused spot on public lands, but is especially important here because there are several threatened species of plants and fish in the area. The Soldier Meadow Desert Dace, a minnow-sized fish ideally adapted to the hot water in the stream, is found nowhere else on Earth."

The Soldier Meadow Hot Spring project will clean up the area and the stream and place unobtrusive signs that designate primitive camping areas. It is hoped that these measures will better protect the hot spring, the stream and the plants and animals dependent upon them for survival.

BLM needs the help of volunteers to make these projects work. Questions about the Porter Spring NPLD project should be directed to Clarence Covert at the Winnemucca Field Office at (775) 623-1500. To find out more about the Soldier Meadows Hot Spring project visit the Friends of Black Rock-High Rock website at http://www.blackrockfriends.org/ or call Dave Lefevre also at (775) 623-1500.

- BLM -