Rock Art Site Clean-up Proves Educational

As Pahranagat Valley Middle School students learned in May 2004, there are some real treasures amid the trash scattered across the BLM Ash Springs Rock Art Site.

Some of the "treasures" discovered during the day-long PVMS eighth grade class clean-up include old-style glass bottles, Mason jars, and historic and prehistoric artifacts - all of which the students separated and sketched as part of a graded project.

Pictured cleaning up the BLM Ash Springs Rock Art Site are, from left to right, Dusty Simmers and Danielle Mendoza, Pahranagat Valley Middle School students; Jeanette Matovich, BLM Ely Field Office environmental protection specialist; Dane Mulliner and Colton Higbee, Pahranagat Valley Middle School students; and Nick Pay, BLM Ely Field Office archeologist. (Click photo to see a larger picture)

The rock art site is located a mere quarter-mile walk from the popular Little Ash Springs Recreation Site, a hot spring visited weekly by hundreds of people.

Participating in the class project was a volunteer site steward and Nevada Rock Art Foundation representative. Also represented was the non-profit Nevada Native American Cultural Society, which provided the students with a well-deserved lunch.

BLM Joins 21st Century To Educate Students

The BLM Ely Field Office and 21st Century After School Program joined together in 2004 to provide Kindergarten through Sixth Grade students in Ely and McGill with a variety of fun-filled and educational experiences.

Pictured cleaning up the BLM Ash Springs Rock Art Site are, from left to right, Dusty Simmers and Danielle Mendoza, Pahranagat Valley Middle School students; Jeanette Matovich, BLM Ely Field Office environmental protection specialist; Dane Mulliner and Colton Higbee, Pahranagat Valley Middle School students; and Nick Pay, BLM Ely Field Office archeologist. (Click photo to see a larger picture)

Among the subjects shared were the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program, highlighted by a visit from the adopted wild horse Maverick, and the federal agency's cultural program, which included a hands-on course in "Shinny," a game played by the Ute Tribe that is similar to today's soccer.

To learn more about the grant-funded 21st Century After School Program, contact Cindy Hutchings, program director, at (775) 289-8258. For more information about the BLM Ely Field Office, contact Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely Field Office public affairs specialist, at (775) 289-1842.