Over 1 million visitors rely on the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area to escape the heat and noise of the Las Vegas valley each year. After 12 years of collecting over 50 TONS of litter that these visitors have left behind, Southern Nevada Conservancy’s Go Mt Charleston Team continues to work toward finding a better way to help visitors dispose of their trash and pet waste properly.

Volunteer installs new pet waste station at Lee MeadowsSouthern Nevada Conservancy has worked closely with local, regional, and global partners to raise awareness and funding for waste reduction efforts. Supporters include Heineken, Smith’s, PT's Taverns, Green Valley Grocery, Lee Canyon, iHeart Radio, NV Energy, and Republic Services, and along with the Mt Charleston License Plate Program, have helped us to raise over $20,000. This support helps make it possible for the Go Mt Charleston team to provide trash and recycling services to the forest. In the year since the receptacles were installed, our volunteers have found measurably less litter. This year, the Go Mt Charleston team will be able to add 16 pet waste stations alongside the trash and recycling bins that were installed last year at the Spring Mountains’ busiest trailheads and recreation areas through this ongoing community partnership!

Volunteer children enjoy their BBQ next to sign thanking volunteers and sponsorsWith 500 volunteers, and help from the US Forest Service and our community partners, 2745 pounds of trash was collected from Kyle Canyon, Lee Canyon, and the Deer Creek Highway in celebration of this program and National Public Lands Day 2019. We also successfully collected 200 pounds of invasive Russian thistle (known more commonly as the highly flammable tumbleweed) at major trailheads and recreation sites. Along with the cleanup, volunteers planted 350 Joshua tree seedlings in the Harris Springs burn area from the 2013 Carpenter 1 fire, along with installing 50 deer fence panels at Cathedral Rock. Despite high winds gusting over 55mph, volunteers capped the day with games, live music, and delicious beer and BBQ!

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