Nevada Wildlife Federation

Sponsorship of Range Camp

The Nevada Wildlife Federation helps sponsor the annual Nevada Youth Range Camp where high school students from throughout Nevada learn about range eco-systems and their management.  The below article appeared in the September issue of Nevada Wildlife and describes this years range camp.

 

Home on the Range
by Chris Freeman

The United States Forest Service Campground at Big Creek, south of Austin, Nevada, was home for twenty-seven high school students this June. It was the Thirty-eighth year for the Nevada High School Youth Range Camp that is sponsored by the Society for Range Management and the Nevada Wildlife Federation.

Chris Freeman, center, points out one of the 50 plants to be studied during the week.

During the week at camp, the campers learned to identify 50 plants, dig a soil pit, and identify soil sample profiles. They also learned how to investigate the plant communities that make up Nevada’s basins and mountain ranges. Part of one day was spent doing a stream investigation where a study was done on the numbers of Caddisflies, Mayflies, and Stonesflies present. They learned that stream health can be determined by water temperature, and the amount of oxygen and macro-invertebrates present.

Other activities during the week included a night compass course, a visit to the Silver Creek Ranch, and a day hike to a SNOTEL site (snow survey location).

Participating in this year’s camp were Dr. Sherman, Academic Director; Cooks Debbie Benson and her parents John and Cheryl Adams; Camp Director Sandy Higa; Counselors Chris Freeman, Linda Peri, Bill Wolfe, and Bob Stager.

Each year a top camper is selected to represent Nevada at the High School Youth Forum held during the annual meeting of the Society for Range Management. This year’s top camper was Crystal Hellwinkel from Gardnerville, Nevada. She will compete at the national meeting in Omaha, Nebraska in February 1999. Crystal was sponsored by the Carson Valley Conservation District and they paid the $60.00 camp fee for the week.

A second award is also given at camp for the camper that demonstrates the most leadership.  The winner of that award was Theresa Baker from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sponsors are what makes the camp happen!  If it were not for the Nevada Wildlife Federation contribution of $500.00 to assist in keeping the camper fees low along with Nevada Conservation Districts and others who also contribute to the event by paying the campers’ fees, Range Camp would not be possible.

The 1999 Range Camp will be held from June 20 through June 26 at Big Creek, Nevada. County Extension Service offices and Conservation Districts throughout Nevada should have applications for camp by March 1999.