Apply Now for Range Camp

Caliente, Nev., Mar. 22 — Applications are being accepted until May 2 from high school students for the 51st Nevada Youth Range Camp. Range Camp will be held June 19-25 at the U.S. Forest Service’s Big Creek Campground in central Nevada.

“Nevada Youth Range Camp is a teenager’s best opportunity to learn about Nevada’s desert and mountain rangelands,” said Jim Gatzke, youth camp coordinator. Students learn basic surveying and map reading, identification and importance of rangeland plants, evaluation of sagebrush and woodland ecosystems, wildlife surveying techniques, evaluation of stream health and many other topics related to rangelands. Range Camp is educational and offers an enjoyable, outdoor experience with activities such as swimming, fishing, hiking, volleyball, horseshoes, campfires and photography.

Interested students must submit an application and letter of recommendation by May 2. Range C

amp costs $180 which includes meals and camp activities. Forms and complete information can be found on the Nevada Youth Range Camp Web site at http://nevada.rangelands.org/Range%20Camp.html or by contacting Jim Gatzke, Natural Resources Conservation Service, at (775) 726-3101 or james.gatzke@nv.usda.gov.

Local conservation districts and other organizations often sponsor students to Range Camp. Students are encouraged to contact them to request a sponsorship.

The Society for Range Management operates the week-long camp for 14-18 year olds from Nevada and eastern California. Campers are taught by range management professionals knowledgeable in the ecology and management of the Great Basin’s desert and mountain rangelands. The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension conducts the program with staff from various State and Federal agencies including University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Division of Forestry, Nevada Division of Conservation Districts, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife. Financial sponsors include the Nevada Wildlife Federation, Nevada Conservation Districts, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited and Nevada Society for Range Management.

Camp is held every June at the US Forest Service Big Creek Campground in central Nevada’s Toiyabe Mountain Range. The Toiyabes are one of Nevada’s most impressive mountain ranges with several peaks over 10,000 feet in elevation. June is an ideal time to be in the Toiyabes when numerous wildflowers are in bloom and the vegetation is green from the recent snowmelt.