National Spotlight Shines on UNLV's Public Lands Institute

LAS VEGAS- The Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program, administered by the UNLV Public Lands Institute, is among the 25 recipients of the 2005 Take Pride in America National Award. The awards ceremony will be held September 30 in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House in Washington, D.C. UNLV program manager Donna Grady will be joined by the federal interagency team in accepting the award.

The Interagency Volunteer Program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 and combines the volunteer efforts of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) into one program, Get Outdoors Nevada.

“We are honored by this national recognition for an innovative program that’s been in operation for a little more than a year,” said Dr. Margaret (Peg) Rees, executive director of the Public Lands Institute and Associate Vice President for Research and Outreach at UNLV. “Our program manager, Donna Grady, has worked diligently with the volunteer coordinators at the federal agencies and with dedicated community volunteers to effectively demonstrate how a united effort can have a greater impact on our public lands,” Rees said.

Initiated in August 2004, Get Outdoors Nevada recruits, trains and recognizes volunteers who assist in maintaining southern Nevada’s public lands. The program sponsors volunteer events on public lands throughout the year. Over a 12-month period, Get Outdoors Nevada recruited nearly 600 new volunteers who contributed 3,000 volunteer hours for habitat restoration and clean-up/maintenance.

“We exceeded our goals, and the volunteers exceeded our expectations,” said Grady. “We’ve established a stronger connection with a growing network of community volunteers in a relatively short period of time.”

The UNLV Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, and management of public lands. Its innovative partnership with the four land management agencies was formally established in April 2004 to implement cooperative projects that fit the university’s educational and research strengths.

For more information on the Interagency Volunteer Program, visit www.getoutdoorsnevada.org. More information about the UNLV Public Lands Institute is available at publiclands.unlv.edu.