'Get Outdoors' Gets Outside Recognition

"'Get Outdoors' Gets Outside Recognition," by LaNelda Rolley, Inside UNLV.

PLI Makes Mark in Community

"PLI Makes Mark in Community," by LaNelda Rolley, Inside UNLV.

New Conference to Explore Outdoor Education Techniques

"New Conference to Explore Outdoor Education Techniques," by Gian Galassi, UNLV News Bureau.

New Staff Member Joins Office of Research/Public Lands Institute

12/1/05, "New Conference to Explore Outdoor Education Techniques," by Gian Galassi, UNLV News Bureau.

Local Take Pride Affiliate Receives National Thanks

LAS VEGAS -The Take Pride in America® Program, a national partnership established by the U.S. Department of Interior, has awarded UNLV’s Public Lands Institute a Certificate of Appreciation for its contribution to the nationwide effort. The Public Lands Institute, through its Southern Nevada Take Pride in America Program, was one of 16 contributors to Take Pride’s Public Service Announcement campaign featuring actor, director, and conservationist Clint Eastwood.

In May 2005, the national organization began an ambitious effort to create a campaign to help spread the word on volunteerism and motivate people to respond to the many volunteer opportunities presented on its website. The Public Lands Institute joined with such contributors as the American Recreation Coalition and the Walt Disney Company to provide funding for the filming, production, and distribution of the PSAs.

In the letter accompanying the certificate, Take Pride Executive Director Marti Allbright noted that the Public Lands Institute’s “generous contribution made this broad, sweeping public outreach campaign a reality.” She thanked the institute “for the dedication shown to the Take Pride mission.”

The Public Lands Institute provided $12,500 in funding from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. “The local Take Pride affiliate saw this as an excellent opportunity to show our commitment to the national effort,” said Nancy Flagg, director of the Public Lands Institute. “However, it was also an important first step to introduce our relatively new program to the community. We were fortunate to have Mr. Eastwood personalize the message for Nevada.”

The PSAs began airing this fall on television, radio, and print media outlets nationwide. The UNLV Public Affairs Office secured agreements to have the Southern Nevada Take Pride PSAs air on the local NBC, CBS, and Fox affiliates; Cox Cable; and local channels CCTV, KCVB, and UNLV-TV.

Take Pride in America® aims to engage, support, and recognize volunteers who work to improve our public parks, forests, grasslands, wildlife refuges, cultural and historical sites, local playgrounds, and other recreation areas. To participate in local Take Pride events, visit www.getoutdoorsnevada.org.

Research Highlights Outdoor Recreation Education

LAS VEGAS -Three UNLV researchers are breaking new ground in environmental education research. Jeanne Klockow, education curriculum coordinator for UNLV’s Public Lands Institute, has joined with Gregory Schraw and Lori Olafson of the College of Education, to develop assessment instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of a federally based recreational education program. The research, “Assessing Discover Mojave: Instrument Development and Analysis,” is gaining regional and international attention from educational researchers.

The research team recently was notified their work has been accepted for presentation at the Conference on Research and Practices in Science Education in Hong Kong December 16-17, 2005. It also will be published in the Teachers’ Handbook after the conference. The study was first presented October 6, 2005, at the 23rd Annual Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association in Jackson, Wyoming.

Klockow, Schraw and Olafson developed an assessment plan to determine whether hands-on outdoor events through informal education promote any changes in the knowledge, attitude, and performance of at-risk urban children. They studied a total of 44 children in Clark County, aged eight to 12, who participated in the Discover Mojave Outdoor World Program’s canoeing, bird watching, art, and fishing activities . The recreation education program is for urban, economically disadvantaged youth and is designed to encourage lifelong recreation on public lands. The program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and managed by UNLV’s Public Lands Institute on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.

“This is ‘lived’ research,” explained Klockow. “The research is being produced as the programs are delivered,” she said. “The results are letting us know whether or not we are on the right track with the education-in-the-environment curriculum.”

The study’s findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of the youths’ participation in the outdoor recreation events.

• 44% of the children had little knowledge prior to the events compared to 78% having more complete knowledge after participating in the events.


• 94% of the participating children demonstrated all performance skills.


• Post-event attitudes were significantly higher than pre-event attitudes, suggesting that participating in the events had a positive impact on the children.

The next phase of the research will study how informal education can affect formal education. Specifically, Klockow, Schraw and Olafson want to see if teachers report student attitudinal changes toward science and if the students’ participation leads to improvement in their science grades.

Public Lands Volunteers Recognized During Special Ceremony

Las Vegas – Nearly 200 volunteers in Southern Nevada were honored recently at a special luncheon hosted by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. The volunteers have spent countless hours in the past year toward the conservation and preservation of public lands.

The four federal agencies held the Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Recognition Luncheon October 28, 2005 at the Tuscany Hotel & Casino. Southern Nevada federal land managers and volunteer coordinators presented awards to recognize several individuals and organizations.

The Outside Las Vegas Foundation and its executive director, Alan O’Neill, received the Founders Award. Foundation President Thalia Dondero accepted the award. In 2001, Outside Las Vegas, a private non-profit organization, asked the National Park Service, through its Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, to build a partnership among the federal volunteer programs and to secure funding through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. The request laid out the vision for the Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program and Get Outdoors Nevada, which were established in 2004.

The leader of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program also was honored with the Special Recognition Award. Elizabeth Smith-Incer, director of the program’s Nevada Field Office, was instrumental in turning the volunteer vision into program reality.

The Volunteer Service Award was presented to Earnestine Bronson, who has been a volunteer at Lake Mead National Recreation Area for more than 12 years. She serves as a campground host, greeting and providing information to all campers so that their visits are enjoyable. The National Park Service and the Interagency Volunteer Program honored Bronson for contributing the most hours of service on Southern Nevada’s public lands in 2005.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded posthumously to Walter “Pete” Roberts, who logged more than 3,000 hours assisting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and visitors to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to working on the front line with visitors, Roberts also improved habitat for threatened and endangered species at the refuge.

The Volunteer of the Year Award went to a U.S. Forest Service volunteer who spent many hours at the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area and the Bureau of Land Management. Howard Balduc completed a great number of tasks because of his exemplary technical and physicals skills as a backcountry ranger, a GPS specialist mapping campgrounds, and as the one and only geocache locator for the Forest Service.

While individuals made a great impact on the success of the volunteer efforts, so did the private sector. Sponsor awards were presented to HSBC, Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, Southern Nevada Scuba Retailers Association, and Spring Mountains Volunteer Association.

HSBC has made a tremendous difference in a short period of time by recruiting its employees to participate in clean-up events, helping to restore habitat for the endangered Moapa dace, and donating funds and equipment to maintain restoration activities at the refuges.

The Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association has been unmatched in its support of Sloan Canyon and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Areas, contributing financially and logistically to practically every project for the Interagency Volunteer Program.

The Southern Nevada Scuba Retailers Association has been steady in its commitment and assistance to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, coordinating 12 eco-dives and beach clean-ups a year.

The steadfast work of the Spring Mountains Volunteer Association makes a difference to anyone who visits, works on, or lives near the Spring Mountains. It has worked closely with the Forest Service for more than 18 years to help manage, protect, and educate the public about the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.