The slob museum- Illegal dumping trashes our desert -- and leaves Las Vegas awash in filth. Why keeping it clean shouldn't be such a chore

The slob museum- Illegal dumping trashes our desert -- and leaves Las Vegas awash in filth. Why keeping it clean shouldn't be such a chore," by Amy Kingsley, Las Vegas CityLife.

PLI HIRES INTERPRETATION AND VOLUNTEERISM EXPERT

LAS VEGAS-The UNLV Public Lands Institute (PLI) and the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration have hired Beth Barrie as research assistant professor in recreation. In that capacity, Barrie will serve as project manager of the Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer program, which is managed by PLI, and associate professor for recreation and sport management in the college’s Department of Recreation and Sport Management.



Barrie has an extensive background in interpretation and developing interpretive curriculum and training for employees and volunteers of the National Park Service. She will use that expertise to research, manage, and coordinate the recruitment and training of volunteers on federal lands in Southern Nevada that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. Barrie also will work with UNLV students to develop interpretive programs for public lands.



Barrie comes to PLI from the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University, where she was an instructional designer for the National Park Service Interpretive Development Program curriculum revision project. Prior to that, she was an instructor and researcher in recreation and an interpretive ranger. Barrie holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Leisure Behavior from Indiana University.



PLI was created in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about PLI is available at http://publiclands.unlv.edu/.

U.S. Senators Reid and Ensign Recognize Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada

U.S. Senators Reid and Ensign Recognize Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada August 5, 2008 U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign have presented a United States Senate Certificate of Recognition and Distinction to the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada program. The program recently received the Take Pride in America National Award in the state program category for its successful efforts to encourage public land clean-up activities and discourage littering and illegal dumping. Reid and Ensign note that the national award “is a result of your outstanding commitment to the enhancement and preservation of Southern Nevada’s public lands.”

Click here to Read Certificate

U.S. Senators Reid and Ensign recognize Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada for winning the National Take Pride Award for best state program and for its successful anti-litter and desert dumping efforts. Pictured left to right: Erika Schumacher, Bureau of Land Management; Amy Sprunger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Sen. Harry Reid; Erik Walker, U.S. Forest Service; David Hughey, National Park Service; Sen. John Ensign; and Doug Joslin, UNLV Public Lands Institute, which manages the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada program.

Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada Project Manager Doug Joslin with Sen. Reid and Sen. Ensign

Representatives of the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada program accept the award for best state program from Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Take Pride in America Executive Director Katie Loovis. Pictured left to right: Sec. Kempthorne; Erik Walker, U.S. Forest Service; Lisa Christianson, Bureau of Land Management; Amy Sprunger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; David Hughey, National Park Service; Erika Schumacher, Bureau of Land Management; Doug Joslin, Public Lands Institute; and Executive Director Loovis.

Ancient Sites Being Destroyed by Vandals

Ancient Sites Being Destroyed by Vandals

Two PLI Volunteers Awarded Endowed Scholarships

Two PLI Volunteers Awarded Endowed Scholarships

UNLV Hires Expert on Invasive Mussels

UNLV HIRES EXPERT ON INVASIVE MUSSELS
UNLV works with Lake Mead National Recreation Area to monitor Quagga mussels

July 8, 2008

LAS VEGAS-The UNLV Public Lands Institute (PLI) and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health have hired David Wong as research assistant professor, specializing in Quagga mussels and water dynamics. Wong is assisting in the effort to monitor and manage the invasive mussels found at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. He is also coordinating technical assistance, development, implementation, and review of monitoring programs related to limnology, ecology, toxicology, and management issues associated with Lake Mead.

Before joining UNLV, Wong worked as a senior research scientist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He also conducted research projects for Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium at Louisiana State University and State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has experience in developing models on the ecological impact of invasive Zebra mussels on the ecosystem structure in the Great Lakes and the Hudson River ecosystems.

Wong’s research interests are the biology and ecology of Quagga mussels and the monitoring and management of aquatic living resources and water quality. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Fisheries at Ocean University of China in Qingdao and his Ph.D. from City University of Hong Kong.

UNLV has an agreement with the National Park Service to provide limnology assistance to Lake Mead with funding from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. UNLV and PLI researchers are collaborating with Lake Mead personnel on limnology-related technical assistance and research projects.

PLI was created in 2005 to work in collaboration with federal, state, and non-profit partners to create new knowledge, advance technology, improve education, and engage the community to enhance public lands stewardship. More information about PLI is available at Public Lands Institute.

Quagga mussels shroud a sandal found at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Southern Nevada Anti-Litter Program Receives National Award

Southern Nevada Anti-Litter Program Receives National Award

SOUTHERN NEVADA ANTI-LITTER PROGRAM

RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

July 1, 2008

LAS VEGAS – The Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada program has been named the best state program in the nation. The recognition comes from Take Pride in America, a national partnership program aimed at increasing volunteer service on America’s public lands. Each year, Take Pride selects outstanding examples of stewardship across the country. The Southern Nevada program is one of 11 national award winners, representing projects and events in more than eight states.

Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada is managed by the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The program creates comprehensive and coordinated campaigns to effectively encourage cleanup and discourage littering and illegal dumping. It is a conservation initiative of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP), a unique interagency partnership comprised of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. The program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

“The growth of Southern Nevada and the popularity of our public lands have an unfortunate side effect of increased littering and desert dumping,” said Angie Lara, chair of the SNAP board of directors and associate field manager of the Bureau of Land Management’s Las Vegas Field Office. “This program was created to address those issues. We are grateful for the results, the favorable response from the community, and the national recognition of our efforts.”

Initiated in 2005, the program has conducted and supported more than 60 clean-up events involving 2857 volunteers, dozens of organizations, and alternative work forces that resulted in the removal of 3,713 cubic yards of waste from public lands. If the trash was placed in cubic yard boxes and stacked on top of each other, it would reach more than 11,000 feet high, 11 times taller than the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. The program also implemented the Don’t Trash Nevada campaign, a messaging campaign to increase awareness about littering and dumping and ways to prevent it. The campaign has generated more than one million visits to its website and enticed over one thousand people to pledge not to litter.

“We managed this program with the clear purpose of gaining an increased community sense of ownership and responsibility for the stewardship of our public lands,” said Margaret N. (Peg) Rees, PLI executive director. “We have seen the positive impact on the public lands and a greater respect for the environment in general.”

Program representatives will be among the winners to be honored at an awards ceremony on July 18 at the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C. Visit www.donttrashnevada.org for more information on Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada and Don’t Trash Nevada.

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UNLV is a doctoral-degree granting institution with more than 28,000 students and approximately 3,300 faculty and staff. Founded in 1957, the university offers more than 220 undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees. UNLV is located on a 350-acre campus in dynamic Southern Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.