MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Volunteer dedicates time, skills to refuge

Volunteering at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a part of life for George Stewart, who for years has made the 25-mile trek north from Las Vegas on U.S. Highway 95 to help out any way he can.

"I started to volunteer after I retired in 1994 at the age of 69 1/2 as a consultant at the (Nevada) Test Site. When I visited the area with a friend, I liked what I saw and asked them if they needed any help. They told me that I could come out any time and they'd put me to work. I've been coming ever since," said Stewart, who once wanted to become a forest ranger like his father, but instead studied chemical engineering because of greater opportunities.

"I usually go up to Corn Creek once a week. For quite a while, ... I also drove up to volunteer at Moapa Valley one day a week, which is about 125 miles round trip. At Corn Creek, I walk the trails, pick up the picnic area, clean the restrooms. I've done some small painting projects, I trim bushes along the trails. I basically do whatever needs to be done," he said.

"It's a real beautiful area out there. I enjoy the exercise, the fresh air, and the opportunity to help out and meet some interesting people. As long as my health allows, I plan to continue to volunteer."

Volunteers with varying skills, including clerical, maintenance and construction, are in high demand on public lands, according to Ed O'Sullivan, supervisor of volunteer programs for the Las Vegas field office of the Bureau of Land Management.

"Some of the volunteer opportunities are year-round, while others are seasonal," O'Sullivan said. "For example, cleanups in the desert are not done during the summer because of the heat, but they are held in the fall and winter when it's cooler. If a group or organization wants to have a cleanup day, I have more than 50 sites already identified. All they have to do is call me and I'll put them to work."

Volunteers need not make as long of a commitment as Stewart.

"The time commitment depends upon the project. We have day-to-day volunteers who come in only once, and we have others who come in for a few days per week. Campground hosts are required to be on-site and make a longer commitment," said Nancy Bernard, volunteer program manager at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. "It's up to the volunteer as to how much time they want to give."

Currently, there is not a central clearinghouse listing the various agencies' myriad volunteer opportunities -- something that the Interagency Volunteer Program hopes to change. This program consists of representatives of the BLM, National Park Service, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

"The Interagency Volunteer Program wants to create a better process for volunteers who are interested in helping out the federal agencies. Right now, if someone wants to volunteer, they have to contact each agency separately to find out what opportunities are available," said Elizabeth Smith-Incer of the Nevada Field Office of the Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program, which is part of the National Park Service.

"Representatives of each agency have been meeting once a month to keep each other informed of each agency's needs. We have hopes of funding a coordinator to oversee all of the volunteer needs that those interested in helping can contact directly."

Such a position is hoped to be funded through proceeds from BLM land sales.

"The different agencies will be able to communicate with each other and the public better regarding volunteer opportunities. A lot of people want to volunteer, but they don't know how to get involved and they have to contact each agency," said Alan O'Neill, director of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation, which is a committee of the National Park Foundation.

"There are so many volunteer opportunities and ways that people can help out throughout the year. Government agencies are stewards on behalf of the public to take care of the land, and we want to awaken the sleeping public out there and give them a wake-up call on how they too can help preserve our resources."

For information on volunteer opportunities, call the BLM at 515-5038; Lake Mead National Recreation Area at 293-8714; Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex at 515-5453; Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area at 515-5354; or Spring Mountains National Recreation Area at 515-5428. Or, visit www.outsidelasvegas.org.

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