Director's Blurb

What an exciting time at Nevada Outdoor School.  Summer staff and AmeriCorps members are on board and our office is full to the brim.  That is, on the rare days that everyone is here; we just finished up two solid months of awesome outdoor programming.  We had a very successful field trip season and summer camps are going great.   If you would like to see some of what we have been up to, check out our Flickr site: NOS FUN

We are still seeking adventurous 6th - 8th graders for camp in July, families for Water Canyon events, volunteers for conservation projects and cooks for the 4th Annual Buckaroo Dutch Oven Cook-off.  E-mail us or call, and a happy NOSer can share how you too can... 

have fun out there,

-Andy 
 

Featured NOSer

Nikki Stuff - Community Garden Youth Education Coordinator

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
"Olive green, I love olives, and the color green."

If you could trade lives with any movie character, who would you replace lives with?
"Jasmine From Alladin!"

Do you have any siblings?
"One sister, who is 4 years older than me."

What would you like to teach others about?
"I would like to teach others about... I don't know! I can't decide on one thing, I just like to teach."

Where were you born?
"Oconomowoc, Wisconsin."
 

Education

This months education section is about one of our Summer Water Canyon events! Despite a low turn-out, everyone had a great time taking pictures and learning in the great outdoors! The nature photography class, taught by Edward Tester, was a great experience for anyone who wanted to learn how to advance in not only the world of nature photography, but also in the world of any sort of picture you could ever want to take. Participants were taught about the main functions of a camera, and were taught about external accessories that work best with whatever camera your using.  If you missed out on this great experience, we still have plenty more Water Canyon events planned; for a complete listing visit the Nevada Outdoor School website.
 

Summer Fun

On June 22-24th Friends of Nevada Wilderness (a NOS partner) is hosting a stewardship project in the Santa Rosa Ranger District in Paradise Valley.  The project will consist of trail maintenance and is a Family Friendly event.  That means everyone is invited and there are no age requirements or special skills necessary to join the volunteer efforts.  Nevada Outdoor School will be providing a Kids Camp on Saturday the 23rd which is when the actual work of the project will take place. (The other two days are travel days or hiking days if volunteers wish.)  Families are encouraged to attend so that kids can participate in a NOS Kids Camp and adults or teens can help in the trail maintenance efforts. 

Looking for a fun activity for your kids? Several NOS programs are open including Junior Master Gardener. This program is located at the Winnemucca Community Garden, 151 W. McArthur Ave, the program runs from 9am-12pm, but timing is flexible. We will be planting, harvesting, doing science experiments, art projects, and garden games, while learning basic gardening, growing techniques, food safety, and nutrition. The best part is that it is FREE! Come Join the fun! For more information call the NOS office, or visit the NOS website.

Jr. Master Gardener isn't the only event going on in our community! Every Tuesday and Thursday, pre-K through 2nd Grade students are invited to Nature at Noon in Vesco Park at 12pm. This event is free and is a great opportunity for your kids to learn and have a great time.

NOS is hosting some awesome events in Water Canyon all summer,  we're excited to be a part of them, and you should be too! Check the NOS website for a complete listing of these events.
 

AmeriCorps

Although the season has started, we still have some Summer AmeriCorps positions available. These are 10-week national service positions located in Winnemucca and Elko, Nevada. They provide a living stipend of $1,008 per month and an education award of $1,171.

 Elko Boys & Girls Club Program Assistant
This position will be supervising children and executing Club programs as well as maintaining accurate records of membership participation. This member would be accountable for assigned equipment and supplies; ensure protection of facilities and Club property. The member would also provide positive, informal mentoring for Club members.

Winnemucca Community Garden Summer Programs Coordinator
The main responsibilities of this position will include recruiting, training, and developing three leaders for garden teams/committees including the Plot holder and Gardening team, Irrigation and Maintenance team, and Utility and Recycling Team. This member will conduct new plot holder orientation sessions as needed. The member will also be responsible for organizing three clean-up days at the garden that engages community members and plot holders. The member will develop materials on organic gardening, watering techniques, pest management, and other gardening related topics for plot holder to be located at an information resource center at the garden.

NOS Santa Rosa Projects Coordinator
This position will coordinate and execute projects related to trails and interpretation in the Santa Rosa District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. A significant amount of time will be spent living and working out-of-doors in the National Forest. The requirements of this position will be physically intense at times involving digging, concrete work, and extended travel by foot, truck or ATV over rough terrain.