Need free spring break plans? This group is braving the Nevada desert

Every year, spring break offers Southern Nevada college students a brief respite from the strict routine of school.

Some opt to spend it on vacation somewhere else or relaxing at home. That won’t be the case for a set of students and young adults who will camp in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and restore trails, clean up trash and learn about the diverse and delicate desert ecosystems that make up the Silver State.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness, which works to preserve the state’s public lands, has hosted between 10 and 20 people on public lands during different school breaks for nearly a decade. It’s also completely free thanks to funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with meals, gear and travel to and from UNLV included.

Clarice Wheeler, the organization’s senior programs coordinator, said she didn’t know anyone before embarking on a similar trip at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge as a then-UNLV student in 2015. During the trip, her group restored a patch of land that had been destroyed by people going off the road.

Wheeler enjoyed it so much that she went on the trips every time she could after that and eventually started working for the organization, she said.

“Being able to volunteer on the alternative breaks and in various capacities afterwards empowered me and showed me that anybody can be outside,” Wheeler said. “You just have to have the right information.”

Students will be at the refuge March 11 through March 15, which coincides with spring break for the Clark County School District and UNLV. They will clean up trails, pull out invasive plants and place native ones, meet park staff and learn about springs monitoring.

Another program is scheduled for April, when students will camp at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Wheeler said.

No camping or outdoor experience is required to participate. The group asks that interested students pay a $49 deposit that will be refunded after the trip.

Though many participants end up being students, anyone between the ages of 18 and 39 is welcome to sign up.

The trips have led many to a career in conservation over the years, Wheeler said. Sometimes students from states like Michigan and Massachusetts have flown in just for the experience.

Even if students decide that camping and a career protecting the environment isn’t for them, getting to know the issues that face the state’s public lands is critical for all Nevadans, she said. And this is a free, fun option.

“Everybody comes away with a new appreciation for the beauty of Southern Nevada and what public lands have to offer,” Wheeler said. “It’s a nice shift away from what people typically think about Las Vegas and Southern Nevada.”

To find more information about the trip and future programs, go to the organization’s website at nevadawilderness.org.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.