Robbers Roost Produces a New Crop of Young Rock Climbers
We worked with Cambridge staff over the past few months to regroup after the Covid break in activity. While a bout of the flu, and a few other challenges had to be overcome, we were so happy to have a very successful hike with three six-year-olds at Robbers Roost in the Spring Mountains on July 7.
The weather was a perfectly sunny 80 degrees in the cool shade as we began at the Robbers Roost trail head, talking to the kids about the trail name and the history of the 1880 robbers who hid stollen cattle, horses, and themselves in the caves at the top of the trail.
The kids were so excited about seeing the caves, or what they called “the holes.” The first thing we noticed on the trail was horse droppings that amazed the kids —“Yuck, that is gross!” But they were interested to learn that there were wild horses in the area and wished they would see them.
At the start of the hike, we discussed Leave No Trace and what it means to be good stewards of the land. For these kids, they understood this means, as Yuvia said,
“We have to take care of it and keep it clean and safe.”
Diego was a bit concerned about bugs at the start of the hike, but by the end he was happy to say, “The bugs are our friends!” His twin sister Yuvia also chimed in, “If we are nice to them, they will be nice to us!”
As we began the climb up the rocks, we stopped for a moment at the 150-year-old Ponderosa Pine tree to rest and have some water. When I asked the kids to smell the tree, they were at first a bit hesitant. After showing them that I can do it, they all joined in. Jose was the first to tell us what it smelled like to him, “It smells like chocolate!” They were interested to learn that the sap interacts with the sun to produce the sweet smell.
The kids were troopers as we scrambled up loose rocks and natural rock steps to the top of the trail. They were very excited about the carabiners and ropes they saw on the cliffs and wished they could see rock climbers in action. At the caves, the kids came alive with excitement and any fear of bugs and other animals melted away as they climbed in and out of the caves. Diego scrambled up to one of the smaller cave entrances and announced he would be the first to go in. As he approached the small, dark entrance, he turned back and said, “Maybe you should go first Ms. Barb?” But once in, they loved the experience and wished there were move caves to explore. Lunch was hardly a priority for them at this point, but they settled down enough to eat and drink water and rest a bit before the hike down.
As we winded down the trail, we saw many blooming wildflowers. Jose was especially interested in the orange flowers. He stated, “Those are called firecrackers? They look like firecrackers!!”
At the end of the hike, we circled around and asked the kids what they liked most and least. It was a unanimous “We loved the holes!” Of course, they meant the caves. And while they did not like the bugs initially, they had forgotten all about them by the end of the hike. And although sometimes the heights made them a bit nervous, as did the slippery rocks, they all loudly exclaimed together, “We are rock climbers!!!” And that is what they wanted to take back to their family and friends.
ICO seeks agency partners to collaborate with us and schedule nature discovery outings for their young clients. Click for more on becoming an ICO partner agency!
ICO Adding Agencies = More Kids Loving the Earth & Exploring Nature Our Newest Collaboration! Boys & Girls Club + ICO
LVICO celebrated Earth Day 2023 with the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada. at Lied Memorial Club. Volunteers Cynthia and Barbara met at Lied Memorial with 3 groups of children, ages 6 through 11 — totaling 50-60 youth.
Our lively discussions began with what the kids thought made up the earth. A "Life is Good" soccer ball was tossed from child to child as they shared their thoughtswith excitement once they received the "talking" ball. Their answers ranged from lakes and rivers to trees and flowers, naming their favorite animals and even the fast food places they enjoyed. This unique answer became the perfect segue to discuss their important role in protecting all animals, whether they consumed them or not.
Cynthia had the opportunity to characterize herself as a Red Wolf, explaining that some animals on earth are endangered, which certainly was a new concept to them and gave them pause.
The children then enthusiastically named their favorite places to play outdoors and why. Of course, the consensus was their local parks, expressing their love on the swings to playing ball or simply sitting in the grass and looking up at the sky, as one thoughtful six year old described. Another ideal segue led into the question of how they would protect their beloved parks.
The mutual response among all the age groups was to not leave trash around, which led into another engaged discussion on recycling. A child from the 10-11 age group shouted,
"reduce, reuse, recycle!"
A variety of recyclable items were presented to the children and we discussed the concept of decomposition. The children took turns guessing how long each recyclable item took to break down. This truly captured their attention, particularly when they discovered a diaper took 500 years to decompose.
"500 years, that's crazy!", gasped a couple children.
Another child recalled the animals they would encounter in their parks and said,
"I didn't know trash can hurt animals. We need to be careful to pick it up".
Our earth day event was not complete until the children piled into the large tent. A highlight to be sure, as none of them said they've been in one before. Squeals of joy and laughter could be heard through the nylon walls.
As the children fell into line for their next activity in the clubhouse, one child said,
"I want the earth to stay clean for a long time, so we can go outside and play."
Another exclaimed, "This was fun, I want to protect my planet now!"
Earth Day 2023 with Lied Memorial Boys and Girls Club was a true inspiration.
MORE GOOD NEWS
Building a summer outings calendar with Clark County’s Cambridge Recreation Center
An August outing as our inaugural event with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC)
Exploratory talks to restart plans with Bob Price Recreation Center and to initiate them with East Las Vegas Community Center
These are the latest ways that Las Vegas ICO is working to take local youth into the great outdoors once again. As these examples show, we are reaching out to local agencies — old partners and new ones — to find groups of young people who have not had much opportunity to access the outdoors. We want them to enjoy all of the beauty that the greater Las Vegas area has to offer. We’ve recently trained a group of new leaders.
We hope you will consider joining us! Click for more on how to Volunteer with Us
— on outings like these on this page
— off-trail working with agencies to help make possible other outdoor experiences for youth!
Valley of Fire Outing Wows NPHY Youth
We hosted our first outing of 2023 with Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. Saturday, Jan. 28, was met with blue sunny skies and warm temps, perfect conditions for our outing to Valley of Fire State Park.
Four young adults, ranging from 18 to 20 years of age, introduced themselves as having various low levels of enthusiasm for outdoor activities. The LVICO volunteers knew they were in for a challenge. We certainly weren’t deterred. After all, we have “Inspiring” in our name!
So what better way to inspire our young participants than to be welcomed into the park by bighorn sheep grazing in the distance? Some “ooo-ing” and “ahh-ing” ensued. Then Ashley, from Pennsylvania gasped,
“I never thought in a million years I’d see the state animal.”
It was a great start to our adventure. We drove on, arriving shortly at the Beehives—sandstone formations resembling just that. After our safety chat, Ronnie, the artist, nervously asked,
“Are there actual beehives here?”
Our four young participants timidly approached the structures, not sure what they were going to encounter. Watching them discover the wonderful nooks and crannies within them, we witnessed happy faces as the kids were snapping selfie after selfie.
Next stop: Mouse’s Tank, a trail well-known for ancient petroglyphs found along the sandstone walls. Nick Saines, ICO volunteer and our geology guru, gave us many teachable moments as we paused along the hike to get a closer look at this ancient rock art.
Meandering through the rocks, our young participants were now exploring and climbing with gusto. Mariama, a young lady who initially frowned upon outdoor activities, proclaimed,
“Ya know, this might have changed my perspective on being outside.”
Our beautiful day outdoors with these lovely young participants could not have been more inspiring.
Later that day, geologist Nick Saines posted this on Facebook about his experience
“Was co-leader on a Sierra Club ICO hike yesterday. We took 4 teenagers from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth to the Valley of Fire. . . . The kids were really sweet, the weather was perfect, and seeing the VoF for the first time through their eyes was awesome. Here is a photo that John Gawlik, one of the new Sierra Club leaders, took. This is the Batwoman petroglyph. Actually, somewhat famous. This is on the Mouse's Tank trail.
How do you interpret this?”
“To best serve this underserved community, we need agency partners to work with us volunteers who are on the trails or behind the scenes”
With Agency Partners, We’re Planning Outings
Join our efforts to get young people with limited access to public lands to get out into nature by becoming a hike leader today.
Help them explore the great outdoors while teaching them to be nature lovers.
This is the perfect opportunity for you if you love to hike, want to support your community, are a student or an early-in-career professional looking for new ways to add life to your resume.
CLICK THE LINKS THE LINKS BELOW TO
Like many outdoor organizations that inspire people to enjoy our natural treasures, Las Vegas Inspiring Connections Outdoors went dormant during the pandemic. Now our pause is over. Local community agencies are gearing up too.
We can once again lead youth--ages seven to young adult--to explore the wild outdoors and all it has to offer.
As we contact partner agencies to connect to local youth, we are discovering a great need for these enriching experiences.
But we must have agency partners and volunteers to meet this need.
Connecting these kids to the outdoors has many benefits.
We educate them.
We promote exploration and discovery of the environment but also personally.
We introduce them to a healthy and active lifestyle.
We build new and future stewards of the great outdoors.
To best serve this underserved community, we need agency partners to work with us volunteers who can help in a variety of ways—on the trails or behind the scenes
Find out more by visiting THIS website REGULARLY, and
EMAIL US TO sign-up for the many volunteer opportunities available.
Get out with us and enjoy the many natural wonders of Las Vegas.
Share the Outdoors with Local Urban Youth
Make a difference — for these kids & nature like the folks in the videos below on this year’s outings
Picture Yourself Volunteering!
“Feeling So Good” in the Spring Mountains
On the trails with youth again!
In Wildhorse Canyon at the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Sunshine and occasional breezes welcomed us and Nevada Partners at Wildhorse Canyon on Saturday, May 28, Memorial Day weekend. Our participants were mostly young adults in their early 20s and a lone 15-year-old girl. All are very active in Nevada Partners' programs, many of which emphasize self-development and contributing to community services.
Just before stepping forth on the trail, I asked them to engage all their five senses during the course of this hike.
It was a special group that truly embraced everything we encountered along the trail. From seeing the different types of coniferous trees that we passed along the way, to touching the soft bottle brush pine needles in their hands and smelling the sweetness of the Bristlecone bark, they all exhibited a sense of awe and excitement.
They listened to the winds whistle through the trees —"Sounds like I have a shell to my ears & hearing the ocean."
They sampled a single pinyon pine needle for its citrus qualities — “Mmm tastes like that cutie I ate this morning!”
During a water break. I asked if everyone feels good and they broke out into the James Brown song "I Feel Good." That pretty much summed up the entire day for all of us! ~~Hike Leader Cynthia R.
Listening to the wind while on a water break during a two-mile hike with about 620 ft. elevation gain.
On Cougar Ridge at Mt. Charleston, known by Southern Paiutes as “Nuvagntu” and by Shoshoni as “Nupakatutun”— meaning “snow sits” — the seasonal territory of these indigenous people in pre-modern times. Like them, Las Vegas ICO go there to escape summer heat of the Las Vegas valley.
Inspiring Connections Outdoors is empowering youth from communities with limited access to connect and reconnect to the outdoors—for the benefit of both. The Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) program is helping create the next generation of environmental justice and social justice leaders through building community and increasing exposure to outdoor recreation, advocacy, and leadership training. ~~ https://www.sierraclub.org/ico
Volunteer to be an ICO leader to Inspire Connections Outdoors
To Learn more, EMAIL: LASVEGASICO702@GMAIL.Com
About LVICO
Learn about our all-volunteer organization, our mission, and our partners.
Since 2012, we have a reached out to the children and young adults of Las Vegas — focusing on those with limited experience in nature.
We make a difference in their lives by connecting them with the stunning public lands surrounding Las Vegas.
from just before the two-year+ pandemic lockdown . . .
Welcoming More Leaders for Youth Outings
River Raft Trip Tribute to Howard Booth & the Kids' $200 Surprise to LVICO
More Outings Highlights
Another Year of Growth
New Chair: Inspire More Kids to Love Nature & Reach out to Hispanics
Nature discovery
. . . begins close to home, as this youngster learned on a pre-pandemic spring ICO outing at Gilcrease Orchard which his group planted native plants for the resident desert tortoises.
GO TO THE GALLERY FOR MORE SNAPSHOTS