Question: What do running, ornamental junipers and an Ecology Fair have in common? Answer: Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month! So far, this year’s Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month has been very successful. Some highlight events include: The Third Annual Wildfire Awareness Multi-Hour Trail Run, two Junk the Juniper events and an Ecology Fair.

The Wildfire Awareness Multi-Hour Trail Run was held Saturday, May 13 at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno. Runners chose to run the course for six hours, three hours, or one hour. A scavenger hunt was available for children and a beer garden was offered to runners. A total of 149 people registered and the event raised $4,430 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. All of the proceeds will benefit the families of firefighters whose lives were lost and those firefighters injured in the line of duty. Close to 300 people participated in this event throughout the day, either cheering on the runners or participating in the scavenger hunt.

On May 6 and again on May 20, the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and volunteer firefighters from the Silver Lake station, along with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension personnel held two Junk the Juniper Events in Washoe County. Residents disposed of their woody vegetation for free in exchange for a 20% off coupon for a more fire resistant replacement shrub at Moana Nursery. At the NDF event on May 6, 80 households participated, bringing 155 truckloads of fire prone vegetation. At the BLM event on May 20, 48 households and a local church participated, bringing 103 truckloads of hazardous landscaping plants. Three other households stopped by the chipping site to pick up educational information and learn more about the annual program.

On May 23 and 24, BLM participated in the Ecology Fair days. Several booths were set up to educate 4th graders from Battle Mountain, Grass Valley and Winnemucca schools. The children learned about the ecosystem before and after a fire, how long it takes for native vegetation to establish and about invasive weeds. Children also learned about the three elements that a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel and oxygen.  A total of 267 children participated.

There were many other community-based events and educational opportunities conducted throughout Nevada, and a full summary report will be prepared in the near future. We extend our thanks to all who participated and encourage those who didn’t to consider joining this effort next year.  It’s a great way to bring wildfire preparedness to the forefront of everyone’s mind as the weather warms up. 

As the weather warms up, I look forward to following those defensible space suggestions made by Nevada Division of Forestry’s Fire Protection Officer Chanse Hunwardsen ( to view the video click here). My neighbors (who also have received defensible space inspections) and I collaboratively decided to hire a landscaper to perform work on a group of homes, which will be less costly than if I were to pay a contractor to perform work on only my house. Since I have little experience with landscapers, I looked on the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) website for suggestions. There, I found a pamphlet on how individuals can choose the right landscaper at:  http://www.nscb.nv.gov/landscaping_guide.html Here is some interesting information that I found... Continue reading...

The following is an email received from Tamara Pachl, Public Affairs Specialist with State Farm. Consider applying to help your community work towards becoming a Fire Adapted Community.

Have you ever wanted to help your community with a problem but didn’t know where to start? Maybe it’s a run-down park, an unfinished project, or you want to help the impoverished in your community. Now, YOU have the power to fix it. State Farm Neighborhood Assist wants to help identify and address key issues faced by consumers throughout the United States.  

State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative, lets communities determine where grant funding is awarded. The application is short and simple, and I encourage you to learn more by visiting www.neighborhoodassist.com.

Here are the questions on the application:    

• How much does your “Cause” focus on an unmet need in this community?
• Why do you feel the $25,000 would address the unmet need?
• How much of a lasting impact on this community would the proposal have?

The submission phase is open for two weeks from June 7 through June 21 and you may submit one entry into each of the three Program categories (Education, Safety, and Community Development.) It’s better to submit early - a maximum of 2,000 submissions will be accepted. All you have to do is submit the cause; you don’t have to “run the program.” In fact, submissions may be made by anyone over 13 years old who is interested in a specific cause.  

After the submission stage ends, the submissions will be narrowed down to 200 finalists.  

Once the top 200 causes are identified, they will appear on www.neighborhoodassist.com to be voted on by you and your community. The voting stage will last for 10 days from August 16 - 25 and each person gets 10 votes per day, every day during that period. Winners will be announced on September 28.  

The top 40 causes with the most votes will each receive a $25,000 grant from State Farm.   

Please share this great opportunity with your colleagues, friends and family and help spread the word via social media. Together, you and State Farm can help create safer, better educated and more engaged communities!