Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Hikes scheduled for full moon

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001 | 11:12 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears weekly. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

Outdoors enthusiasts and night owls can take advantage of the full moon this weekend with some special activities on nearby public lands.

The U.S. Park Service has scheduled a full-moon hike at 8 p.m. Sunday at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Hikers will meet at the ranger stations at Boulder Beach and Overton Beach.

"The desert at night is an amazing thing to see," park ranger Scott Teodorski said. "With the full moon out to light the way, visitors will see a variety of animals and plants that they wouldn't normally see during the day."

This hike is designed to appeal to the abilities and interests of young and old alike. To make reservations or to request additional information, call the Alan Bible Visitor Center at 293-8990 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Additional programs, including another full moon hike, will be scheduled in September. For details on the programs check the Lake Mead NRA web site (www.nps.gov/lame) or call the visitor center.

For those looking for a more strenuous hike, the volunteer staff at Red Rock is sponsoring a three-hour, four-mile moderately strenuous hike on Friday at the peak of the full moon. The route will take hikers up an 800-foot elevation gain along the North Loop Trail on Mount Charleston.

Participation is limited, so reservations are required for this and all programs at Red Rock. To make your reservation or to request more information, call the visitor center at 363-1922 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

One of the most pleasant wildlife spectacles in Southern Nevada is Corn Creek on the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. You don't need to wait until the full moon is out to enjoy cottontails, jackrabbits, night hawks, swallows and bats. The whole family will love it. Get there right as the sun slips behind the mountains and watch the beautiful oasis come alive.

On Friday beginning at 1:30 p.m., commissioners will receive a presentation on the Wilderness Act and current Nevada wilderness study areas from the Bureau of Land Management and review a proposal for wilderness designations in Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties from the Friends of Nevada Wilderness.

Also on Friday's agenda are reports on the Central Nevada Elk Management Plan, the Western Elko County Elk Management Plan, predator management, aerial hunting regulation and the Governor's Sage Grouse Conservation Team.

Saturday's session gets under way at 8 a.m. and includes the setting of season dates, bag limits and regulations for upland game, migratory birds and furbearers for the 2001-'02 and 2002-'03 hunting seasons. Other agenda items include review of the draft of a bighorn sheep management plan and continued reviews of commission policies.