Group promotes wilderness

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 | 9:59 a.m.

The organization Friends of Nevada Wilderness hopes to get people involved in the wild, wide open spaces of the Silver State this week.

The nonprofit wilderness education and advocacy group is calling this Wilderness Week and has several events scheduled in Las Vegas. Already, the group has led a small expedition to the Mormon Mountains, about 80 mines north of Las Vegas, to clean up trash and close an illegal vehicle route into the federally protected wilderness.

Along the way, group members and volunteers hiked, watched wildlife and wildflowers and saw rock paintings from American Indians, said Susan Potts, the group's Southern Nevada conservation director.

More events are scheduled.

"It is a week to educate, inform and excite people about wilderness in Nevada," Potts said.

The group will hold a reading of a new book, "Wild Nevada: Testimonies of the Desert,' at Dead Poet Books, 937 S. Rainbow Blvd., at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The book is published by the University of Nevada and sale proceeds benefit Friends of Nevada Wilderness.

The book includes 29 essays and poems by a variety of authors from around the state and country.

On Saturday the group plans training for people to serve as advocates at the Durango Hills Community Center, 3521 N. Durango Drive. The free training will last all day.

For information, call the group at 650-6542.