Great Basin Institute Archives

AmeriCorps Week 2013: The Start of Something Good!

After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Environmental Studies in the spring of 2010 and not wanting to just jump right into a career, Ben Nicklay looked for a way to gain experience in the field. He searched through numerous AmeriCorps positions and found an opportunity to serve through the Great Basin Institute Nevada Conservation Corps that would allow him to travel and work in the unique outdoors of Nevada.

Ben became an AmeriCorps*State member with the Nevada Conservation Corps and was put on a crew of about ten others outside of the Las Vegas office. His crew consisted of people who had never camped before, people who had majored in English in college, to those who had worked in other conservation corps. Despite all of their differences, they bonded fairly quickly. While on the crew, Ben helped build and maintain trails in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. It gave him pride in knowing that his hard work would last for years to come. They worked on a variety of other projects around southern Nevada until spring including riparian restoration, habitat improvement, road decommissioning, and invasive species removal. (more…)

Green Economy: Does it include you?

Today is World Environment Day, established in 1973 by the United Nations Environment Programme. This year’s theme is “Green Economy: Does it include you?”

As the Nevada governor’s Commission on Service, we can say loud and clear that “yes, it does include us.” As as matter of fact, it includes three out of six of the AmeriCorps*State programs in Nevada that have an environmental component to their programs.

Only halfway through the current grant year, AmeriCorps members have impacted Nevada’s green economy in the following ways:

Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation

cleaning, improving, and/or creating 9.62 miles of trail or rivers

collecting and recycling 206.08 tons of materials

Great Basin Institute

restoring and improving 1131.88 acres of public land and waterways

building and maintaining 51.71 miles of trails

educating 475 youth on environmental issues

Nevada Outdoor School

giving 361 lessons on environmental stewardship to 6646 students

After completing their term of service, each AmeriCorps member receive an educational award to use in a higher education capacity, like pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree. While in service, members receive a monthly stipend on average $1,000 per month, a small subsidy compared to the amount of impact they have on their communities. (more…)

Great Basin Institute’s NCC knows the lay of the land!

Nevada Conservation Corps AmeriCorps Program at Great Basin Institute

Nevada Conservation Corps harnesses the energy and idealism of youth to meet the needs of Nevada public lands and communities. As a federally-funded AmeriCorps program, the NCC promotes ecological literacy through field research and direct conservation service. Our statewide program transcends racial, ethnic and economic barriers by creating a cadre of corps members comprised of diverse backgrounds, drawing a broad-based national recruitment process. By uniting environmental resources from federal, state and county agencies, the NCC provides students and young professionals opportunities to make meaningful contributions toward protecting and conserving Nevada’s natural heritage, while also gaining valuable work experience in the natural resource management field.

In the first quarter of GBI’s 2011-12 grant, AmeriCorps members have already accomplished a lot!

Recruited 90 volunteers who have already volunteered 3,117 hours
Placed 8 environmental internships
Restored or Improved 440 acres of public land or waterways
Built or Maintained 41 miles of trails

(more…)

MLK Day: Hard Work Makes A Dream Come True

Bright and early on MLK Day, 35 Great Basin Institute Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) AmeriCorps members gathered with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a family in need. Members spent the day helping the single mother create a home of her own, and worked tirelessly to clean up three empty lots surrounding the house so that she could feel pride in her neighborhood when she looked out her window.

Krista Johnson, NCC member, shared her experience, ” I was initially disappointed that I wouldn’t be working on the house and would be cleaning up trash and pulling weeds at a vacant lot across the street until I realized the view the family would have from the front would be that of the vacant lot. It reminded me that a house never stands alone; it’s always a part of a neighborhood, the way a person is never just a single person but part of a community. By helping beautify and improve the neighborhood, we were helping the family too. In the end, I felt great about our work on MLK Day.” (more…)

MLK Day of Service at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada!

Nevada Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members Kim Daniels (left), Kimberly Carsten (middle), and Matt McEttrick (right) at the Food Bank facility at the end of the Martin Luther King service day.

Northern Nevada families will receive 5,000 pounds of produce and 9,000 pounds of canned food because of 30 volunteers who made MLK Day “A Day On, Not A Day Off”.

AmeriCorps members from Great Basin Institute’s Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) and community volunteers joined together to help the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Kimberley Carsten, an NCC member reflects on her experience, “I was most impressed that they [Northern Nevada Food Bank] can provide four meals for just one dollar. That means they are making the most of the items and money that are donated. I was proud to work for this organization for the day; making a big impact on the community in a time where so many people are depending on their services to feed their families.” (more…)

MLK Day 2011: A Day On, Not A Day Off

“Service above self will be the cornerstone of my administration as Governor,” Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval proclaimed. He joined approximately 70 AmeriCorps members bright and early in Las Vegas, Nevada on Martin Luther King Jr. Day morning to celebrate the Day of Service.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Nevada Volunteers’ AmeriCorps members gathered together to build three special homes in honor of the 25^th anniversary of the holiday recognizing one of America’s great heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 40 years after his death, Dr. King’s example continues to guide Nevadans in addressing the state’s most critical issues.

The event in southern Nevada brought together AmeriCorps State members from Great Basin Institute’s Nevada Conservation Corps, Luz Community Development Coalition, and the United Way of Southern Nevada, along with AmeriCorps VISTA members serving southern Nevada nonprofit agencies. The Governor jumped in to lend a hand with the AmeriCorps members, at one point even aiding them on the roof by nailing on shingles. (more…)