by Danielle Ellis

Although there was no smoke, the U.S. Forest Service was fighting a fire. With the dry season rapidly approaching, they got help from more than 250 boy scouts and leaders from the Las Vegas Area Council to reduce the fire danger in the hills and valleys of Mount Charleston.

The scouts began their event, dubbed “Conservation Good Turn,” with a Friday night catered dinner from the U.S. Forest Service. Since they were clearing fire-causing debris and clearing evacuation routes, the scouts were treated as if they were on fire duty.

Saturday morning, after instructions from Forest Service conservationists, the boys removed between ten and fifteen tons of debris, cleaning up a total of twelve sites. In one area they repaired an old Jeep trail by breaking up the dirt, planting new plants and installing drip irrigation.

“We have a duty as scouts to preserve the mountain for future scouts,” said organizer John Lee. “The mountain is getting ‘tired’ and if we don’t take steps to preserve it, our future boy scouts won’t have much to enjoy.” The event was put together by Lee, David Coon, and Kim Webster.

With the knowledge and direction from the Forest Service, buses from the RTC to keep traffic in order, refreshments from Anderson Dairy and Boy Scout muscle and work ethic, Mount Charleston is a more ecologically sound and safe place for Nevadans to enjoy.