'Friends of Nevada Wilderness' will end 2022 as the proud owner of a brand new heavy duty truck after receiving a $28,000 grant from the William N. Pennington Foundation that was matched by individual donors in just 30 days.

One of the two field trucks that support Friends' northern Nevada Stewardship program had become unreliable during the last field season and required costly maintenance. Friends applied for the grant and was informed this fall it was approved if the organization could match the amount dollar for dollar. Friends quickly reached out to its regular donors and employed social media to reach new ones in order to raise the matching funds.

“We are incredibly grateful that the William N. Pennington Foundation saw the value in granting our request,” said Executive Director Shaaron Netherton. “And we were so proud that individual supporters came through to not just meet but exceed the match. It’s this combination of foundation and individual support that allows us to do critical stewardship work in the field to conserve our wild public lands.”

The same foundation also approved Friends’ grant application for a new field vehicle in 2016.  

'Friends' uses its field vehicles to transport staff, volunteers and equipment into Nevada’s backcountry to conduct a variety of stewardship projects. Working with federal and state land management agencies, Friends crews pull invasive weeds, scatter native seeds, restore trails and campsites, remove unsightly graffiti, install and maintain signage, monitor springs, remove fence, restore habitat and conduct other projects as needed. In 2021 alone, more than 700 volunteers put in nearly 7,000 hours of field work valued at $350,000 of in-kind service.  

“It’s hard to place a total value on our stewardship program,” Netherton added. “How do you put a price on restored wildlife habitat or an amazing view from a repaired trail the public can now access or the sense of accomplishment volunteers feel by working so hard out in such remote places? Thanks to the William N. Pennington Foundation and our individual supporters, we can now buy a truck that holds up in the rugged backcountry and continue this important work.”   

(Friends of Nevada Wilderness)