#keepitpublicnv

Tucked away in the far northwest corner of Nevada lies the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, a wild and rugged landscape. As part of our nation’s National Wildlife Refuge System, the Sheldon NWR protects a vast high desert sagebrush steppe ecosystem where native Nevada wildlife thrives. Designated 85 years ago on this day in 1931, the Refuge was originally established to provide critical habitat for pronghorn, the fastest land mammal in North America and, at that time, facing the threat of extinction due to over hunting and widespread development of the western United States.

Today, over 270 wildlife species depend on the Refuge such as the Greater Sage-Grouse and pronghorn antelope, as pictured above. Photo by Alison Hardenburgh.

In 2010, Friends of Nevada Wilderness partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring volunteers to this wild corner of Nevada to participate in important conservation and rehabilitation projects. Over the past five years, volunteers, Friends of Nevada Wilderness staff members and AmeriCorps crew members, as well as partner organizations, have accomplished the following:

Removed over 240 miles of barbed wire fence leading to a fence-free Refuge!

Removed nearly 50 non-functioning metal troughs and one windmill

Removed pounds and pounds of metal garbage throughout the Refuge (in 2015, crews removed 13.8 tons alone). 

Volunteer power creating a wild Sheldon!

Piles and piles of metal garbage, coils of barbed wire fence, and old fence T-posts await to be recycled and taken off the Refuge.

Why do we do what we do?

A fence-free Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t just mean a completely natural sagebrush sea to the naked eye. A fence-free Sheldon translates to 573,504 acre wildlife migration corridor free of life-threatening obstacles to pronghorn on the move. 

Barbed wire fences no longer pose a threat to pronghorn within the Refuge. Above, photographer Joe Riis, captures what happens when fence and pronghorn meet. See more of his work here.

In addition, no longer functioning metal troughs can be lethal traps to bird species like hawks, golden eagles, and falcons. In the past, our crew members in the field have come across bird species which have landed in these troughs only to have their feathers soaked in water leaving them unable to fly out (watch a video of them rescuing a golden eagle). Removing these troughs and other metal debris leave the Refuge a safer place for wildlife. 

The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge protects not only expansive wildlife habitat but sensitive prehistoric sites and artifacts dating back to 12,000-14,000 years ago and the rich homesteading and ranch history in the area dating back to the late 1800s. 

Wildlife-dependent recreation is a priority use of National Wildlife Refuges. At Sheldon, public uses are managed to protect wildlife and maintain the rugged, remote and undeveloped character of this wild land. Sustaining outdoor recreation remains a top priority for the National Wildlife Refuge System. At Sheldon, opportunities to experience the rugged and remote character of the area abound from hiking through Thousand Creek Gorge and camping in Virgin Valley campground to fire opal collecting in Virgin Valley, fishing in Catnip Reservoir, and going for a soak in Bog Hot Springs.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness is proud to have the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System and as part of the extensive public lands framework we are all able to enjoy and experience 365 days a year. 

To learn more about the Sheldon, view the wildlife that lives there, and hear interviews from our crew members that work there, check out our video, “Stewards of Sheldon”: