Nevadans for Cultural Preservation

August 2025

Labor Day weekend, NVFCP brought the spirit of stewardship to one of Nevada’s most unique celebrations—the 2025 Pioche Labor Day Festival! Our outreach booth was buzzing with energy as we connected with festival-goers about the importance of responsible visitation and the preservation of the incredible sites that make Lincoln County so special.

From lawnmower races to street dancing and classic parades, visitors from far and wide flocked to Pioche to join the fun. We were thrilled to add to the excitement with a special NVFCP-hosted event at the historic Thompson's Opera House, where history and heritage took center stage.

A heartfelt thanks to Lois Etzel for her invaluable help throughout the weekend—your support made a big difference!

Here’s to keeping Nevada’s cultural treasures protected and appreciated for generations to come!

See a photo of Digger the tortoise hanging out at our booth below.

August 2025

Rayette Martin, with the dedicated support of trained volunteer Lois Etzel, took bold action against a surge of graffiti threatening the ancient rock art of the White River Narrows Archaeological District. Their restoration efforts, fully approved by the Archaeologist for the Basin and Range National Monument, aimed to protect and preserve this irreplaceable cultural landscape.

To outpace the intense summer heat, the team camped on-site and rose before dawn, working in the cooler hours to tackle the damage. Vandals had recklessly scratched over petroglyphs and pictographs—some thousands of years old—and defaced nearby rock surfaces with marker ink and even nail polish. Despite the scorching temperatures, the urgency was clear: the faster the damage is removed, the less likely it is to attract further vandalism.

While some of the worst-hit areas were close to the road, the team also discovered spray-painted rocks in more remote locations. Cleanup of those sites is being carefully scheduled for when daytime highs drop below 90 degrees, ensuring both safety and effectiveness.

Image: Left - enhanced to see the pictograph pigments under the scratched graffiti, Center - before photo without enhancement, Right - after the treatment was completed.

July 2025

Monthly Speaker Series Presentation

Art Krupicz - State Historic Preservation Officer

Nevada has a unique history, as well as a diverse historic preservation community working to save our important old places. The State Historic Preservation Office is one part of that community. This discussion is an introduction to Nevada’s new historic preservation officer, and an exploration of how “The SHPO” office collaborates with Nevada. Collaboration is especially critical now, as social programs of all kinds are questioned or reimagined. We discuss different visions for advancing historic preservation in Nevada, and how we can best work to preserve our history.

To watch a video of this presentation on our YouTube click here.

July 2025

On July 10th, NVFCP had the opportunity to showcase our recent graffiti removal and educational initiatives within the Basin and Range National Monument. Pictured is Executive Director Rayette Martin discussing two completed signage projects designed to educate visitors and protect cultural resources.

Other presenters shared insightful summaries from the BioBlitz recordings, while Stratum Unlimited delivered an engaging presentation on their work documenting and establishing the chronology of petroglyph and pictograph sites in the White River Narrows and Mt. Irish Archaeological Districts.

We also took time to celebrate the BLM staff and partnering organizations—such as Friends of Basin and Range National Monument—for their hard work and dedication to managing and preserving this unique landscape.

If you weren't aware, the monument designation does not limit traditional uses such as livestock grazing and watering by ranchers. In fact, hunting, camping, and other forms of recreation are encouraged. Visitors can explore the 704,000-acre monument via many miles of two-track and graded roads.

A Mural in a Vault Toilet? Why Not!

Yes, you read that right—there's now a vibrant mural inside the vault toilet at Mt. Irish Campground!

This unexpected art installation is the handiwork of NVFCP President Katie Hoffman and her college-aged kiddo, who teamed up to brighten up the bathroom with a splash of local color—literally. The mural features a lively array of native plants and animals, all of which are also highlighted on interpretive panels set to be installed this fall along the connected 1.5-mile trail.

The mural, titled "Morning View," draws inspiration from the quiet, wild beauty of waking up at the campground. It’s tough to capture in a photo just how immersive and delightful the scene is when viewed from the “throne”—you really have to experience it for yourself!

As you take a seat, see if you can spot all the featured flora and fauna: the elusive pinyon jay, the quick-footed black-tailed jackrabbit, the antelope ground squirrel, graceful mule deer, blooming blackbrush, and the iconic single-leaf pinyon pine.

Pro tip: The mule deer won’t reveal itself right away—it’s only visible after you enter and turn to face the exit. Just one of the mural’s playful surprises!

So next time you're at Mt. Irish, don't just pass by the restroom—step inside and enjoy this one-of-a-kind wilderness gallery!

June 2025

NVFCP was thrilled to join the party at the 10-year anniversary celebration of the Basin & Range National Monument—and what a celebration it was! There was an awesome turnout and the event doubled as a BioBlitz, where citizen scientists teamed up with experts of every -ology (think ecology, biology, botany—you name it!) to document the incredible biodiversity of the monument.

By day, teams spread out across the landscape spotting, recording, and sampling everything from wildflowers to wildlife. Lizards were skillfully wrangled with special poles and snakes made surprise appearances along the roads. By night, things got even more exciting! Traps were set for small mammals and bats were netted at watering holes.

All this data wasn’t just for fun (though it was a blast)—scientists also took measurements, samples, and notes to help answer real research questions about the monument’s ecosystems. Nearly 1,000 observations and 268 species were logged into iNaturalist. Not bad for a weekend’s work!

The heart of the action was Mt. Irish Campground, nestled within the stunning 640-acre Mt. Irish Archaeological District just west of Hiko, NV. On day one, NVFCP kicked things off with a cultural resource preservation briefing to make sure everyone knew how to explore responsibly. We also set up an outreach booth featuring local artifacts, sparking curiosity and encouraging volunteers to check out some of Lincoln County’s incredible public rock writing sites.

Nature, science, archaeology, and a little adventure—now that’s our kind of celebration!

June 2025

On a wild and stormy June day, the NVFCP team—joined by one of our awesome trained volunteers—braved the weather to meet up with the U.S. Forest Service at a scenic overlook on Mt. Charleston. Why? To tackle some unwelcome “artwork” left behind by a vandal who had gone rogue with a Sharpie on the concrete benches.

Turns out, their crew had already tried scrubbing it off with little success. So, we rolled up our sleeves and set up a mini field lab right there on the overlook—testing out a few of our trusty materials to see what might do the trick.

While we were experimenting with the graffiti on the benches, we had a win: one of our products worked wonders on the vandalism covering the metal fencing and signage posts nearby. Goodbye, Tagging!

After about an hour of scrubbing (and a bit of battling the wind), we made serious progress on the benches too. The Forest Service was impressed and plans to stock up on the products we used so they can keep the cleanup going.

We’re always happy to support our partners—and just a reminder, this was not a cultural site, and all necessary permissions were secured before we got to work!

May 2025

Over the course of three days, nearly 200 Lincoln County students in grades 3–6 participated in guided tours of the Mt. Irish Archaeological District. Led by Alicia Styles, Basin and Range National Monument Manager, and Rayette Martin, Executive Director of Nevadans for Cultural Preservation (NVFCP), students explored two major petroglyph sites during engaging walking tours. On-site experts—including range specialists, biologists, and others—were available to answer questions and share insights throughout the visit.

Each group hiked a portion of the new 1.5-mile trail that loops from the primitive campground through the archaeological sites. After the hike, students returned to the campground for lunch and hands-on learning experiences. These included opportunities to explore cultural artifacts, examine animal skulls and pelts, interact with insect displays, and more.

As part of the experience, students reflected by writing down one thing they learned and one thing they wanted to learn more about. Two notable examples:

“I learned that leaving artifacts where they are is really important.”
“I want to learn the petroglyph stories.”

May 2025

Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) Sean Scruggs, of the Fort Independence Tribe of Paiute Indians, provided attendees with an insightful overview of the role of THPOs. He emphasized the importance of Tribal Cultural Sovereignty and the need for the public to better understand the deep connection between tribes, the land, and the natural world. This understanding is essential to effectively monitor, respect, and protect sacred sites from looting and unnecessary destruction.

Please note that this was an open Microsoft Teams Meeting with public discussion, and as such, the presentation was not recorded. We hope you were able to join us!