Nevadans for Cultural Preservation

September 2023

NVFCP held an archaeology booth at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park on Public Lands Day. Admission was free for all guests. Visitors to our booth were able to play a pioneer board game and date historic artifacts.

The fort is the oldest structure in Las Vegas. The visitor's center contains displays and information on the history of the area from before the Spanish trail came through to the first Casinos. The property is next to a spring fed creek. The land was utilized by early Native Americans, it was the Mormon fort for only about 2 years, it changed hands a few times as a ranch, was sold to the railroad, and then was saved, restored, reconstructed, and sits in the center of Las Vegas for all to enjoy. 

September 2023

NVFCP held an outreach booth and provided a talk on involving the OHV community in preservation during the three day summit.

Employees and representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation, and Nevada Commission on Off-Highway Vehicles along with folks from the Nevada Offroad Association, Tread Lightly, Nevada Outdoor School, Rail Aware, Vegas Valley 4 Wheelers, MXT Media, and more were in attendance. 

We were happy to listen and participate in the many thought provoking presentations. 

The highlight of each Summit is the trail ride. This year after a ribbon cutting at the new staging area in Tonopah, we took a 72 mile ride to a Turquoise mine through beautiful sagebrush county. Rental side by sides were provided for the event! 

Photo: Ribbon Cutting at the New Staging Area in Tonopah

August 2023

NVFCP's Executive Director, Rayette Martin provided a free public talk at the Clark County Museum. 

The talk covered the devastating problem of vandalism on our public lands and why it's necessary to preserve and protect our cultural heritage.  Rayette explained the challenging techniques of graffiti removal from sensitive cultural sites like ancient rock writings, where and how to report vandalism, what documentation and restoration efforts are happening now in Nevada, and how to become more involved in preserving Nevada's natural and cultural resources for this and future generations to enjoy, be inspired by, and to learn from.

August 2023

Dr. Samantha Rubinson, Archaeologist and Program Coordinator for the Nevada Site Stewardship Program 

Over the last past 40 years, archaeological site stewardship programs have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom. These programs seek to preserve archaeological sites on land and submerged. The recent National Site Stewardship Network Survey included over 32 programs, 30 in the US and 2 in the UK. This survey provided an opportunity to investigate how each program works and the driving forces behind them. This presentation will explore a variety of the programs and present the key results of the survey. 

Click here to watch a recording of this Zoom Webinar.  

July 2023

Sandy Allen from Dunes and Trails ATV/UTV Club joined Rayette Martin, Executive Director of NVFCP at an outreach booth at Proshop Motorsports and Marine in Henderson one Saturday. As customers browsed through the inventory of land and water "toys". They learned a bit about Nevada archaeology and how to help protect our heritage while recreating. We promoted our online reporting system and the OHV Preservation Ambassador Program. 

July 2023 

"From Big Springs to Springs Preserve: 50 Years of Archaeology"

Nathan Harper, Archaeologist for the Las Vegas Valley Water District delved into the history of the preservation of the sites at the Las Vegas Spring's Preserve.

The Big Springs of Las Vegas has served as a waystation for indigenous peoples, travelers, and early settlers for thousands of years. For many years the tall cottonwoods along US 95 were the only indication of the deep history of the site. In 1972 archaeologist Claude Warren of UNLV was tasked with identifying the extent and depth of prehistoric and historic archaeological deposits on the site. This work to protect and preserve the Las Vegas Springs site would continue for over 40 years. Claude and Elizabeth Warren were dedicated to the preservation of the site through development of the “Friends of Big Springs,” leading to the site’s listing on the National Register of Historic places in 1978. In 2007 the Springs Preserve opened, dedicated to the protection and preservation of the birthplace of Las Vegas.

Click here to watch a recording of this Zoom Webinar.

July 2023

On July 1st, NVFCP held an outreach table inside RideNow Powersports on Rancho. We educated their staff and customers on the importance of participating in preservation through reporting damage they find at cultural sites. It was great to be able to have a booth in the air conditioning because it was the first day to reach triple digits this summer. Our partners, Dunes and Trails, joined us and helped with the education. 

June 2023

Rayette Martin provided a tour of the exhibition at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art to 20 members of 702Q+.  It was a pleasure to guide folks through the mission of NVFCP, our role in this project, the now historic land art works, and the contemporary works by ten talented artists. The exhibition ends July 8th with some pieces moving on to other museums. Attendees also enjoyed the other exhibition at the museum "Am I Your Type". Entry is free and open to all. 

June 2023

NVFCP and Dunes and Trails OHV/ATV Group hosted a booth at Carter Powersports on Saturday, June 19th. We were able to talk to the staff and guests about how they can help protect cultural sites when recreating. Everyone was receptive to the messaging and agreed to report damage to cultural sites. This is the first of a series of booths at OHV dealerships this summer. 

June 2023

The team from Modern Desert Markings took us behind the scenes of the exhibition. Artists who were commissioned to create new work in response to five historic Land Art sites in Southern Nevada discuss their site visits to the locations of these important artworks as well as their thoughts on Land Art and preservation.

A video of the symposium is available on our YouTube channel and can be viewed here.