Many of us have great childhood memories of playing outdoors: jumping in piles of fallen leaves, looking for critters in a local creek, or building a snowmen with the neighborhood kids.
Some of our childhood memories of nature come from summer afternoons exploring the forests and fields of our neighborhoods.
Today, much of that open space is occupied by homes, stores, and parking lots. We invite you to rediscover that excitement and explore our Connecting People with Nature Program in Nevada.
Environmental Education Events
We participate in a number of formal environmental education events with
our partners, scout groups, and local school districts. If you are interested
in scheduling an event with us, contact Jeannie Stafford, (Jeannie_Stafford@fws,gov, 775-861-6300) to schedule an event in northern Nevada or
Angela Yost (Angelina_Yost@fws.gov, 702-515-5450), to schedule an event in southern Nevada.
Our Wildlife Refuges and offices promote programs that encourage nature watching using interpretive brochures for trails, guided walks, festivals, and bird and wildlife checklists.
Most of our refuges are open year-around and provide great wildlife viewing opportunities.
Hunting and Fishing Events
Many of the Wildlife Refuges are open to hunting and fishing and many participate in hunting and fishing events or programs with other agencies and conservation groups.
Each year, the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery in Gardnerville, Nevada, participates in many fishing events including the annual Kids Fishing Derby which is one of the largest fishing derbies in the United States.
Held the last weekend in May, the event attracts approximately 3,000 children ages 3-12.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has a fun new way for you to discover new things about your own neighborhood!
It’s a game you play on your computer and then you go outside and discover what you learned about. Discovery is as easy as a click of the mouse.
Exploring the Club-House, you can seek and identify birds by silhouette, learn about endangered and invasive species, find Sam the praying mantis, take “Lucy’s NX Challenge” and more.
Just moving the mouse around the Club-House will take you to new places.You earn patches as you complete projects, answer trivia questions and play games.
Action projects include building bird houses, planting native plants, and adopting new habits, such as recycling and conserving water and electricity.
By earning all five patches, you can receive a free tree from the Arbor Day Foundation! There are only 450 trees available, so players should get started winning patches right away!
Check it out for yourself by clicking the Neighborhood Explorers picture above!.
Get outside and connect a child to the wild! Spending time outside is fun for the whole family. And it doesn’t have to be
somewhere far from home.
Spending time outside can be simple and safe:
■ Take a walk in the woods;
■ Lie on your back in your backyard and
watch the clouds roll by;
■ Turn over rocks in a stream and look
for critters;
■ Catch lightning bugs;
■ Climb a tree;
■ Fish at a local pond;
■ Draw a picture of a tree and all the
animals that live in it;
■ Stomp around in a swamp; or
■ Picnic at a local park.
Whether it is your own backyard, a local community park or a national wildlife refuge, there are lots of outdoor places
you can visit. Start by doing something small, and see what happens from there! The possibilities are endless.
Whether you are an educator, grandparent, parent, or child, nature can be the inspiration to turn off the wired
world and get outside.
Spending time outdoors improves the physical and mental well-being of children and adults alike. This toolkit, developed by Children & Nature Network (external link),
was designed for families interested in spending more time outdoors and starting a local Nature Club. It includes a Quick Start Guide with simple instructions on how to start a Nature Club, as well as activity ideas, tips and checklists for getting started.
The kit is available in both English and Spanish.
Educational Materials
We have a variety of teacher's kits, posters, videos, books, and brochures designed
to help you teach conservation to school kids of all ages. Check out our national
USFWS Let's Go Outside! website for
great educational information that you can download:
If you are interested in scheduling a visit to your classroom or a tour of one of our facilities contact Jeannie Stafford, (Jeannie_Stafford@fws,gov, 775-861-6300) to schedule an event in northern Nevada or
Angela Yost ( Angelina_Yost@fws.gov, 702-515-5450), to schedule an event in southern Nevada.
scout groups, and local school districts. If you are interested
in scheduling an event with us, contact Jeannie Stafford, (
What can you do?
