Volunteers help care for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Whether it is trail maintenance and graffiti cleanup or welcoming visitors and feeding the tortoises, the organization known as Friends of Red Rock Canyon is there to get the job done.

For the past 31 years, the nonprofit has been there to help take care of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

“There is only so much the (Bureau of Land Management) can do with limited staff,” says Chuck Williams, president of Friends of Red Rock Canyon. “We can do a lot with volunteers at no cost to them.”

The organization formed in 1984 to provide Red Rock with a few services. Since then, the mission has grown and the organization takes on more tasks.

Like most of the volunteers, Williams and his wife have loved hiking in the area since they moved to Las Vegas in the ’90s.

After he retired in 1999, he was looking for a way to help out and began volunteering for the group.

“We really wanted to do something to give back,” he says. “You get a sense of accomplishment (by volunteering). You feel like you’re making a difference even if it’s just from picking up trash. Plus, you get to be outside.”

As the president, Williams coordinates many volunteers to help around Red Rock. Last year, members made up 25,000 volunteer hours, he says.

Some volunteers consistently help throughout the year; some can only commit to one cleanup day every few months.

During the summer, it might be harder to find volunteers to do jobs other than staffing the information desk in the air-conditioned visitors center, which is open seven days a week.

But not all jobs are inside. Williams says volunteers also maintain the landscape.

At least once a month, volunteers do a trash pickup day on the trails. Besides general maintenance, the organization removes graffiti.

“It is really time consuming and very hard to take off,” says Sharon Schaaf, another group member.

Williams says people just don’t know any better.

“We had a high school girl who asked her boyfriend to the Sadie Hawkins dance,” he says. “She was caught because she posted it on Facebook.”

When he asked her about it, Williams said the girl said she honestly didn’t think what she was doing was wrong.

“And that’s where the education component comes in,” Schaaf says. “When we bring kids here, we can talk about how beautiful things are here and instill a sense of appreciation.”

In 2001, Williams says, the group started recording the rock art that was put up by Native American tribes. The organization has photographed and written the location of all the pieces it has found so far.

“It took us about 1,400 volunteer hours to do this,” he adds.

Some pieces are known to hikers, but some aren’t really talked about to better protect them. After being recorded, the group checks on the art throughout the year.

“We usually go back once a quarter to make sure they haven’t been damaged,” he says.

Volunteers also help with grant writing to provide more resources for Red Rock. One grant pays to bus at-risk students to the area.

“Many of them, this is the only time they will be able to come out,” he says.

If someone wants to help out with the Friends of Red Rock Canyon, he or she can pick what area and how many hours they’d like to work.

“We are really flexible,” Schaaf says. “People can look on the website to see what’s available. If they want to work at the tortoise habitat, they can figure out what days are open to work.”

Besides coordinating volunteer opportunities throughout the year, the organization also mounts major volunteer events, such as National Public Lands Day and Make a Difference Day. People who might not volunteer regularly try to attend one of those events.

The group is taking on another project, creating a book detailing the area’s history — “Seekers, Saints & Scoundrels: The Colorful Characters of Red Rock Canyon.”

Schaaf is the book’s editor and one of seven writers who contributed to the 300-page book. All of the volunteers devoted hours researching and writing about the area.

“It’s been an eye-opening experience,” she says.

The organization received a grant from the Las Vegas Centennial Commission to pay for the book. Sale proceeds will support Friends of Red Rock.

Final edits are being finished on the book, which should be published by summer’s end. A hard copy will be available for purchase in the visitors center.

“We are looking into having an e-copy for purchase,” Schaaf says. “Either way, I think this book will do a good job informing people about Red Rock.”

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.