"Pathways to Conservation" Applications Now Open!

Author name

Are you eager to make a difference in local bird conservation, connect with like-minded people, and deepen your knowledge of the Mojave Desert’s birds and life zones? This fall, we have a program for you!

Pathways to Conservation is our new volunteer and education program led by Alex Harper, our Education & Outreach Chair. This program is split into two cohorts: one for adults, and one for high school students interested in careers in biology and conservation.

Who Should Join?

People interested in volunteering for RRAS and supporting bird conservation should consider joining. After completing the course, you will have a wide breadth of knowledge in Mojave Desert life zones, priority bird species, threats and conservation, as well as laws that impact our birds and how our partnering agencies work.

This course is designed to support go-getters and people who want to make a difference locally. A passion for birds and conservation is a must, as well as the ability to commit to the program and maintain a volunteer commitment to RRAS after the program ends. We are especially looking for people who are curious, committed, and communicative!

Expect to Learn

Expect to get the background needed to get started at being an effective communicator about things that matter. To set you up, you will be introduced to the following and more:

The habitats of the Mojave Desert from riparian to alpine and everything in between
The bird families in Nevada, their roles in local ecosystems, and why they matter
The land managers and agencies that manage the land where Nevada’s birds live, how they operate, and how Red Rock Audubon members can work with them
The local and landscape scale threats to birds and their habitats, and what can be done
The history of Red Rock Audubon’s role in the community and what we can build from to meet the moment

How Will You Benefit?

The course is meant to give you the “needs to know”, and there are many ways to apply what you learn. How and where in your life you apply it is ultimately going to be what interests you the most, and so it should compliment your life and your other commitments. It's simple: we are successful and supported as an organization when we help you on your unique path. Here are a few ways that you’ll benefit:

You’ll gain skills to become an interpretative naturalist, outdoor educator, or wildlife biologist
You’ll gain the background to become a better communicator of complex ideas as an educator or advocate
You’ll be able to take an active role in teaching kids and teens about birds and habitats at interesting locations
You’ll have the clarity to feel sure about the best use of your time and focus to make an effective difference
You’ll meet land managers, biologists, and conservationists on the lands that they work on and about the land

What is Expected of You?

The Pathways to Conservation begins in early September and ends in early December. To fully complete the program, you are required to attend the classes and field trips. The classes will be recorded. Each cohort will have:

Ten evening weekday classes on Zoom on Tuesday nights
Five total field outings on weekends to learn more about local habitats, conservation priorities, and managing agencies, including:
Mt Charleston
Corn Creek at Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

After completing this program, it is expected that you begin give back a certain amount of time to RRAS as a volunteer. This is because we need people to play an active role in moving us forward. Expect to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours in 2025. Adults will step into supported RRAS-sponsored roles, such as:

Becoming a volunteer park or field trip leader by spring 2025
Communicating regularly with an agency or park manager and reporting to the appropriate RRAS committee.
Participating in citizen science programs, such as Christmas Bird Counts, shorebird surveys, or Great Basin Bird Observatory’s citizen science initiatives
Teaching students at schools, community centers, or the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
Providing education public presentations to partners and organizations curious about birds
Gathering information, preparing for, or engaging in discussions publicly or privately with policy-makers, park or land managers, and renewable energy developers
Assist in transportation or other logistics of youth program
Working in coalitions with our community partners
Joining the Board of Directors for an appropriate role

For high-schoolers, students will be expected to choose a local wetland or park (such as the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve) and do a habitat assessment and bird survey, as well as plan and execute a stewardship event and create a suggested management plan for the site. Students will learn how to do these steps through the program, and their final report will be delivered to the members of RRAS leadership. All of these skills make excellent resume boosters, and students will come away with professional connections to leaders in RRAS as well as our partnering agencies.

Class Times - Adults

Our ten adult classes are virtual on Tuesday nights, starting at 6:00 pm. Each course will be about 90 minutes. There are up to five field trips during the span of the virtual courses. They will be on Saturdays. To get the most benefit, you should aim to make most of the field trips.

Adult Virtual Meeting Times

September 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Mojave Desert Introduction

September 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part One

October 1 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part Two

October 8 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Nevada Birds Part One

October 15 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Nevada Birds Part Two

October 22 from 6:00-7:30 pm Laws and Regulations Protecting Birds

October 29 from 6:00-7:30 pm Threats to Birds in the Mojave and what You Can Do

November 12 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Threats to Birds in the City and What You Can Do

November 19 from 6:00-7:30 pm Communication of Complex Topics

December 3 from 6:00-7:30 Bringing it All Together

Adult In-Person Field Trip Dates

Exact times to be determined, but generally dawn to lunch time. We will meet partners and do some birding!

September 21 – Mount Charleston Life Zones and Intro to the Forest Service system

October 5 – Corn Creek Field Station and Intro to the National Wildlife Refuge system

October 19 – Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Intro to the Bureau of Land Management

October 26 – Clark County Wetlands and Intro to Working with County Partners

November 9 – Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Intro to Working with City Partners

Class Times – High Schoolers

Our ten teen classes are virtual and will be on Thursday nights, starting at 6:00 pm. Each course will be about 90 minutes.

There are up to five field trips during the span of the virtual courses. They will be on Sundays. To get the most benefit, you should aim to make most of the field trips.

Virtual Meeting Times

September 12 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Mojave Desert Introduction

September 19 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part One

September 26 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part Two

October 3 from 6:00-7:30 pm – Get to Know Nevada Birds Part One

October 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm – Get to Know Nevada Birds Part Two

October 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm Protecting Birds

October 24 from 6:00-7:30 pm Threats to Birds in the Mojave and What You Can Do

November 14 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Threats to Birds in the City and What You Can Do

November 21 from 6:00-7:30 pm Communication of Complex Topics

December 5 from 6:00-7:30 Bringing it All Together

High School In-Person Field Trip Dates

Exact times to be determined, but generally dawn to lunch time. We will meet partners and do some birding!

September 22 – Mount Charleston Life Zones and Intro to the Forest Service system

October 6 – Corn Creek Field Station and Intro to the National Wildlife Refuge system

October 20 – Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Intro to the Bureau of Land Management

October 27 – Clark County Wetlands and Intro to Working with County Partners

November 10 – Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Intro to Working with City Partners

December 7 – Conservation Project at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

Ready? Fill Out Our Application

If you’re reading this and thinking, “that’s me!” then fill out the application to join the program today. Space is limited in each cohort, and applications close on September 1st. If you have additional questions, reach out to Alex Harper at alexharper@redrockaudubon.com

We will try to work with you if your transportation options are limited. We don’t want to turn anyone away because they can’t make it to in-person portions, but we need time to plan for it. If you would like for us to try to sponsor or support local and relevant travel, please let us know in the application.

Link to the adult application.
Link to the high school application.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

RECENT ARTICLES

An 11 Year Old's View of Birding

January 20, 2025

By Jackson Roth Hi, my name is Jackson Roth. I am 11 years old and have been into birds for around a year and a half. My family and I take many vacations, and I have a lot of fun exploring new species in different areas of the country. We were in Yellowstone National Park when my mom first showed me Merlin. I had been interested in wildlife for a long time, but this is what started my focus on birds. Now it has become a tradition that when we arrive in new places, we put the phone down and start Sound ID going, then every few minutes check what we got. As it finds more species, I try to identify their calls and songs without Merlin’s help. My articles will talk about some of my experiences birding across the U.S., exploring different regions and habitats. Living in Las Vegas means living in the middle of the desert. Bird-watching is a little trickier in the desert as we don’t have woods behind our house or many lakes nearby to see waterfowl. Pigeons, house sparrows, and house finches are the most common birds we get around here, and no one’s excited about seeing a pigeon. We rarely get any owl species, so I was thrilled when I heard that a park near us, Floyd Lamb, had a Great Horned Owl pair staying there. After I showed them a recent eBird checklist with the owls, my family picked a day to search for the pair. On our way to some groves of trees, we passed a few of Floyd Lamb’s resident peafowl who greeted us with their trumpeted bugle calls. Picking a random clump of trees, we watched and waited for an hour or so but didn’t see any owls among the tall branches. My disappointment grew because we don’t go there very often, and I feared that the owls might be gone by our next visit. Finally, at dusk, we gave up. Walking back, I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see a dark shape swooping through the trees. I went on high alert and searched and searched but couldn’t find it again. Seeing our binoculars, a man walking past showed us a grove where he had seen the Great Horned Owls come out around 5:00. I was elated. I would get to see some owls! When it was light out! This would be the perfect opportunity to see a beautiful owl pair in the daylight. Excited, we came back the next day to look for the owls. At 4:30, we went to the grove that the man had shown us. Or what we thought was the grove. Since Great Horned Owls are mostly brown and many of the trees’ leaves were brown (it was fall), we knew that it would probably be hard to find them, so the three of us split up. And we looked. And looked. It had been nighttime when the man had pointed us to the grove that they came in, so we all thought we were looking in the correct spot. My father slightly misunderstood and went looking off in the desert scrub instead of the trees. My mother was looking two hills over from me. And so we each wandered, craning our necks to look up into trees. As the afternoon progressed, I began to worry that we had missed our chance at seeing the owls. At last, I looked up to see a Cooper’s Hawk high up on a branch, staring down the Great Horned Owl male. I called to my parents, half-whispering, half-yelling (if that is possible) across the two hills. As my parents ran up, the Cooper’s Hawk flew away, and there they were. A male and a female Great Horned Owl. I could see their fluffy ear tufts so clearly. The female, with her wings spread, was sleeping up in a tree. The male was peering down at us with immense golden eyes. For a while the male fluffed his neck feathers to cool off. Watching them so close in the daylight was truly magnificent. We stayed with them for a while, fascinated. We went home after that but still check for them once in a while when we go to Floyd Lamb Park. Great Horned Owls have been my favorite raptor ever since that evening.

February Birding Forecast

January 20, 2025

By Alex Harper Neither in the depths of winter anymore and too early for the rush of spring, February is a month that may feel more stagnant than January or March. The increasing daylight triggers hormone production that may prepare some birds for breeding or migratory behavior. The behavior changes in birds may be obvious when observing some species, but not observable in others. There are indeed some birds on the move in February, and they are the harbingers of an incoming spring. For our local breeding birds, many will be engaging in territorial behavior or “tuning up” their songs. Residential birds at low elevations, such as in the Las Vegas area, will be most obvious. You’ll notice doves, hummingbirds and mockingbirds chasing each other around or displaying. You may even catch hummingbirds in the act of collecting nest materials; spider webs are amongst some of their favorite materials. The songs of House Finches may be heard on almost every city block in town. At local parks such as Sunset Park, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, and Pittman Wash, you may hear the harsh song of the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, a rambling Crissal Thrasher, or the hurried and stuttering song of the Abert’s Towhee. Since these resident birds are nonmigratory and are already in the area that they will attempt to breed, they can begin breeding activities now. For many of the migratory species, they are on a different schedule. At our parks with water and our reservoirs, we could still see influxes of winter-driven waterfowl, especially in diving ducks like goldeneyes, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers. Cooler temperatures to the north or farther inland can freeze ponds over, which directly affects the ability for waterfowl to forage for food. Diving waterfowl are impacted by any freezes, and they’ll move around throughout February when necessary. February is another great gull-watching month. Virtually any species can show up at Lake Mead during February. Some migratory birds are on the way from south of the border. Fast-flying swallows are amongst the first to arrive, and they’ll trickle into wetlands such as Clark County Wetlands Park and the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Migratory Northern Rough-winged Swallows will join the small winter flocks at the bird preserve, as will Tree Swallows, followed by a few Barns and Violet-greens. Visit the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve towards the end of February, and you’ll notice the slow accumulation of swallows. Once the trees begin to produce new leaves again, insect and bird activity will escalate. From March to May, surges of spring-related activities such as singing, nest-building, and migration will be in full motion.

January Bird Forecast

December 31, 2024

by Alex Harper Cold, dense air blankets the valleys and basins of the lowlands, and snow may cover mountain slopes. The sun arcs low across the horizon, and the days are especially short. Just about all the deciduous trees have lost their leaves after a few windy December days. The loss of leaf cover forces some songbirds to forage lower to the ground or move around locally to find fuel and cover. Since insects may only be active during the warmest parts of the warmest of January days, you may notice Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers using ingenuity to find dormant or dead insects and spiders. In lots and natural areas, White-crowned Sparrows and House Finches feed on seeding quailbush. Many January days can be bone-chilling, but on calm and warmer days, signs of breeding activities will be noticeable in urban areas. You may hear the loud popping sounds of displaying Anna’s Hummingbirds, see Eurasian Collared-Doves “paragliding” between powerlines, or notice robins and mockingbirds tuning up their songs. This is in response to the gradual increase in daylight following the winter solstice in December; birds are so attuned to light that some resident species may get a jumpstart on establishing territories and attracting mates. Wetlands, parks with water, and golf courses can host high species of duck diversity. Along the Las Vegas Wash from the upper wash to Lake Las Vegas, open water attracts teals, Mallards, American Wigeons, pintails, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaups. Wigeons and Gadwalls are especially drawn to weirs, where they feed on algae growing on rocks. Northern Shovelers may be absent along the Wash, preferring the calmer waters of the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, and Redheads all may be found at city park ponds and lakes, where they have learned to take handouts. Geese move in between nighttime roosts around water for open grassy areas during the day. Geese are grazers, and you may see small groups of Snow Geese and the odd Cackling, Greater White-fronted, or Ross’s Geese among Canada Geese on soccer fields or golf course lawns. Lake Mead can attract grebes, loons, and diving ducks. Check the areas where the Las Vegas Wash meets the lake, which is currently near Government Wash and 33-Hole. Large enough fish for grebes, loons, and cormorants are attracted to this outwash, and it can be an excellent place to look for these and other waterbirds that eat medium-sized to large fish. Lake Mead is also attractive to gulls in January and late winter. Gulls are dynamic, intelligent, can be difficult to identify to a species-level, and are prone to wandering. For these reasons and more, birders often find looking for gulls an exciting challenge. Only a few species are expected on any given visit to Lake Mead, but the reservoir lures in just about any North American gull species. Gulls go where they are fed, and they roost in safe areas close to consistent feeding areas. 33-Hole, Government Wash, Boulder Beach and Hemenway Harbor are all tried-and-true locations to look for gulls. Scan through flocks of ubiquitous Ring-billed, California, and occasional Herring for Lesser Black-backed and Iceland Gulls. Eventually, you may see something completely unexpected. Overall, January can be used to see waterfowl move and court one another, as well as life cycles of wintering and resident birds. For some bird species, they are weeks or months away from migrating to their breeding grounds, which in some cases may be in Canada or Alaska. For our year-round neighborhood birds, they may be transitioning out of their winter behavior of wandering for food and beginning to set up territory. By February, we will welcome the vanguards of returning swallows.