Great Basin Institute (GBI) is an interdisciplinary field studies organization that promotes environmental research, education, and conservation throughout the West. A public 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, the institute advances ecological literacy and habitat restoration through educational outreach and direct service programs. The Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC), a program of GBI, is an environmental service program dedicated to promoting field research and direct conservation service. NCC has administered 23 continuous AmeriCorps program years. The Corps supports Nevada’s communities and public lands through the deployment of technically proficient forestry restoration teams to mitigate fire threats, reduce the spread of invasive species, and restore and re-designate trails. NCC’s trained monitoring and assessment teams capture critical data on the condition of forest and rangeland health.
NCC’s program activities include crew-based services that reduce wildland fire threat through fuels reduction and habitat restoration. In addition to such services, Corps members treat and abate noxious weeds, as well perform tasks such as post-fire re-seeding and native plant reintroduction. Trail management measures, including the designation and restoration of trail routes, also support reduction of fire threat by reducing fuels along trail corridors, maintaining fuel breaks, and offering improved access to fire locations. To support agency decision-making and capture indicators of accomplishment, NCC’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring teams evaluate and characterize forest and range health conditions and provide data to determine restoration efficacy. The primary anticipated short-term outcomes targeted by NCC program activities include reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire; increasing accessibility and safe condition of usable recreational trail systems; and developed publications on monitoring protocols.