LETTER: Program opens up Nevada’s great outdoors

Our state is home to some of the most breathtaking outdoor spaces, such as Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. But too many Clark County children (and many times their parents) have never had the chance to explore these beautiful public lands.

Friends of Red Rock Canyon was honored to be one of 23 unique programs chosen for the 2024 Nevada Outdoor Education and Recreation Grant Program. Passed in the 2019 legislative session, the program helps provide outdoor experiences for students. The program awarded more than $250,000 in 2024, with representation in nearly every county.

We must continue to support programs such as this.

We’ve used these funds for 10 field trips to Red Rock Canyon for Title I schools and plan to complete the last half of the 20 field trips for 700 students this fall. On these trips, we teach the kids to respect, maintain and clean up our public lands through the seven principles of “leave no trace,” protecting these lands for future generations.

We are grateful for this funding and the opportunity it offers our children. But we know that this funding must continue. This should not be an experience only children today have, but also an experience for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.