Fernley Swales cleanup scheduled Saturday

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

While driving through the Fernley Swales for a check on dumping areas to plan for the upcoming National Public Lands Day cleanup, Jon and Janet Nowlin found piles of cut tree branches, vandalism and other debris across the historic trail.

Members of the Nevada Chapter of the Oregon0-California Trails Association, Jon and Janet have made the Fernley Swales their pet project. OCTA, along with the Fernley Rotary Club, Bureau of Land Management, Terrible’s Travel Center and Olcese Waste Management Services and Waste Management Inc. will be hosting their annual cleanup party on National Public Lands Day, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday.

The Fernley Swales of the California National Historic Trail are protected under a conservation easement held by the Bureau of Land Management.

The public is invited to help clean the historic trails, originally part of the Oregon-California Trail during the great migration west in the late 1800s. The party will meet along the dirt road just pas Mission Way along the west side of Terrible’s Truck Stop.

Volunteers are urged to wear a hat and layered clothing, and bring heavy globes, boots, long pants, lunch or shacks and water. The BLM will provide trash bags, cleanup tools, extra gloves, cold drinks, a clean porta-potty and a hand wash station.  BLM will have trucks to haul trash as well.

For more information, contact Fran McKay, Fernley Rotary at flmckay@charter.net or (775) 846-2583; Rachel Crews, BLM Archaeologist at rcrews@blm.gov or (775) 885-6152 or Jon Nowlin, OCTA representative at ccnvww@gmail.com or (775) 883-5913.