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From Las Vegas to Reno/Sparks: A Journey of Change

By Elijah Mayorga


Coming up to Reno was not an easy decision. Willingly choosing to leave a place I called home where the weather is always nice, to an area that regularly goes below freezing in the winter? Call me crazy but I much rather choose 120 degree summers over the 20 degree winters. I know it’s crazy to prefer hot summers over to cold winters but that’s just what I grew up with. 


When I came to northern Nevada to work as a stream technician for the summer, I was fully expecting to go back to Las Vegas once the job was over. But I fell in love with the area. Nights spent cowboy camping under the stars in Lake Tahoe and Schell Creek showed me what northern Nevada had to offer. So, you can imagine the crossroad I was at when my job as a stream technician came to an end. I knew choosing to stay in Reno meant I would have to endure winter while also leaving everything I called home. But choosing to go back to Vegas meant going back to work as an asbestos analyst. Working out in nature really improved my overall mental health. So, going back to being stuck in a lab with nothing but the sound of a ventilated hood was not something I looked fondly on. So, when I saw Rosewood was hiring wetland technicians for a year, I knew I had to check it out.


So far coming out to work at Rosewood Nature Study Area is so far making the decision to stay seem like I made the right choice.Truckee Meadows Park Foundation sets out to connect the public with their local parks, and raise awareness of the environment. Based on what I’ve seen so far, everyone working here really strives to achieve that goal.That includes all the volunteers we get during our planting events. So far, I’ve only helped with two volunteer events, but it is nice to see how much the community cares about the restoration efforts within Rosewood.While the work we're doing here to restore this old golf course into a natural wetland may take some time, it will be worth it in the end. Especially since we're the ones doing the active restoration efforts right now.


Honestly, my favorite experience so far here at Rosewood has been watching the plants grow, and thinking about how these little guys are gonna help save this park. Growing up in Las Vegas I actually used to check out a wetland park called Clark County Wetlands Park and it has easily become one of my favorite places. Probably second to the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas but the Springs Preserve has more to offer. Volunteering here in Rosewood, I can’t help but make the comparison to the Clark County Wetlands. Funnily enough, the Clark County Wetlands has a bridge going over the wash that flows through the park similar to the two here in Rosewood. It was nice to just listen to the water and admire the birds that would be flying between the willows and bushes. Obviously, Rosewood isn’t as established yet as the one in Clark County, but memories like that really inspire me to work hard.Right now we just got fields of tumbleweeds, but with the help of volunteers we can start implementing some native plants such as quail bush and cottonwood trees.


As one of the wetland technicians this year, I'm more than happy to do my part in giving this park a fair shot at becoming a wetland just like the one in Clark county. I’ve only been in the Reno/Spark area for roughly a month at the time of this blog, but this place is growing on me. It was kind of a struggle to be homesick but the community here at Rosewood and Reno/Sparks has really helped. My coworkers are awesome, my roommates always have my back, and working outside beats being stuck in an asbestos lab. This place is starting to feel like a second home. I know winter hasn’t hit in full force yet, but the connections I’ve made here will definitely help me get through it.They keep telling me I have to pick up a winter sport but I can’t decide between snowboarding or skiing. Never been a huge fan of snow but maybe one of these sports will change my mind.

 

Meet the Author

Elijah Mayorga

Wetland Restoration Technician

After working as a stream technician and a conservation crew member with Great Basin Institute, Elijah decided to work as a wetland restoration technician with Truckee Meadows Park Foundation. Originally from Las Vegas, his passion for environmental conservation led him to work in the field all over Nevada. Now he brings his experience for environmental restoration to TMPF. When he’s not outside, you can find him rolling dice in dungeons and dragons, or hanging out with his cat. 


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