by Matthew "Metric" Ebert

The NCSF Rendezvous in Tucson, Arizona, was the first ever conference for this new foundation dedicated to supporting Friends groups of the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). I attended this conference along with board members Debbie Smith, Wayne de Geere III, and Jeff Barker. The Rendezvous provided an excellent opportunity to network among groups similar to the Friends of Black Rock, and to share our challenges and creative solutions with each other. The conference began Friday evening with registrations and a keynote speech from Ed Zahniser, primary lobbyist and author of the 1964 Wilderness Act.

On Saturday morning, speakers included Bob Abbey, former Nevada state director of the BLM and board member of NCSF and Friends of Nevada Wilderness, and Edward M. Norton, Chairman of the NCSF board and founding President of the Grand Canyon Trust. Then I had an opportunity to present some of the history and programs of the Friends of Black Rock-- the Power Point presentation is attached below. Then after lunch, there were four separate workshops in areas such as fundraising, community organizing, and strategic planning. These were then repeated on Sunday morning so everyone had a chance to attend two workshops.

The event wrapped up with dinner and an address from Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior in the Clinton Administration. He was chiefly responsible for the National Conservation Act which established the Conservation System. I also attended a direct service project at the Ironwood Forest National Monument in the Sonoran Desert outside of Tucson. Volunteers removed invasive buffle grass, which is threatening several species of indigenous plants, including barrel cacti and other species.

The main thing that struck me at this conference was that the Friends of Black Rock High Rock is in many ways more advanced than other Friends groups. We have a good relationship with our BLM partners, a growing membership program, and a good array of events and volunteer programs. While this is true, I also noticed that while there is widely held public support for the conservation designation of other land units, in the Black Rock this designation is still often seen as unwanted or controversial. Also, since we are further from urban areas, it is more difficult for us to find financial support and to connect people to our message. The board members who attended and I came away feeling better equipped to meet these challenges, and realize that we belong to a group of like-minded citizens across the West who recognize the need for deft management of America's wild lands.