The Southern Nye County Conservation District has a big responsibility for an all-volunteer group.

The board members work tirelessly with various other state and local agencies to help keep the rugged beauty of the Pahrump Valley and surrounding areas (including Beatty and Amargosa Valley) alive, all while helping the native wildlife to successfully coexist with the growing population.

And they find a variety of ways to get the message of conservation out -- from educating the public through field trips to obtaining grants for conservation projects.

Given the vast and variable amount of land for which they're responsible, it's not surprising each of the five main board members is responsible for a different conservation area.

Chairman Donna Lamm is jokingly referred to by the board as the "water queen," and for good reason. From conserving the desert's most precious survival resource to flood control and wellhead protection, Lamm has been involved in local water issues for years.

Her work and expertise has recently been acknowledged on the state level with her appointment to the State Conservation Commission.

Lamm's most recent efforts with the SNCCD include starting a program in which youths are brought to Ash Meadows and Amargosa Valley to, as she puts it, "learn the whole gamut of conservation."

This past spring, 525 third through fifth graders took the trip and learned about conservation by doing everything from counting the pupfish at Devil's Hole to measuring the salinity of local water resources.

The group also leads the fight against plants the state has deemed noxious or invasive weeds, perpetually working on abatement and education.

LaRene Younghans is also a long-standing member of SNCDD and has been working to clear the Oasis Valley of noxious weeds, including tamarisk and Russian olive trees, which can be a detrimental drain on water resources.

James Thompson represents the Amargosa Valley area and its agricultural issues and has been working with the Amargosa Dairy to rid that area of noxious weeds.

And here in Pahrump, the war against the weeds is being waged by Tami Tripp-Massi.

The conservation district also works closely with many state and federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Death Valley National Park Service, the Department of Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and of course the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The Department of Agriculture's resource conservation and development department has worked with the conservation district on everything from water quality to weed abatement, helping with everything from grant funding to actually helping out in the field to exterminate weeds.

"They bring projects to us and we try to match them with grants or technical services," Teri Knight, resource conservation and development coordinator, explained. "We'd welcome more projects with Nye County."

"They are really working hard and believe strongly in what they are doing," Barbara Arlin, SNCCD secretary, said. "They really deserve the support of Nye County and a pat on the back."

If you are interested in joining the SNCCD (and it is always welcoming new volunteers), contact Lamm at 775-209-3059.