CHRISSY OHLINGER / Special to the PVTCarla Perkins addresses the issue of poisonous snakes in Nevada. CHRISSY OHLINGER / Special to the PVTEach of these broken rocks contrains visible gold and was unearthed by a member of the Nye Gold Seekers. Advertisement

Carla Perkins gave a captivating and informative lecture on snake safety and the habits of venomous snakes in our region at the Bob Ruud Community Center recently.

Thirty-seven members of Nye Gold Seekers and community members attended her lecture. Snake safety was part of a series of lectures offered by the Nye Gold Seekers that are always open to the public.

Perkins stressed three points in prudent behavior concerning rattlesnakes in the desert: 1) Know your snakes (habits and needs), 2) identify the snake and 3) know what to do if you are bitten.

Perkins' paradigm was tempered by the commentary that the total outcome of any situation is based on knowledge, observation and common sense. The lecture came with a disclaimer that she could only help us on the first count.

Perkins learned snake behavior from life experience. As a daughter of a "lone man (Forest Service employee) on the mountain" in California, she spent many years of her childhood alone and observing the natural world around her. Rattlesnakes were a dangerous element of her environment and therefore held her attention and led her to study their habits.

When she was 13 she moved to the Mojave Desert. She has spent nine years firefighting and three years with Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue.

NGS is an organization only a year and a half old. With over 100 people on the mailing list, the organization is dedicated to supporting prospecting for gold in and around Nye County. Members plan outings, lectures, raise money for equipment to use while prospecting and share strategies and tips while searching for gold.

Member Cassandra Radwich commented, "Since the price of gold has risen to more than $900 an ounce, the numbers of prospectors has risen as well. The Nye Gold Seekers Club has experienced a lot of interest in their activities and the members have been on one to two outings a month to do some of that prospecting.

"The club welcomes all who would accompany them on their quest. They are a congenial group and are enjoying their outings, especially when they are rewarded with 'color'."

NGS members are not just interested in gold, however. They are ingenious mechanical engineers to boot.

Monty Duarte "created and experimented with a portable dirt vacuum to suck gold out of cracks and the bottom of holes after the digging was finished," said President Andy Alberti with a hint of pride. He enjoys the forum that the organization offers for local inventors.

Alberti continued, "Another member, Charley Page, built a portable conveyor system out of a used walking treadmill exerciser. Its great because you can vary the speed. It even has a winch to haul it up from the dry creek bed."

Additionally, members have invented a self-contained water-circulating system to wash off the tailings from an old dishwasher and a collapsible, portable sluice (using water to separate dirt from gold) that folds from a three-foot-high processor down to four inches.