This blog post was written by Gage Garvin, a 2024-2025 EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassador.

The Las Vegas Wetlands Cleanup was organized for the benefit of one of Las Vegas’ most vital waterways- the Las Vegas Wash. This project aimed to address a litter issue in an area where nearby residential regions converge on the wetlands area. The project was simple yet impactful; the main goal was to find and remove as much trash and waste from surrounding desert areas as possible, thereby reducing the amount of trash that would then wash into the wetland area and leach contaminants into clean water.

This project, from planning to execution, was made possible by EarthEcho International and its staff and was completed as part of the Water Challenge program. The project- a small-scale environmental improvement effort- represents EarthEcho’s overarching goal of taking environmental action to protect and restore our aquatic resources.

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The cleanup project progressed smoothly from ideation to completion with the help of the amazing people at the Clark County Wetlands Park and Wetlands Park Stewardship. My job was simple- all I had to do was reach out and organize volunteers. Wetlands Park Stewardship made the cleanup happen through their donation of cleanup supplies, their allowance of volunteer access to the cleanup site, and amazing guidance throughout the event. At the event, two main groups were established to complete two different tasks. The main group helped clean up trash, while the secondary, smaller group assisted in rock lining a bike trail to prevent soil erosion and beautify the park area. Volunteers worked for around three hours before wrapping up, weighing the trash gathered, and taking a short, guided nature walk alongside the water.

Another goal of the event was to engage students from my high school, Pinecrest Academy of Nevada. Little exists in the way of environmental clubs, events, or advocacy at Pinecrest, so I wanted to bring a low-stakes event to the students that they could participate in to experience what stewardship is like. Thanks to Pinecrest, I achieved this goal by primarily engaging students from my school (and their families) by heavily advertising on school grounds. Additionally, I also took the time to educate my volunteer cohort on my duties as a Water Challenge Ambassador, including testing the water quality of local waterways and acting as an advocate for our natural resources.

Overall, thanks to the wealth of support and passion I received from Pinecrest, Wetlands Park Stewardship, and my volunteers, the project was a complete success! The people at Clark County Wetlands Park were very receptive and kind in helping me organize this project, and my volunteers were punctual, hardworking, and attentive throughout the day. In total, we had a very large impact on our cleanup site:

  • Removed 652 pounds of trash from approximately 9.3 acres of desert area
  • Filled 17 large trash bags worth of litter from the area surrounding the wetland
  • Engaged 12 volunteers, primarily youth, during the project
  • Each volunteer worked 3 hours, totaling around 36 volunteer hours contributed
  • Rock-lined a 0.3-acre section of walking trail

I am incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to execute this project, and I am very proud of my volunteers for their hard work and commitment! The project went smoothly from ideation to completion thanks to the Clark County Wetlands Park and its staff, and thanks to Pinecrest Academy of Nevada for providing a volunteer pool of people to engage. On a personal level, organizing this project helped me grow not only as a water advocate but also as a person. While organizing and managing the project was a struggle at times, it helped me learn better organizational and interpersonal skills, as well as a much deeper appreciation for our volunteer coordinators, for our local water bodies, and for our planet.

I will always be a protector of our aquatic resources- my work does not stop after this project. If you would like to stay updated on what I am up to in the conservation sphere, feel free to follow me on Instagram at @garving22 or connect with me on LinkedIn.