Lyon ghost town receives some tender loving care from off-roaders

In the middle of July, Douglas County’s Pine Nut Mountains Trail Association and the Nevada Offroad Association completed a trail stewardship day at the historic Pine Grove town site in Lyon County.

With the assistance from some concerned citizens, Tread Lightly, Lincoln Resource Group, Bentley Ranch Bio Recycling, Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bridgeport Ranger District and the Nevada Off Highway Vehicle program, the team removed over 1,500 pounds of vegetation from the perimeter of the remaining buildings creating a defensible space, affording a measure of protection in the event of a wildfire destroying the historic remains. The removed vegetation was transferred to the Bently Ranch Bio Recycling facility in Minden.

The Pine Grove town site is a popular recreational destination in Lyon County’s Sweetwater Mountains. An area easily accessible from the Wilson Canyon OHV recreation area, and the Walker River State Recreation Area, Nevada’s newest state park. This results in hundreds of weekly visitors during the warmer months especially with the Victorian era cemetery on the hill offering a glimpse at the hardships Nevada’s early pioneers faced.

This is the second stewardship event PNMTA held at the old town site. In May of this year the club coordinated the removal of over 300 pounds of shooter trash and other debris left by visitors to the historic site.

“It is events like these that allow the motorized offroad community to give back some of their time to protect the resources that draw us to the Nevada’s back county” said Mathew Giltner executive director of the Nevada Offroad Association. “Without the support of groups like Tread Lightly and their positive stewardship message of responsible offroad recreation, and clubs like PNMTA protecting your right to recreate on your public lands, accessing Nevada’s backcountry would become increasingly difficult, so please, join a club let your voice be heard.”

You can find more information on the Pine Nut Mountains Trail Association at www.pnmta.org, and on the Nevada Offroad Association at www.nevadaoffroad.us.