Nevada is Fixing Nature

If you happened to look up in Washoe Valley last week and saw a helicopter buzzing about like a dragonfly with purpose, you weren’t hallucinating—at least, not unless you’ve been into something more than fire water.

The flying machine belonged to the Nevada Division of Forestry, and it wasn’t just out for a joyride. Nope, it was busy re-seeding the scarred remains of last year’s Davis Fire, which did a thorough job of turning nearly 6,000 acres into something resembling a bad day on the moon.

The noble effort is the work of a small army of government outfits, from the Nevada Division of Forestry to the Bureau of Land Management, all shaking hands under the grand umbrella of the state’s Shared Stewardship Agreement. The idea is simple: drop enough native seeds from the sky and hope Mother Nature forgives last year’s transgressions.

Officials swear by it, saying it’s the best way to give the land a fighting chance at looking green again, rather than the ashen wasteland it currently resembles.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the state, Clark County residents have been given a rare and generous offer–free trees, with no strings attached, no government forms requiring your firstborn.

Through the Community Canopy Project, about 4,500 water-efficient trees are up for grabs, with priority given to those most at risk of roasting alive in the desert sun. The particular act of kindness is a direct response to what was, officially, the hottest summer ever recorded in Southern Nevada, with temperatures reaching a blistering 120°F and over 500 deaths blamed on the heat.

So, whether sprinkling seeds over burned land or handing out trees like a kindly Johnny Appleseed, Nevada is doing its best to undo some calefaction damage.