The People Who Take Care of Moon Rocks

There's a place about 24 miles north of Reno where the pavement ends and the landscape opens into something that feels like another planet. The place is officially called the North Reno Recreation Area, but all of us locals know it as Moon Rocks. If you haven't been out there there, you should go. Bring your kids. Bring your dirt bike or your side-by-side or your hiking boots. There's room for everyone, and it is one of the most amazing OHV sites in the country.

I've been coming to Moon Rocks since the early 2000s. I love it out there. And a few years ago, I got worried I was going to lose it.

During the pandemic, a wave of new visitors found Moon Rocks, which was a wonderful thing, except that many of them didn't know how to treat a public land area. Trash piled up. Graffiti appeared. It was getting bad, and I wasn't the only one who noticed.

So a few of us decided to do something about it. We showed up on Memorial Day weekend with bags, gloves, and a rented dumpster. About 50 people came. By the end of the day, the dumpster was full and we'd had to call for a second one. That's when I knew we had something.

That was the beginning of Friends of Moon Rocks. Today, hundreds of volunteers come out every year. We set up dumpsters, remove graffiti, and work side by side with the amazing men and women at the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Stillwater Field Office, who have been incredible collaborators. You see, the site is managed by the amazing men and women of the BLM, the Federal bureau that takes care of more land than either the National Parks or the Forest Service. Together we've built designated camping pads, improved trails, and created a safer, better experience for the thousands of people who visit Moon Rocks every year.

We do it because we love the place.

While I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, we are not alone. Across Nevada and across this country, there are OHV riders and outdoor enthusiasts who quietly show up for the places they care about. They pick up trash that isn't theirs. They fix things nobody asked them to fix.

This year, we're getting extra help. Polaris and the Foundation for America's Public Lands are joining us at Moon Rocks on May 30 for our annual cleanup, and they're announcing a partnership to support community stewardship group work like ours across the country. I'm grateful for Polaris. Their support makes a real difference.

The reason Moon Rocks is in good shape today because of people like Mike Clark, a Washoe County resident and dozens of regulars who come back year after year. It's because the BLM and our community partners so well together. Its because of organizations like Polaris and the Foundation who show-up and support the communities who ride.

If you want to see it in action, come out on May 30. We'll be at Moon Rocks at 9:00 AM. Bring gloves. We'd love to have you join us!