Shine City Project
Pittman Wash
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Jeffrey Silerio
On January 26, 2019, Shine City Project had a service project at Pittman Wash! The Pittman Wash is a naturally-forming habitat in Henderson which can serve as a channel for water during stormy weather. There are plants and wildlife at the Pittman Wash due to water from underground springs which makes the Pittman Wash a riparian ecosystem in the Mojave Desert. There are also various trails inside the Pittman Wash for all to enjoy!
Working with Project GREEN: Friends of Pittman Wash and other volunteers, we helped to remove tamarisk, an invasive plant species along the Pittman Wash. Tamarisk, also known as salt cedar, is a shrub-like tree that was introduced in the country from Asia in the early 1800's to prevent soil erosion along streams, as well as for ornamental purposes. It can be identified by its reddish brown branches. However, this plant, which has no natural predators present at the Wash, can aggressively compete and take away water from other plants. Tamarisk can reproduce and spread quickly, and thereby threatening native plants and destroying local habitats.
In our Shine City Project group of nine volunteers, Michael and Jan joined our group for the first time! Michael, a UNLV student who has been with CARP Las Vegas since August 2017, was able to invite and bring his friend Jan, who is also a UNLV student. Michelle, who had already attended a few service projects before, was able to come with her dad once more.
With hand saws, our physical strength, and teamwork, our group was able to remove some tamarisk from the Pittman Wash! It was definitely hard work, but we could accomplish the task by working together! It was a great day to be outdoors surrounded by God's creation!