"Pathways to Conservation" Applications Now Open!

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Are you eager to make a difference in local bird conservation, connect with like-minded people, and deepen your knowledge of the Mojave Desert’s birds and life zones? This fall, we have a program for you! 



Pathways to Conservation is our new volunteer and education program led by Alex Harper, our Education & Outreach Chair. This program is split into two cohorts: one for adults, and one for high school students interested in careers in biology and conservation.


Who Should Join?

People interested in volunteering for RRAS and supporting bird conservation should consider joining. After completing the course, you will have a wide breadth of knowledge in Mojave Desert life zones, priority bird species, threats and conservation, as well as laws that impact our birds and how our partnering agencies work. 


This course is designed to support go-getters and people who want to make a difference locally. A passion for birds and conservation is a must, as well as the ability to commit to the program and maintain a volunteer commitment to RRAS after the program ends. We are especially looking for people who are curious, committed, and communicative! 


Expect to Learn

Expect to get the background needed to get started at being an effective communicator about things that matter. To set you up, you will be introduced to the following and more:

  • The habitats of the Mojave Desert from riparian to alpine and everything in between
  • The bird families in Nevada, their roles in local ecosystems, and why they matter
  • The land managers and agencies that manage the land where Nevada’s birds live, how they operate, and how Red Rock Audubon members can work with them
  • The local and landscape scale threats to birds and their habitats, and what can be done
  • The history of Red Rock Audubon’s role in the community and what we can build from to meet the moment


How Will You Benefit?

The course is meant to give you the “needs to know”, and there are many ways to apply what you learn. How and where in your life you apply it is ultimately going to be what interests you the most, and so it should compliment your life and your other commitments. It's simple: we are successful and supported as an organization when we help you on your unique path. Here are a few ways that you’ll benefit:

  • You’ll gain skills to become an interpretative naturalist, outdoor educator, or wildlife biologist
  • You’ll gain the background to become a better communicator of complex ideas as an educator or advocate
  • You’ll be able to take an active role in teaching kids and teens about birds and habitats at interesting locations
  • You’ll have the clarity to feel sure about the best use of your time and focus to make an effective difference
  • You’ll meet land managers, biologists, and conservationists on the lands that they work on and about the land


What is Expected of You? 

The Pathways to Conservation begins in early September and ends in early December. To fully complete the program, you are required to attend the classes and field trips. The classes will be recorded. Each cohort will have:

  •  Ten evening weekday classes on Zoom on Tuesday nights
  • Five total field outings on weekends to learn more about local habitats, conservation priorities, and managing agencies, including:
  •   Mt Charleston
  •  Corn Creek at Desert National Wildlife Refuge
  • Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
  • Avi Kwa Ame National Monument 


After completing this program, it is expected that you begin give back a certain amount of time to RRAS as a volunteer. This is because we need people to play an active role in moving us forward. Expect to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours in 2025. Adults will step into supported RRAS-sponsored roles, such as:

  • Becoming a volunteer park or field trip leader by spring 2025
  • Communicating regularly with an agency or park manager and reporting to the appropriate RRAS committee. 
  •  Participating in citizen science programs, such as Christmas Bird Counts, shorebird surveys, or Great Basin Bird Observatory’s citizen science initiatives
  • Teaching students at schools, community centers, or the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve
  • Providing education public presentations to partners and organizations curious about birds
  • Gathering information, preparing for, or engaging in discussions publicly or privately with policy-makers, park or land managers, and renewable energy developers
  • Assist in transportation or other logistics of youth program
  • Working in coalitions with our community partners
  • Joining the Board of Directors for an appropriate role


For high-schoolers, students will be expected to choose a local wetland or park (such as the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve) and do a habitat assessment and bird survey, as well as plan and execute a stewardship event and create a suggested management plan for the site. Students will learn how to do these steps through the program, and their final report will be delivered to the members of RRAS leadership. All of these skills make excellent resume boosters, and students will come away with professional connections to leaders in RRAS as well as our partnering agencies.

 

Class Times - Adults

Our ten adult classes are virtual on Tuesday nights, starting at 6:00 pm. Each course will be about 90 minutes. There are up to five field trips during the span of the virtual courses. They will be on Saturdays. To get the most benefit, you should aim to make most of the field trips.


Adult Virtual Meeting Times

September 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Mojave Desert Introduction

September 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part One

October 1 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part Two

October 8 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Nevada Birds Part One

October 15 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Nevada Birds Part Two

October 22 from 6:00-7:30 pm Laws and Regulations Protecting Birds

October 29 from 6:00-7:30 pm Threats to Birds in the Mojave and what You Can Do

November 12 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Threats to Birds in the City and What You Can Do

November 19 from 6:00-7:30 pm Communication of Complex Topics

December 3 from 6:00-7:30 Bringing it All Together


Adult In-Person Field Trip Dates 

Exact times to be determined, but generally dawn to lunch time. We will meet partners and do some birding! 

September 21 – Mount Charleston Life Zones and Intro to the Forest Service system

October 5 – Corn Creek Field Station and Intro to the National Wildlife Refuge system

October 19 – Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Intro to the Bureau of Land Management

October 26 – Clark County Wetlands and Intro to Working with County Partners

November 9 – Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Intro to Working with City Partners

 

Class Times – High Schoolers

Our ten teen classes are virtual and will be on Thursday nights, starting at 6:00 pm. Each course will be about 90 minutes.

There are up to five field trips during the span of the virtual courses. They will be on Sundays. To get the most benefit, you should aim to make most of the field trips.


Virtual Meeting Times

September 12 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Mojave Desert Introduction

September 19 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part One

September 26 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Plant Communities Part Two

October 3 from 6:00-7:30 pm – Get to Know Nevada Birds Part One

October 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm – Get to Know Nevada Birds Part Two

October 17 from 6:00-7:30 pm Protecting Birds

October 24 from 6:00-7:30 pm Threats to Birds in the Mojave and What You Can Do

November 14 from 6:00-7:30 pm - Threats to Birds in the City and What You Can Do

November 21 from 6:00-7:30 pm Communication of Complex Topics

December 5 from 6:00-7:30 Bringing it All Together


High School In-Person Field Trip Dates 

Exact times to be determined, but generally dawn to lunch time. We will meet partners and do some birding!

September 22 – Mount Charleston Life Zones and Intro to the Forest Service system

October 6 – Corn Creek Field Station and Intro to the National Wildlife Refuge system

October 20 – Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Intro to the Bureau of Land Management

October 27 – Clark County Wetlands and Intro to Working with County Partners

November 10 – Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Intro to Working with City Partners

December 7 – Conservation Project at Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

 

Ready? Fill Out Our Application


If you’re reading this and thinking, “that’s me!” then fill out the application to join the program today. Space is limited in each cohort, and applications close on September 1st. If you have additional questions, reach out to Alex Harper at alexharper@redrockaudubon.com


We will try to work with you if your transportation options are limited. We don’t want to turn anyone away because they can’t make it to in-person portions, but we need time to plan for it. If you would like for us to try to sponsor or support local and relevant travel, please let us know in the application.

RECENT ARTICLES

May Birding Forecast

April 29, 2026
by Alex Harper  May is perhaps the most exciting month for birders in Southern Nevada. The first two weeks of the month can be exceptionally dynamic in terms of bird activity and species diversity. With the progressively longer and warmer days, more and more birds pour in from various areas from the south while others continue to depart after spending the winter here. Shorebirds and dozens of species of songbirds that have been absent since last fall begin moving into the area. They look for suitable habitat to rest, find water, and fuel up. What is suitable habitat depends on the species and its preferences, and it may be a well-vegetated yard, park, golf course, or natural area. These birds are often looking to refuel, rest and find water. They must do these while avoiding native predators like Cooper’ Hawks, nonnative predators like cats, and avoid obstacles such as reflective windows, transmission lines, and buildings. Amongst these songbirds are numerous flycatchers, vireos, Swainson’s Thrushes, wood warblers, sparrows, tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, buntings, and sparrows. Look for these birds anywhere at any time. You may find that on some days that songbirds are in your neighborhood. Palo Verde trees, with their abundant yellow flowers, can be especially enticing to some of these songbirds. The staple spring migration sites to visit amongst birders have been and continue to be Corn Creek Field Station, Floyd Lamb Park and Clark County Wetlands. Other artificial oases include the interstate community of Primm or the town of Indian Springs. These beacons of green amongst the desert landscape attract thirsty songbirds and birds that prefer foraging in trees. Songbirds are colorful, diverse, and often accessible to those living in the metropolitan area. One may not need to travel far from home to catch these birds as they pass through. But there is more to May than songbirds. Shorebirds continue to pass through the region. Anyone visiting the Las Vegas Wash, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Bowman Reservoir and other sites may be able to catch members of this diverse order of birds that includes plovers, stilts, avocets and sandpipers. Shorebirds are often considered to be amongst the most difficult of groups of birds to learn if one focuses too much on their plumage or patterns, but pay attention to bill shape, bill size, leg length, and feeding behavior of these birds and you will start to get the swing of the identification process. Shorebirds are mystifying in that they may migrate at high altitudes and cover long distances between wintering and breeding grounds. Most of the shorebirds passing through Southern Nevada may be coming from Mexico, Central, and South America on their way towards the Arctic tundra of Alaska or Canada. You will also notice that the neighborhood birds have begun to tend to young birds leaving the nests. The sounds of fledglings and nestlings may catch your ear amongst the sounds of passing planes, cars and other artificial sounds. Up in the nearby mountains, however, birds are a few weeks behind. At locations like Deer Creek and Fletcher Canyon in the Spring Mountains, birds may just be arriving to tending to territories. By the end of May, head into the mountains to observe the breeding bird activity in parks of Ponderosa Pines or stands of aspens. .

April Birding Forecast

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By Alex Harper In March, Turkey Vultures, swallows, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Lucy’s Warblers, Hooded Oriole, and Yellow- headed Blackbirds sneak into southern Nevada. These species are among the most obvious returners to the region as springtime ushers in breeding and migratory activities for hundreds of birds. A common thread among these birds is that they do not come from a long way away from our region; many of them may have spent the winter in Arizona, southern California, or northern Mexico. The increasing pulses of birds moving into southern Nevada throughout April are also driven by the instinct to breed. As the northern hemisphere warms up and trees begin to produce buds and flowers, birds come in to feed on resources that are not available during the winter and find cover in trees that were previously bare. The movement of migratory birds in the spring is largely dependent on weather. 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March Birding Forecast

February 27, 2026
By Alex Harper  On March 1, Southern Nevada receives about eleven hours and twenty-six minutes of direct daylight. This is about an hour more of total daylight compared to that on February 1, and about an hour and forty minutes more than on January 1. On the last day of March, we receive about twelve and a half hours of daylight. The increased daylight in the northern hemisphere brings increased warmth. The additional light and heat give plants energy to photosynthesize and kickstarts the processes of putting out new leaves and flowers. Insect activity follows and ramps up. In sync with the progressions of the seasons are billions of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, hummingbirds, and songbirds. Across their wintering grounds in South and Central America, Mexico, or the Sonoran Desert, these birds are fattening up and saving their energy for long, challenging journeys. Like the plants and insects, these birds register the increasing sunlight; cascades of hormonal changes prepare them for a seasonal movement that we call migration. Of these billions of birds, many millions will pass though Nevada’s skies this spring. March offers a preview for what’s in store for April and May. Although March may have days that feel like spring, there are days that potentially can be reclaimed by winter weather. This means that for many songbirds, it may be too energetically taxing and risky flying northwards into our region in March. It could even be fatal if an intense cold snap occurred. A few species of land birds do manage to successfully navigate the temperamental month of March, seemingly adapted to cope with the unpredictability. These birds include Yellow-headed Blackbirds and cowbirds, which are sometimes coming from marshes and agricultural areas of Southern Arizona or northern Mexico, are some of the first to arrive. You may find or hear these birds at familiar parks, especially any with stands of wetland vegetation or large lawns. Their relative, Hooded Orioles, come back by late March, preferring to be closer to trees such as palms. Along the Colorado River or Clark County Wetlands Park, the Lucy’s Warbler begins to trickle in. These small, gray warblers seek out stands of mesquite tress, joining the assemblage of overwintering Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers. The Lucy’s Warbler winters as close by as the Mexican state of Sinaloa. This means that the distance that they needed to traverse to get to Southern Nevada is far less than that of comparatively sized warblers wintering deeper into Mexico and helps explain why we see these warblers arrive well before the others. It’s one of the only warblers to breed in tree cavities, and they prefer mesquite groves and wooded wetlands for nesting habitat. Other birds on their way through Nevada in March are swallows. These strong flyers are diurnal migrants, and unlike most other songbirds, they have the advantage of being able to hunt flying insects as they migrate northbound. Tree, Violet-green, Barn, Northern Rough-winged and Cliff Swallows may be seen cruising low and purposefully northward through open desert or stopping to feed and drink anywhere with surface water. Some of the Northern Rough-winged or Cliff Swallows may end their spring journey in Las Vegas or Henderson, as some create nests under bridges at locations like Arroyo-Grande Park or Pittman Wash. Other birds are departing our region. The wintering duck numbers begin to thin out at the popular birding sites in the region. Geese and ducks are well-adapted to finding food in winter but often driven by accessible bodies of water for roosting or foraging. With lakes and ponds thawing out to the north, they will largely begin departing the region for the wetlands of the Great Basin and prairies of the west, the spruce forests of Canada or Alaska, or even the tundra of the Arctic. Close to your home, you may be observing flurries of breeding behavior from resident doves, hummingbirds, and songbirds. These birds that often live their entire lifecycles in the same region breed well before some birds have begun migratory journeys that can be hundreds or thousands of miles in duration. These are the Anna’s Hummingbirds, Verdins, and Northern Mockingbirds. It’s possible that by late March you may see robins or local birds feeding young in nests. Like every year, month, or week, no day is the same when observing birds. Each species has its own unique life history. As you get outside in March, you’ll be able to observe behavior changes amongst species and individuals. Tune in to these subtle changes and watch for the trickle of incoming spring migrants. And come April, the dam breaks, and the flycatchers, vireos, warblers, orioles and tanagers begin to pour in.