On Tuesday, January 30, Aspen Marchington celebrated her first birthday. She doesn't know it yet, but just a few weeks earlier her dad helped make history. Because of Aspen's father and others like him, on December 9 Congress designated 558,000 acres of protected wilderness in eastern Nevada's White Pine County.
Her father's hard work and dedication helped ensure that Aspen will always be able to experience the peace and beauty of the wild landscape she knew as a child: the white limestone cliffs and thick pinyon forests of the South Egan Range, crystal clear streams in the Schell Creek Range, and the beautiful Bristlecone Wilderness-just a short walk from the Marchington residence.
Wilderness was a huge part of Neil Marchington's life even before Aspen came along. He recalls great hiking experiences with his mother and grandparents in his home state of Oregon, caving in the state's famous lava tubes, and rock climbing in the Columbia River Gorge.
Following high school, Neil served six years of active duty in the Air Force. Afterwards, he took a job as a corrections officer in Ely-drawn to the place for its natural beauty and public lands perfect for hiking and exploring.
Driving home from work one day, Neil spotted two locals establishing a new rock climbing route on 150-foot limestone cliffs just blocks from his home, near Ely. Never one to pass up an opportunity to climb, Neil grabbed his gear to join them. One of the climbers was Pete Dronkers, who works for Friends of Nevada Wilderness in Ely. As part of the Nevada Wilderness Coalition, the group was working to protect wilderness through a county-wide public lands bill.
"I had never met Neil until he bumped into us that day while we were climbing," Pete said. "It turned out he had visited almost every proposed wilderness area in White Pine County. He immediately invited me to his house, where he showed me pictures of one of his favorite local hiking destinations-the Bristlecone Proposed Wilderness-the very place we were climbing, and the view from his backyard."
The Nevada Wilderness Coalition had included the Bristlecone area in its wilderness proposal. However, Pete explained, very little was known about the place, and that lack of recognition and support meant it was unlikely to be protected.
Undeterred, Neil shared with Pete photographs and stories about Bristlecone's 9,400-foot peak, which features a huge, secluded basin near the summit with lush groves of aspen stretching nearly a mile across. Neil's enthusiasm for the area was infectious and inspiring. The very next week, Pete took to the mountain, camera in pack, to experience it firsthand and shoot photos near the summit.
At Pete's suggestion, Neil started attending meetings of the White Pine County Commission, which was in the process of making recommendations for the county-wide public lands bill. Pete and Neil authored a detailed write-up, featuring glossy photographs and the history of the area, to make a passionate case for Bristlecone's protection.
Neil convinced at least two people to take up his cause: Ken Heinbaugh, a longtime Ely resident and wilderness fan, and Brent Eldridge, the chair of the board of commissioners. The county commissioners decided to include Bristlecone in their recommendation to the congressional delegation, and it eventually ended up in the legislation.
Neil's work didn't stop there, however. He had been to nearly every place proposed for wilderness in the county and felt their stories still needed to be told.
"We would all pile in my truck and drive out to these areas," Neil said. "Then we would get out and hike around, shoot photos, talk about the values of the area and the feeling of local people, and discuss what we needed to do to build more support."
Neil offers great advice to other wilderness lovers looking to make a difference.
"Getting to know the area is the first step," Neil said. "Being able to talk about your visit to an area and show photos is so valuable, especially for remote areas where there is little information. If you can speak from firsthand experience, it carries a lot of weight with people."
"When you experience wilderness you see how special these places are," Neil said. "But you also see the impacts of human activity. I've seen vandalism of cliffs and caves and places where people have torn things up with vehicles. There's a very emotional response. Sometimes it's anger, and sometimes disappointment, because people don't realize that their activity is causing damage. Seeing first the beauty, then the impacts, made me an advocate."
"It would take pages to document everything Neil has done for the land," Pete said. "It's people like Neil that make things happen on the ground. We cannot thank him enough for all his work. And I can't thank him enough for showing me an entire realm I never knew existed here-the underground world of adventure caving. He truly deserves to be called a wilderness hero."
The Campaign for America's Wilderness and the Nevada Wilderness Coalition would like to express their deep appreciation for Neil's dedicated advocacy for wilderness, and for helping to ensure that future generations-like Aspen's-will have a chance to experience the majesty of our nation's wild Western landscape.
