Pahranagat Elementary School hosts Mt. Irish field trip

Pahranagat Valley Elementary School third, fourth and fifth graders recently explored the landscape of Mt. Irish on an end-of-year field trip. 

Alicia Styles, manager of Basin and Range National Monument, coordinated the event with the PVES administration. The school buses met up with the BLM at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 12. Students carried backpacks, a bottle of water and wore hats as they transferred to vans driven by BLM staff. 

After a brief drive, students began their hike, seeking out petroglyphs and pictographs. Rayette Martin with Nevadans for Cultural Preservation led the instructional hike. She joined BLM in this educational venture through the Lincoln County Archaeological Initiative (LCAI) three-year grant for education and outreach. 

The students learned that pictographs are painted and petroglyphs are carved.  Martin said, “The sun sometimes hides them; the shade brings them out.” 

The groups moved slowly, following the instructions not to touch or pick up the rocks. The students learned that rocks give information on time frame, tools and people that inhabited areas. 

“The plant ephedra nevadensis made Mormon tea for early settlers. The leaves were boiled and used as medicine for aches and pains. Other plants in the area, such as juniper, have berries that will give an individual tummy problems,” stated Styles.

“Where would you want to camp?” was the question asked to the students as they approached a cluster of rocks. Styles explained that people lived under the rocks. They had a kitchen area, a sleeping area, a gathering area and a bathroom area. The students noticed many bighorn sheep petroglyphs. 

Styles shared, “Sheep were possibly honored because they laid down their life for man to survive.”

The students observed Pahranaghat Man, a petroglyph found only in this area and only within a 30-mile radius. 

“The area was a seasonal one for the Paleo-Americans as they would gather fish from the lakes, hunt and come for religious/spiritual reasons. They had a relationship with the stars and the land,” Styles said.

At the next location, the students learned about arrowheads. Styles explained that it is illegal to remove arrowheads from the land. 

“If your family was a tribal member, you wouldn’t want people to take your ancestors’ stuff.” 

The students hiked down Logan’s wash to return to their original location and ate their lunch under canopies. Tables with displays were set up for students to learn more about historic artifacts, pottery and arrowheads. Paula Garrett, with Friends of Basin and Range National Monument, led the instruction. Students viewed a bug collection, observed snake and lizard skins and touched the pelts of a badger, coyote and ringtail squirrel. A coyote skull and a horse skull helped the children visualize the differences in predator and prey by the design of their teeth. BLM Fire let the kids spray a wildland fire hose and try on their backpacks.

Prior to the students leaving, they were asked to fill out a notecard on one thing they learned and one thing they would like to learn. They participated in a leave-no-trace garbage cleanup and headed back to the school buses.