Page 13 - summer 2019

12 Friends oF red rock canyon Friends oF red rock canyon 13

for the Beauchamp’s. Photographing the night sky
in Joshua Tree is a passion for Sue and she also
volunteers there through the Desert Institute.

Volunteering and service are definitely an impor-
tant part of Sue’s life. She’s volunteered on public
lands for 20 years and started when she was work-
By Sharon Schaaf ing on her Master of Arts in Urban and Environ-
mental Planning at the University of Virginia. She Photos provided by Sue Beauchamp
says it best: “The more I learned about conserva-
“The more I learned about conservation ethics, the more I wanted to participate in tion ethics, the more I wanted to participate in pre-
serving our public lands and natural resources for
preserving our public lands and natural resources for future generations to enjoy.” future generations to enjoy.” Like many of us, she
knows that volunteering introduces you to people
Sue Beauchamp who have similar interests, gives you a sense of Mark and Sue Beauchamp on Mount Rainier
purpose and connects you with your community.
You learn so much from the people you work with Anyone who has done graffiti removal knows
It is very early on a Sunday morning in Red Alexandria, Virginia which she considers her and the places you visit while volunteering. that it is hard work and requires a lot of elbow
Rock Canyon and between twelve and fifteen hometown. Her job as a Review Appraiser with grease. When graffiti is reported, the Bureau of
volunteer members of the Graffiti Removal Team the Department of the Interior brought her to Las One special opportu- Land Management (BLM) organizes and priori-
have arrived to begin their morning’s work. After Vegas in 2004. nity Sue had was a graf- tizes where the team’s efforts are most needed.
they receive their safety briefing, the team gathers fiti removal project with BLM’s Joe Kotecki preps the equipment and
up the supplies they need to do their work: scrub Sue fell in love with the Southwest’s deserts and the Outdoor Adventures supplies used by the volunteers. Sue organizes the
brushes, chemicals and lots of water. They hike mountains. She enjoys spending her spare time program students. It was work session so that the project can be completed
out to the day’s exploring, hiking, rock climbing, bicycling, ski- the third of four proj- in the time allowed, about four hours. The team
work site and re- ing, backpacking and ice climbing with Mark and ects the boys and girls can then see their results right away and know they
ceive a demonstra- her camera. Along with graffiti removal, she has completed in Red Rock made a difference. Unfortunately, there are times
tion of how to use worked with Friend’s Trail Maintenance, Canyon Canyon. Working to- when not all the graffiti is removed in one work
Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
the chemicals and Cleanup and Native gether, they sprayed and session because there is just too much of it.
tools, along with Plant teams. She scrubbed off the graf-
a discussion of also participates in fiti and were proud of The Graffiti Removal Team works on the second
any on-site safety service projects in their accomplishments. Sunday of the month, September through June.
considerations Red Rock Canyon Many of the Outdoor Their goal is to make the Canyon look better, be
and a reminder to with the Las Vegas Adventures students had safe and have fun. And on behalf of all of us who
stay hydrated and Mountaineers Club, never been to Red Rock enjoy and appreciate Red Rock Canyon National
take snack breaks Vegas Hikers, Rock Canyon before and they Conservation Area, a huge Thank You to Sue and
when needed. Climbing Women sincerely appreciated her team for the work they do. If you would like to
Then the physi- and Southern Nevada the opportunity to help volunteer with the Graffiti Removal Team, send an
cally demanding Climbers Coalition. preserve its beauty. email to: preserve@friendsredrock.org.
work begins. But before any of the team arrived,
the new leader of the Graffiti Removal Team, Sue Calico Tanks, To report graffiti at Red Rock Canyon, send
Beauchamp, had already picked up the tools and Bridge Mountain, photos and GPS location to
supplies and prepared for the day’s project. Little Zion, Grand
Circle Loop and preserve@friendsredrock.org.
Sue began volunteering with Friends of Red White Rock Loop
Rock Canyon (Friends) about ten years ago when are Sue’s preferred Friends is offering up to a $3,000 reward for
she started dating her now husband, Mark, who hikes in Red Rock information leading to the arrest and convic-
was just beginning his two-year term as President Canyon. She has climbed many of the moderate tion of anyone defacing Red Rock Canyon.
of Friends. Sue grew up in a military family and classics in Red Rock and her favorites are Dark
moved a lot until her dad retired from the Army Shadows, Black Magic and Frogland. Joshua Tree Terms and conditions for the program are at
in the early 1970’s and the family settled in National Park in California is another special place https://friendsredrock.org/graffiti-rewards/

the Rock - Volume 9 Issue 4 Summer 2019