The UNLV Public Lands Initiative, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has named Allison Brody to manage the Environmental Education Strategy Program and Daphne Sewing to head the Forever Earth and Wonderful Outdoor World on the Water Programs.

All three programs are a cooperative effort between the four federal agencies and are funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998.

The Environmental Education Strategy Program will provide a comprehensive strategic plan and action plan for environmental education throughout Southern Nevada, with a focus on coordinating and enhancing educational and interpretive programs offered by the federal land management agencies.

The Forever Earth Program is designed to provide hands-on science education to Clark County schoolchildren at Lake Mead National Recreation Area on a specially converted houseboat provided by Forever Resorts. Wonderful Outdoor World on the Water provides opportunities for schoolchildren to participate in outdoor recreation activities at various locales on the public lands of southern Nevada.

Brody comes to the Public Lands Initiative from Oklahoma, where she was director of educational programs for the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden. At the zoo, Brody managed all of the facility's educational programs and community partnerships. She formerly held a similar
educational post with the Bronx Zoo. "This is an incredible opportunity to help create a plan for innovative place-based education that is meaningful and valuable for all of southern Nevada," said Brody.

Sewing comes to UNLV from the U.S. Forest Service and brings extensive experience in offering science and recreational programs for youth at a variety of outdoor locales throughout the country. She most recently served as the supervisory environmental education and interpretive specialist at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. Previously, she served as coordinator of Project WILD in Utah. Sewing noted, "The Public Lands Initiative is such a great opportunity, and I look forward to working with everyone involved to promote stewardship of southern Nevada's public lands."

The Public Lands Initiative is a partnership between UNLV and the four federal agencies with land management responsibilities: the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service. This innovative partnership was formally established in April 2004 to implement cooperative projects through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act that fit the university's educational and research strengths. The act specifies that a portion of the proceeds from federal land sales in southern Nevada be used for capital improvements, education, and conservation initiatives on public lands.

More information about UNLV Public Lands Initiative and SNPLMA is available at <a href="http://publiclands.unlv.edu">http://publiclands.unlv.edu</a>.