It's not just pigeons that strut the UNLV campus, the university is also a resting ground for migratory birds. And now — the campus is a little bit safer for the feathered creatures that stop down on their long journeys — thanks to a group of students speaking up for wildlife.

The city of Las Vegas aims to plant 60,000 trees by 2050. UNLV’s Las Vegas Urban Forest Center will put in 3,000 trees by 2028, and the nonprofit Impact NV is committed to planting 100,000 trees by 2032. Las Vegas has consistently ranked as the second-fastest warming city in the country in annual analyses from nonprofit Climate Central.

Students, arborists-in-training and UNLV staff dug holes circling a dog park Friday morning as part of the university’s “Urban Forestry Initiative.” The program is using a $5 million federal grant to plant trees across the Las Vegas Valley, targeting communities with below average tree cover. The goal is 3,000 trees in five years of the program, which started January 2024.

Christmas is over. It's time to decide the future and fate of your Christmas tree. For three decades, UNLV and community organizations have encouraged the whole community to take advantage of their Southern Nevada Christmas Tree Recycling Program.

Summerlin residents are once again encouraged to recycle their real Christmas trees once the holidays are over. In partnership with Springs Preserve, the UNLV Rebel Recycling Program and dozens of other local conservation organizations, the annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program returns Dec. 26 through Jan. 15.

Now that Christmas is over, a way to give back to our community has returned. Recycling your old Christmas tree could bring life to open spaces all across our valley, so before you toss your tree in the trash, a more environmentally friendly way is available.