LAS VEGAS -- Don’t Trash Nevada Day will be celebrated on Saturday, May 31 at Red Spring Picnic Area. The family event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, includes environmental displays and information, as well as the first-ever “Race for Our Desert,” where local mascots will compete in a 10M (10 meters, or 33 feet) “race.”

You’ve never seen a gathering like this – Mojave Max, Deputy Drip, Smokey Bear, Cosmo, Summerlin Sam, and a Star Wars storm trooper will “race” to the finish line as a wacky crew of assorted other mascot characters cheer them on.

“The idea is to draw attention to the problem of desert dumping and littering, and what we can do to protect our public lands,” said Doug Joslin, project manager of the Don’t Trash Nevada program. “We’ve created a campaign to focus on increasing awareness. As people become more environmentally conscious, they tend to appreciate the beauty of our desert and want to take better care of it.”

Red Spring is a no-fee recreational area in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area that features covered picnic areas, hiking trails, rock climbing, and wheelchair-access trails. It is located on Calico Basin Road, just off Highway 159.

The Don’t Trash Nevada program is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and managed by the UNLV Public Lands Institute on behalf of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service).