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Today on Outdoor Nevada, did you know that Beatty has world-class mountain bike trails?

Well, it does.

Beatty is home to a ranch that's making our world a better place.

Then it's out to the Big Dune to witness a natural occurrence that happens nowhere else in the world.

All this today.

♪♪♪ In Beatty there's a spot that's pretty well known.

It's just outside of town off the 95-- One Boiling Pot Road.

It's a quiet place that's looking to make a lot of noise.

Welcome to Spicer Ranch.

This ranch is a mountain biking oasis.

I always enjoy a good ride, so I ventured out onto the ranch.

It was a quick ride before meeting up with the owner, Mr. David Spicer.

He's got big plans for not only his ranch and his community but the entire state of Nevada, and it all starts right here in Beatty.

(John Burke) So you grew up here.

What was that like?

(David Spicer) A wonderful experience.

You know, it was freedom, John.

It was something that my grandfather had and my father had a generation before me, and I got to experience that same life with agronomy and animal husbandry, agriculture, all the great things that go along with that.

-And now you really have an appetite for facilitating a place where people can get outdoors and enjoy-- well, biking for one.

Do you think that's because of the way you grew up?

-Absolutely, John.

I am a product of this land, a product of this community, of this state and this county.

You know, there's a sense of responsibility for all it has given me to give something back.

I look at the possibilities of how to bring goodness back in the community, and I realized that in order to do that, you need economic opportunities.

You need to have awareness opportunities, conservation opportunities.

I realized that cycling and trails and recreation are a way to bring economic benefits and health in the future to the area.

-So you've got all this.

You're offering all this to anybody who has an appetite for it.

What does it cost?

They want to come out here and do this, what does it cost?

-I ask nothing.

There's a donation box and I simply tell people, put something in there to leave behind that represents the fun you had while you were here.

And with that, donations, meager as they may be, sometimes they're grand, sometimes they're not.

You know, I don't ask for anything.

I just ask them to have a good time, take care of the place, take care of the land and open your eyes while you're here.

-Tell me about the biking community, particularly the ones that come out here.

-We've got all the cycling shops in town, great folks out of Vegas.

We've got people coming out of California and people coming from England.

Great groups of guys, great groups of girls.

Wonderful representation of people that care about themselves and care about just the experience.

-They're fun to ride with?

-Fun to ride with; in fact, I got a bunch of them I want you to meet today, John.

-Do you?

-I do.

I love these guys, a well-versed group of people that are interesting and have the same vision we have.

We find that there's commonality in bike riders and people use the land, excitement and passion, and that's the things we want to stir up and those other things are stirring up, John.

-Sounds like my kind of people.

David took me out for a quick ride before we met up with the group.

These trails are so much fun.

I mean, you ride the side of the hill slopes on a gradual climb.

Then it's back down through a series of switchbacks.

The plan was to head back further on the trails and through the Beatty Wash. Before we did, we met up with the group.

♪♪♪ First of all, how's everybody feeling, pretty good, right?

-Excellent.

-All right, you bet.

-David, let me start with you.

Let's talk specifically about the ranch and what it offers in terms of biking, like how far can you go?

What are the levels of the paths?

-We've got on my ranch, Spicer Ranch, we've got eight miles of trails we built specifically for mountain biking.

Some of those are black diamonds, some are blue, some are green, different ratings like you'd have at ski resorts, right?

From there, there's about 60 miles of existing burro trails out here that we've connected.

The burros roll down to water at our ranch down there, and they've made trails the last 125 years so we take advantage of those trails.

When people come to my ranch, they get out and ride on the public lands and ride these too, so about 68, almost 70 miles now is what we got.

-David, tell me about this hidden gem that we're in right now.

-Right now you are in Beatty Wash which is connected with the Petticoat Trail and crossed over by the Ball Bearing Trail and Split Tail Trail.

We are about 11 miles from Beatty up the canyon by an old silicon mine, part of the piece of history in the area.

Right on the back hill behind us is industrial mineral deposits that was mined over 100 years ago.

-And nobody's out here.

I mean, isn't that amazing?

-It is amazing.

That's what's so great about this place.

It's so vast and so big.

Even if you had a thousand people out here, it still wouldn't be crowded.

But yeah, there's not that many.

There's lots of opportunities in this area.

Geologic opportunities, people see great rock.

You've got rock climbing, as you can see, opportunities here.

We've got mountain biking.

We've got long-distance marathon guys coming in here.

We've got walkers, joggers, we've got horseback.

All sorts of recreational things can occur in this area just by building a great trail system and having patience and letting it happen and bring good things to Southern Nevada.

-It really connects people and the things they love.

Hutch, I want to ask you, if I'm just getting started, where do I begin with equipment, and what do I need?

(Rob Hutchinson) So you want to make sure you get the proper equipment, like what you mentioned earlier.

I have a helmet.

Number-one first priority is your safety because even the most experienced and people like myself crash.

It happens, and it's usually a silly crash or, you know, you're looking down or you get a text or something and you just kind of hit a rock, and that protected your dome, right?

I would also recommend for some of the less experienced riders, maybe they get elbow pads and knee pads.

And then if you do buy a bike whether it's a new one or a used one, maybe take that to that buddy that's more experienced or to a local bike shop and have it ran through.

Make sure, you know, you have all the safety procedures going through, the chain is properly tensioned, it's lubed, everything's torqued to spec, you got the proper air pressure in your tires, a lot of little things.

It's not too overwhelming, although it may sound that way, the way I'm explaining it, but it's super simple.

It might sound overwhelming at first, but that's why you need to lean on that friend, that colleague, whoever is getting you into that sport.

-Rick, what do you love about riding?

(Rick Watts) The freedom.

It reminds me of being a kid when I got my first bike and the world was huge, the world was beautiful, and get on and go.

Nothing to stop you.

-Rick, one last question.

You've been riding for a long time.

What's the age range of people that you've seen come out here?

-From teenagers to myself, I'm 62, and my regular riding partner is 74.

So all ages, all ages.

Fun doesn't stop at any age.

-David, let me ask you.

What does this biking mean to the community?

-A device to make things happen in other communities around us, to spread what we have here to the other small communities in Nevada, to be a catalyst of what good, responsible land use is about, demonstration of good trailheads, exceptional trail system that's well signed and it's got access.

All these roads you see all intersect every one of our trails so if we have an accident, you can get emergency vehicles in here.

Think about those things.

The future is to have beneficial land use for the benefit of the people that live in those towns that are surrounded by public land.

-You know, when I hear you talk, it sounds like a spiderweb of trails, and I guess the idea is that's going to expand, right?

-Certainly.

Any great trail system will have reoccurring loops in it for beginners to go out, intermediate people to go out, professionals to go out, for long riders who want to go out.

They all need to connect back to a system to have good systems.

Just having spider webs of stuff to splash all over the place is not what you'd call a world-class trail system.

We're unique here because we're the first ones to do this, so we've done a full master plan to put trails together to create just what you talked about, John, something that will create a future, a trail plan so that we can become a world-class destination, that we can have races and events, and through those things you can change the future of the community.

-Well, I'm going to make a prediction about the immediate future.

We're all going riding again.

Let's go.

♪♪♪ Just down the road from Spicer Ranch is another ranch, the 7J Ranch.

Both are working to make the community and Nevada a better place.

Like Spicer, 7J is a working cattle ranch.

It also is a conservation and education spot.

My friend Len, along with the Nature Conservancy, runs the ranch and has big plans for this place.

This area, there's a lot going on.

You got the Amaragosa River, you got the Mojave.

Tell me about it.

(Len Warren) We're here at the 7J Ranch in Oasis Valley in Beatty, Nevada.

The Nature Conservancy purchased it two years ago, and our goals here are to try to learn how to make a beautiful enhancement for wildlife habitat and bird habitat in combination with grazing.

-I can see it.

Now, you want to build-- I mean, you got big plans for this area.

Tell me about them.

-We do.

Well, we'd like to end up in the long run, our hopes and dreams are to have a conservation innovation center here, which would be a gathering place for college students to come learn about nature and do science projects, also artists in residency.

This is a wonderful place to have solitude.

-Tell me a little bit about the geology of this area, and how does it all come together right here?

-Well, this is a really beautiful place at sort of the north end of the Mojave Desert and combining with the Great Basin.

So there's a lot of different vegetation gradually changing over into a completely different type of habitat.

-Tell me real quick about your idea for trees in the area.

-Well, we want to plant 100,000 trees along the Amaragosa River over the next three years, and we've got 30,000 done already.

-Well, what do you say we do 30,001 right now.

-Let's go plant one.

-All right.

A hole was drilled, the roots were rolled, the hole was cleared, and the willow was planted-- 30,001.

Now they only have 69,995 more to go, and if someone can do it, it's Len.

-What kind of birds specifically like these trees?

-Well, willows are trees the yellow-breasted chat, yellow warblers, blue grosbeaks, Bell's vireo will nest in willows.

All the migrating warblers that come through the area love willows.

Here at 7J Ranch, we have beautiful bright orange Bullock's orioles that nest in willows and cottonwoods here.

-You know, people come out here and it's a real treat for them to see the diversity of wildlife out here, isn't it?

-Yes.

They don't get a chance to get out this far.

You know, this is a pretty remote area.

It's really amazing what's happening here, and I just don't think enough people know about it.

Now, I planted a tree, but what Len is planning, you'd think there was a whole army of people to help him, and there's not.

There are volunteers, and Len definitely appreciates them, but there's one person who needs to be recognized.

Her name is Brittney.

Brittney's from the south side of Chicago.

Through AmeriCorps, she found her way to the Nature Conservancy and Nevada.

She has a true passion for the projects happening on the 7J Ranch, plus she's working on her PhD here.

(Brittney Cade) Break from the city life is really what got me into wanting to do more things in nature and trying to preserve as much as I can, due to the fact that we're becoming more of an urban type of country and you can see how that is like wreaking havoc on everything.

Here at 7J, one of the major goals with the planting of the trees is to accommodate the shift in bird migration.

With the effects of climate change, the regular route for the birds migrating has shifted, and with the shift, birds are left without a place to rest, fresh water or nutrients.

With the efforts of the Nature Conservancy, Len, Brittney and the volunteers, in a short period of time, this area will be lush with trees, shrubs and other foliage, in turn creating a new and natural spot in the adjusted migration path.

When you look at this and you say wow, I'm really doing it.

I mean, that little girl from Chicago is here and she's doing it.

What does it feel like emotionally to you?

-It feels like I've accomplished all the goals that I've set so far in such a short time because I'm only 26 and I've already made an impact as far as I've contributed to the planting of 30,000 trees within like just two weeks being here.

I have students back at home in Chicago asking me tons of questions because they've heard about my story and just want to be like well, how can I end up like Brittney because that's exactly what I want to do.

So that's definitely put so much love and care in my spirit because that's just like super proud moments.

-Somewhere maybe on the south side of Chicago or somewhere else, there's a young girl who thinks she's alone in her love for the planet, and maybe your message will reach her.

That's got to feel good.

-Oh, definitely.

Brittney's belief in the work being done here is not only admirable, it's inspiring.

It was a real pleasure to meet her, and I hope more people will follow her lead and take steps towards building a better future for the environment, the wildlife and us.

Now, 7J is a ranch and was originally owned by Hank, a multigenerational rancher.

He did sell the ranch to the Nature Conservancy, and he continues to work the ranch and raise the cattle.

You know, I'm sure because this is such a beautiful spot, when you sold this to the Conservancy, you probably had some thoughts like well, you guys better take care of it.

I mean, how have they been doing, and what kind of relationship do you have with them?

(Hank Blackenbury) They've been really good.

They've been really good to work with, and they care about the land as much as I do.

So anything needs to be fixed or done, they're good about stepping in and helping me out.

-There are some people in this world who think that Nevada is just that stretch of highway between L.A. and Vegas.

What would you tell them?

-Well, I'd tell them get off the freeways and get on the back roads.

Go see what it's really about, because it's a beautiful state that's got a lot to offer.

-Well Hank, this is a blast, but I'll be honest with you.

I'd like to take a closer look, maybe see some of the calves.

-Yes.

We'll go out and take a look at the calves and show you some of the feed they're eating.

-Wow, my day just keeps getting better.

♪♪♪ Hank took me around and showed me the land and the cows.

You know, it's when you make your way around the 7J Ranch you realize how much work this small group of people is doing.

The work here is reshaping and helping the world all around us.

Take a minute to look into the Nature Conservancy and 7J Ranch, and if you ever want to plant a tree, I know a guy you can talk to.

♪♪♪ There are things in Nevada that are known around the world, but there's one thing that's known to just about no one.

Now, they say in life, timing is everything as you shall soon see.

About two hours north of Las Vegas just off the 95 in the Amaragosa Valley is an amazing recreational area, a massive collection of sand mounds appropriately called "Big Dune."

These dunes cover five miles and at the highest point stand 500 feet tall, and most people come out here to ride off-road vehicles.

But there's also another group who meet out here once a year for a different reason.

Today I met with Corey from the Bureau of Land Management to learn more about what's going on out here at Big Dune.

What do you do, Corey, like what's your job title?

(Corey Lange) My job title is wildlife biologist for the BLM, so I work in the Pahrump field office which is like the Nye County part of the Southern Nevada district.

What I do a lot of time is do like NEPA work.

We do a lot of wildlife surveys for snails and beetles and we do some bird work too, but a lot of it is like towards conservation because that's like a big endangered species that we have.

Sure is great to walk around an area like this with a biologist.

Corey was able to point out so many things I never would have noticed.

Corey, tell me about this area because it's dramatic, even by Nevada standards.

-Yes, this is Big Dune out in the Amaragosa Valley.

There's lots of cool areas out here, but Big Dune is definitely a huge attraction not only for wildlife lovers but for the recreation, and these are kind of just big islands of sand out in the middle of the desert.

-Something very specific, very exciting, very precise happens here.

Tell me about it.

-Yes.

So each night from about mid April to early May, Giuliani dune scarab beetles emerge every evening to mate in order to pass on their genes to the next generation.

-So they literally come up out of the ground, they go through a mating ritual, and then what happens?

-Once they come up and breed and mate, the females, if they've successfully mated will bury themselves back into the sand and then just stay in the sand dune, laying one egg per day for approximately 45 days until their energy just completely wipes out, and then they die in the sand.

But the males, we think, will just come up night after night just looking for more and more females, or at least trying to find a female to successfully breed with.

-And then they die as well.

-Yes.

So they'll just keep coming up until they run out of energy.

-And then the next year, the eggs have hatched and they come out, it's their turn.

-Yes.

So what's kind of crazy is we aren't totally sure if it's like the female lays an egg and then the pupa will come out the next year.

What we think actually is the female will lay an egg, the larva may stay in the sand dune for up to three to four years and then pupate and then come up.

So the beetles we're seeing tonight may be four or five years old.

We don't really know.

-Does this happen anywhere else?

-No.

This is the only place in the world where you can find the Giuliani dune scarab beetle, here at Big Dune and at Lava Dune.

There's only two other species in the genus, and those occur way down south in Southern California and into Mexico.

-Now, there will be others joining us tonight, right?

-Yes, absolutely.

We've got about 13 other people coming out here from multiple different agencies from the Park Service, NDOW, Nevada Natural Heritage and more people from the BLM coming out here to help us conduct surveys so we can figure out what part of the sand dunes these beetles are using, where they're breeding on the sand dunes so we know which areas of the sand dunes to conserve.

-Amazing.

The tension is mounting because it's getting a little bit light.

Others are coming in.

Let's go set up.

-Okay, awesome.

Time was of the essence, as the Giuliani beetle is on a pretty tight schedule.

The group assembled, and Corey took the lead to walk everyone through the details and the responsibilities.

The study is well organized and really interesting.

Members of the group are assigned a section of an established grid.

The grid covered the entire Big Dune area.

The team fanned out to their section of the grid and while in their area, each person would detail the amount of beetles emerging from the sand and how many would be within their grid.

Each location with a concentration of beetles would be tagged with GPS coordinates.

Corey and I made our way out to our assigned section.

It's time to get to work.

We carefully walked the area, looking for a pocket of activity.

When we found one, we settled in.

Corey, what is this?

What are we looking for?

-So right there is a Giuliani beetle getting ready to emerge fromthe sand.

So right now all that we're seeing is the top of the head with its little antenna sticking up, and all it's doing right now is just waiting for the sun to go down enough for it to think it's like the right lighting conditions for it to emerge from the sand dune for the night and fly off and look for a mate.

-And there are hundreds of these in this area.

-Yes, right now.

So you see it's like super well camouflaged, right?

So right now there's probably a thousand of these guys spread out all over these small sand dunes just waiting for right like 7:00 or whenever they think the lighting is right.

-It's very still right now, but when the time is right, you'll just see them come alive, come out, and then I guess presumably they all will, then the party's on.

-Exactly.

So what will happen is he or she will emerge from the sand, take off flying and then all of a sudden you'll like look around and there will probably be like 10 or 20 other ones flying around in this area.

-So the way that I can help you is to look for more of this.

-Yes.

-Okay.

He's slow.

He's just waking up.

-Here's another one.

The sun continued to set and the beetles continue to reveal themselves, and then it was time.

♪♪♪ Before you knew it, the sun set and the Giuliani beetles disappeared back into the sands of the Big Dune.

Corey, I got to tell you, that was phenomenal.

I mean, the things I saw, the things I learned, it was incredible; how was it for you?

-I think we had a very successful night.

I'm really going to be really excited to see what everyone else saw, but just on the small dune we were on, we saw probably over 100 beetles plus a mass emergence event, which was really cool.

We saw multiple mating pairs and mating balls, so to me it seems like we had a really successful night, and it tells me that we have a pretty healthy population here at the dune which is really good to see.

-Really good to see.

Sounds like you got some good data that you can build on.

-Oh yes, definitely.

Having you guys here was really awesome and, you know, spread the word and helping me out tonight was really great.

-How about we see you again next year?

-I'll take your help.

That'll be awesome.

-I'll be here.

♪♪♪ Support for Outdoor Nevada comes from Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas, inspiring the spirit of adventure with confidence in any terrain or condition.

Information at jlrlv.com.