- This time, we're gonna show you some of the beauty, history, and culture of Pyramid Lake.

- Wow, this is a beautiful vista here.

- [Chris] Wow, this is gorgeous.

(upbeat country music) - [Jason] Sun is shining.

Just a tiny little chop on the water and it's gonna be a beautiful day.

- Wow, look at the river.

(upbeat country music) Look right there.

(upbeat country music) All that and more, coming up right now on Wild Nevada.

(country upbeat music) - [Announcer] Support for PBS, Reno and Wild Nevada comes in part from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

(upbeat country music) - [Instructor] Travel Nevada helps provide, travel inspiration and experiences for those interested in creating their own Wild Nevada adventures.

(upbeat country music) For more information, visit travelnevada.com and by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed, Charles and Margaret Burback, Sande Family Foundation, Kristine Perry, Thelma B and Thomas P. Hart Foundation, June S. Wisham Trust, the Hall Family, Dillard and Meg Meyers, Sara and Leonard Lafrance in memory of Sue McDowell and by individual members.

(upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) - I'm Chris Orr and this time I'm joined by my friend Sydney Martinez, who is an expert on all things Nevada back roads.

She is a writer, a photographer, and an artist.

- Yeah, thank you so much for having me with you and your team today Chris.

I couldn't be more excited to be out here in Wadsworth.

(upbeat country music) - We are joined by Steven Wadsworth and so aptly named for where we're at.

- Yes, thank you Chris.

Thank you Sydney, for coming to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation.

- Can you tell us a little bit about Wadsworth and maybe the significance of this community for the tribe?

- So, Wadsworth is actually the biggest community for their tribe.

It used to be a railroad hub, you know, well, well back in the early 1900's and that's why it was so large.

And then of course in the 40s and 50s they took out the railroad.

It was plentiful land, you know.

There's water, there's food.

What else do you need?

- The water is part of really your tribal history.

- Oh yes, absolutely, but it's not just life for us.

You know, it lives here on the reservation, it is all of the wildlife.

We get a significant bird migration every year.

(upbeat country music) - So, what do we need to do before we continue on?

- Actually, I would say before you even get here, get your permits first.

We recommend everybody buy their permits online for whatever activity you're gonna do.

Be that day use, boating, camping.

It's always best to have it before you get here.

Along the river, there will be some places where you probably shouldn't go just because of how treacherous it is.

You'll hit a lot of drop offs, you know, where you'll be on the road and you'll be just looking a hundred feet down into the river.

And there's also a regulations guidebook that has all the rules and regulations, what you can and can't do, what beaches you can use.

Pay attention to all your signs.

Of course, just like any other part of Nevada, you gotta watch for wildlife.

And it's for the protection of our natural resources.

That includes, you know, the lake, the river.

For an example, one of the rules that we have is that you cannot park within a hundred feet of the lake.

- What would you advise us to watch for, to look for and enjoy?

- [Steven] You'll be traveling along the river for most of the journey and you'll see wildlife, you'll see birds, you'll see various wetlands.

The fight that the tribe has had to go through to keep the waters that clean and clear and just to keep the pollutants out.

It's a tremendous battle.

- The tribe's water quality monitoring program began in 1981 to help them deal with the upstream diversions, altering flow, water pollution, and the subsequent periods of low flow and drought.

These recovery efforts have been paramount to protecting the two Pyramid Lake fish species important to the tribe's culture and their traditional way of life.

To learn more about these efforts, we leave Wadsworth and head down state route 447.

It's only about eight miles.

When we see the signs for the Numana Fish Hatchery.

(upbeat country music) At the hatchery, we meet Mervin Wright Jr.

The executive director of the Pyramid Lake Fisheries.

- The mission of the hatchery is to produce Lahontan cutthroat trout.

The Lahontan cutthroat trout were listed as threatened, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1968.

The cui-ui fish is another, they're endangered.

What we do with our production and with our management is to work in tandem, bond them.

We put 'em into our incubation trays, we rear them to the point where we release 'em in the lake.

- [Sydney] So, what is the importance of the hatchery to the tribe?

- The importance of the fish production in maintaining the balance of the food web has to coincide water quality that all of these components function, you know, as a single system.

We wanna make sure that if we've got good quality water coming in, I mean we're not gonna overproduce, but we have to produce, you know, what we feel is necessary to maintain that balance of the food web.

(soft country music) We are fish people.

It's just a part of what allowed us to survive the work we do here.

The fish we produce, you look at the quality and the beauty.

All of these fish belong to the lake.

They don't belong to you, they don't belong to me.

We belong to the lake, so we have to take care of the water, we gotta take care of the fish.

It's our obligation.

- Anybody can come and visit the hatchery, Is that right?

- Yes.

- Do you invite visitors here to come?

- You call ahead of time, schedule a tour and come on down?

- The Truckee River and Pyramid Lake are both important natural resources to the tribe and an integral part of the tribe's cultural and economic livelihood.

Maintaining the river and water lake quality is essential to the health of not only the fish but the entire area.

Establishing tribal water quality standards and long-term water quality monitoring has played a key role in protecting the reservation's, water resources.

(soft country music) This area features a river walk and interpretive trail.

We head down to the river to experience it where we meet Aaron Bill from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe's Natural Resources department who heads up the tribe's efforts to protect the water.

- So, this is the what we call the Numana Wetland Inlet Treatment Pond.

We're on the lower Truckee River.

Being that Pyramid Lake is a terminus lake, meaning, this is where the water flows into, the only way it escapes is through evaporation.

And so whether you have manmade pollution or whether it's naturally sourced, it all gathers in the river.

And so our efforts within the Water quality program are to mitigate those sources.

- That's a long way, 120 miles- - [Aaron] That's right.

- from America's largest alpine lake that people play and swim in all summer long and then it flows all the way through and deposits in Pyramid Lake and goes nowhere else.

- [Aaron] Right.

- So, that's why your job is so important to make sure that that water quality is key for the fish and the health of the entire ecosystem.

- That's right.

- That's amazing.

- We really want to limit the amount of nitrogen because that affects the proliferation of algae.

And so that creates these hypoxic zones where the fish aren't able to breed.

And so we have this wetland set up for nutrient assimilation and purification and then we will send it through the ground and it makes its way out to the river a mile to the north.

It's all a passive system, so not a lot of energy input needs to be put into it.

- What does the water here at Pyramid Lake mean to the tribe?

- It means a lot.

It not only affects us in terms of our direct needs with drinking water, we derive our cultural identity on our consumption of the Lahontan cutthroat trout as well as cui-ui.

For us If we were to lose water to a significant degree where it stops affecting the fish, we will lose our cultural identity, really.

The fact that Truckee River flows, it brings life.

I mean look around, you can see all the biodiversity.

- Aaron's efforts for the tribe's Natural Resources Department is evident as we take the chance to get a little closer to the Truckee River along the nature trail.

This area gives visitors the chance to enjoy some amazing river views and a bit of shade from the desert sun, on warm days.

- So this is the bottom of the Numana Nature Trail and it comes out here to the the river's edge of the Truckee River.

- Wow, this is a beautiful vista here.

- Wow, this is gorgeous.

- So as you can see here, this is kind of where the discharge into the groundwater comes in excess right here.

- [Sydney] How beautiful how it just bends right here in front of us.

That's really a unique perspective.

- Right now we're standing at the bottom of our nature walk.

There's a lot of opportunities for birdwatching and other wildlife.

(soft country music) You look at the landscape and it has been totally shaped by water.

All of this is, has been underwater at some point.

(soft country music) I'm not a religious person by any means, but it's very spiritual and unique.

- Looking at all of this beauty and knowing how important it is to the tribe is a good reminder to help maintain the area and be sure to follow the leave no trace principles when visiting it.

It can't be said enough to pack out everything you bring with you and to be respectful of the wildlife and residents in the area.

And when at all possible, leave it better than you found it.

(soft country music) Another way to enjoy the Truckee River and to journey through this part of the reservation is along the Tahoe Pyramid Trail.

This trail starts at Tahoe and follows much of the river until it ends, as you guessed it, at Pyramid Lake.

So, we thank Aaron and take the opportunity to grab our bikes and ride some of the approximate 22 miles of trail that goes through the reservation.

I'm kind of trying to avoid these ruts.

This is what's gonna get us into trouble.

- I know, just don't ride into that.

You'll be fine.

- [Sydney] I know.

Don't look at where you don't wanna go, right?

- Yeah.

- [Sydney] I think I finally figured out how to get mine into the right gear so, cycling professional.

(Chris laughs) - This will give us our like sense of journey.

- Yeah, and the wild.

- Much of this section of the Tahoe Pyramid Trail is unpaved, but a mountain or gravel bike can manage it easily and the views are stunning and unique to this section of the trail.

- [Sydney] Wow, look at the river.

Look right there.

(soft country music) - The terrain of this part of the Tahoe Pyramid trail can vary depending on weather and soil conditions.

- Is yours wash 40?

- A little bit.

- Mine's like.

(Sydney vocalizing) - I can feel it in my arms.

(soft country music) - This is a beautiful part of the Tahoe pyramid bike trail.

- Seriously, this view, isn't not amazing how it bends right there?

- Gorgeous.

Well, it's pretty an afternoon as it is.

I think we should probably get going, get to the lake.

- I know, I'm excited to check out the lake.

- Okay, let's do it.

(soft country music) Oh, and look at the lake is just right up there.

The way the shadows are.

- Look down there.

It's so pretty down there.

(soft country music) This really was fun.

- I Know.

(soft country music) - Back in our vehicle and on state Route 447, we finished the short ride to Nixon, where the Pyramid Lake Museum and Visitor Center stands as a beacon to visitors interested in learning more about the lake and the tribe's history.

We meet Billie Jean Guerrero, who explains what the museum has to offer.

Billie Jean, thanks for meeting us here.

You have a beautiful museum.

Can you tell us a little bit about it?

- Yes, with our museum, we've been open since 1998, so this year, in 2023, we're celebrating our 25th anniversary.

We're the only tribal museum in the state of Nevada at this point in time.

And we have all of the rock work, which was quarried locally.

Being a cultural center, it allows us to be able to teach others about our tribal history and culture through our exhibits.

We have a virtual reality, we have classes, we have gatherings, bringing local people and tribal members together, as well as international visitors.

- It's amazing to see multi-thousand year history.

Then you've got the geology and the geography and the natural history.

It really covers it all.

I mean, it's an amazing resource that no other museum in Nevada tells.

- It's fun to let people know we're very, very proud of our tribe and it allows us to share who we are and where we come from.

Our main mission is to educate the public about the Pyramid Lake Paiutes and the Northern Paiutes.

And so this is a great opportunity for us to teach people as much as we can about protocols of how to protect sacred areas, about current issues, about, you know, historical accounts, storytelling.

And so some of the things that we do here are to coordinate various programs and teaching traditional arts.

We also call those our survival arts because our people have survived in this area for thousands of years, and we're still here, we're still strong.

As you see through the museum.

A lot of our displays will put the Paiute words and then we'll put what the translated English is for various objects and language cannot be separated from culture.

We do have classes every week, that groups of people come together and listen to the language and learn to speak.

We've done some of the classes of teaching how to work with tule, how to work with Willow, how to do bead work, how to work with buck skin, and getting people involved with that.

And they really love it and it's important to do to keep all of these alive.

- As a non-tribal member, is it okay for me to come and visit a powwow?

- Yes, with the powwows, they are considered social and meaning, It's open to the public.

It's a lot of fun and we want everybody to engage and feel a part of the powwow with different types of dancing or just being a spectator, visiting the vendors.

There's a lot of fun things to do so, everybody's invited.

- When a person comes to visit after they leave the cultural center and they go out toward the lake, how should they treat the lake to properly respect it?

- We regard water as being very, very sacred and just coming out to enjoy nature, receiving a good blessing because that's how the lake is, it's full of blessings and that's how we want people to experience it.

Be mindful of where we're at and not take anything for granted, whether it's with animals, with spirits.

- As we leave the Cultural Center, we head west on 447 and we immediately discover the immense beauty that Billie Jean told us about.

After such a full day, we are eager for a good night's rest so that we will be ready to explore more tomorrow.

(soft country music) The road skirting Pyramid Lake was one of the first national scenic byways to be designated in the nation and was the first scenic byway that lies entirely within an Indian reservation.

Along the drive, you have access to a variety of public beaches that offer amazing views of the lake and some of the tufa formations that surround it.

(soft country music) The next morning we continue our journey at the lake and it's time for the real treat of getting to head out onto Pyramid Lake itself.

We head up Pyramid Highway State Route 445 to the boat ramps at Pelican Beach.

Here we meet Sergeant Jason Mitchell from the Pyramid Lake Ranger Department.

Hi.

- Hello.

- Thanks for for meeting us out here.

- Nice to meet you.

- Sun is shining.

Just a tiny little chop on the water and it's gonna be a beautiful day.

- [Chris] We're excited to get out there.

- We've already got the boat ready warmed up so that we can launch today and we're, we can get out on the water and talk about what boaters need to think about before launching and once they are launched, things they might want to do at the end of the day.

- Okay.

- We'll follow you.

- All righty.

(soft country music) - When a person comes out, if they're going to bring a boat out, what are the first steps before they can get the boat out onto the water?

- Obviously you want to check your boat for safety.

Make sure you have all your equipment on board before you leave the house.

Check the battery, that's the number one thing.

Check the battery, make sure it's charged before you bring your boat out.

A lot of worst case scenario, you get here, you get the boat already, you get to launch the boat on the water, you get it backed into the water and the boat won't start.

Before you launch the boat, It's probably a good idea to check the boat plug, have a few spares onboard the boat.

(soft country music) We're a year-round boating lake, so we experience from the high temperatures of summer to the freezing temperatures of winter.

- Have you seen dramatic weather changes that catch people off guard?

(Jason chuckles) - What's the old Nevada saying?

Give it five minutes and the weather will change?

Well, that's kind of the same with the lake.

Even though the weather was, you know, clear blue skies all day, there's still an off chance that elk breeze or sudden storm could come up without warning, you know?

So, you gotta always keep up to date on the water, you know, keep it up to date on the weather.

Keep your eye out for signs and signals that say the winds might be coming up and it might be time to get off the lake.

(soft country music) - People come out here and whether they're a veteran fisher or a first timer, you know, this is a big lake and I bet even the people that have been out here many times before are constantly surprised by just the size of this lake.

- [Jason] Yeah, it's Nevada's largest, natural, occurring desert Lake.

So, it is, incomparable size to Lake Tahoe, and this is, I guess you could say a bucket list fishing destination for many fishermen.

On the south end of the lake It can be between four and six miles wide, and on the more northern end of the lake, it can be upwards of 12 miles across spanning north end to south.

The longest distance from north to south is approximately 27 miles long.

- [Sydney] So, it's almost the exact same size as Lake Tahoe.

It's just not as deep, right?

It's almost- - [Jason] Right- - [Sydney] Exact.- - We have a depth of probably 350 foot in depth.

Tahoe has got upwards of 1400 and that's why their temperatures tend to be cooler.

We have, you know, we can get an inversion layer here where our service temperatures are getting warmer.

I'm really familiar with Pyramid because it's right here in my backyard.

It's my office and my home.

- [Sydney] It's a pretty great office.

- [Chris] It is, - That's right.

I mean, how can you argue with an office like this?

- No kidding.

- [Sydney] I know, oh my gosh.

- There's no buildings to ruin the scenery.

It's just natural.

Everything about it is natural.

It's minimally developed.

Along the lines of being safety is, you also have to realize that with minimal everything, your rescue operations might also be slightly minimal too.

You know, because we're not out here 24 7, we are available for call out, but it might take us a little time to respond.

- [Sydney] If a person's coming out to visit, how do they properly treat your home and your office?

- [Jason] If you know, if you respect it, it'll respect you back.

The people believe that the lake, it's a living thing.

You know, if you give respect to the lake, it will respect you back.

- [Sydney] So, if you underestimate it?

- If you underestimate it, it'll respect what it's capable of.

It might decide to show you what it's capable of.

- [Sydney] What are some of the other ways that someone can make sure that they're exploring Pyramid Lake by boat safely and respectfully, - Making sure your boat's ready before you get here.

You know, you don't wanna be caught at the dock and find, you don't have a fire extinguisher to extinguish a fire.

You don't want to find, you don't have any life jackets on board your vessel.

If you're gonna be voting permit, like obviously there's a permit system in place, so you're gonna be required to have a voting permit.

The AIS boat inspection station is now open and fully operational.

So, when they're operating open and available, you are required to get your boat inspected, make sure that it's clean, drained, and dry before you're allowed to launch on the lake.

And if they are not open or they're closed, you are still required to do a self inspection and I believe they have forms loaded, located at multiple locations like the Ranger station, Pelican boat dock itself with drop boxes where you can put those forms in.

That's, I guess, something that all lakes are having to deal with nowadays.

(soft country music) - [Sydney] Oh wow, It's so beautiful out here, my gosh.

What about wildlife watching and bird watching out here?

- One of the smaller crowds that do come out to the Lake are bird watchers.

I believe Anaho Island is the second largest nesting ground for the North American White Pelican and many other migratory birds that utilize the island as well, because it creates a natural nesting ground, I believe, because it shadows them from the weather.

The open waters of Pyramid Lake are obviously open to boaters, but there are closed areas that you need to be mindful of.

The biggest one is the Anaho island, which is a federally protected bird sanctuary.

No one is permitted in onto the shores of that island and no boat is permitted within a thousand foot of the shoreline.

So, you need to stay that extra distance away from shore.

The tribal council has also closed many, many beaches and sensitive areas culturally sensitive to the people of the Paiute tribe, like the pyramid and stone mother.

That entire beach and that entire area, the pyramid, which is the number one attraction of the lake, you cannot get within a thousand foot by from a boat - With the size of pyramid, there's so much you can still enjoy and see.

So, it's pretty easy to avoid the areas that are sensitive and still have a great day out on the water.

- [Jason] Yes, the lake itself is very big and you can travel many, many miles and not even see a closed area because you didn't go anywhere near it.

- It has really been an amazing two day trip.

It's been an incredible getting to see the beauty of Pyramid Lake and then learn all so much of the history and the culture of the tribal lands.

Thank you for joining me out here.

- Oh my gosh, it's been my pleasure.

Thanks for having me.

And you know, whether it's your first or your hundredth time out here at Pyramid Lake, you learn something new and experience something different every time.

- If you wanna learn more about this wild Nevada or any of our shows, visit our website@pbsreno.org or use the PBS app.

You know, Sydney, you're an artist and a silversmith and this is such an inspiring place.

Did you find some inspiration?

- I was able to make this awesome Pyramid Lake pendant for you - [Chris] Look at that.

- as a thank you for having me.

- And it's in the shape of the lake.

- [Sydney] Yeah.

- Oh, you're amazing.

- And until next time, I hope you can get out there and find some wild Nevada adventures of your own.

(soft country music) - Is this how you guys visit the lake?

- What time?

I'm the creeper that comes up on you like this.

(Chris laughing) (upbeat country music) - When you're looking for the rest of the crew and you can't find them.

Sometime you just have to look up.

(upbeat country music) - [Announcer] Support for PBS, Reno and Wild Nevada comes in part from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

- [Instructor] Travel Nevada helps provide, travel inspiration and experiences for those interested in creating their own wild Nevada adventures.

(upbeat country music) For more information, visit travelnevada.com and by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed.

(upbeat country music) Charles and Margaret Burback.

Sandy Family Foundation.

Christine Perry.

Thelma B and Thomas P. Hart Foundation.

June S, Wisham Trust.

The Hall Family.

Dillard and Meg Myers.

Sarah and Leonard LaFrance.

In memory of Sue McDowell and by individual members.

(upbeat country music)