University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is once again coordinating the collaborative efforts of federal, state and local fire services; public safety agencies; community organizations; and others to participate in Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month throughout May. This year's theme is "Prepare Now! Wildfire Knows No Season" to encourage residents of Nevada's wildfire-prone communities to prepare their homes and families for wildfire, anticipate environmental conditions and take precautions on Red Flag Warning days, and evacuate quickly when asked by emergency responders.

"Wildfire occurs year-round in Nevada," said Ed Smith, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension natural resource specialist and director of the Living With Fire educational program. "Examples include Reno's Caughlin Ranch Fire that happened in November 2011, Carson City's Laurel Fire from December 2011, and Washoe Valley's Washoe Drive Fire that occurred in January of 2012. Knowing this, residents of our wildfire-prone areas need to be prepared, no matter what season."

Events are scheduled across the state to encourage residents to take action. The annual Battle Born Trail Series: Fire Up for Firefighters Multi-Hour Event is an organized run and will be held in Reno on May 6. At the Junk the Junipers event on May 12, residents will remove highly flammable vegetation, such as junipers, that are close to their homes and bring them to specified locations in Silver Lake and Washoe Valley in northern Nevada to be chipped for use as mulch. The Ember House, a bean-bag-toss game, and the Juniper Toss, a game where participants throw fake juniper trees into a trashcan, will be used at several events to educate children and their parents on wildfire awareness. Some other events throughout the state include:

• May 4: Ember House activity at the Eureka Department of Natural Resources' Firewise event, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the Eureka Fairgrounds, 1051 N. Main St. Highway 50 in Eureka.
• May 5: Ember House activity at the Eureka Department of Natural Resources' Firewise event, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Crescent Valley Fairgrounds, Tenabo St. in Crescent Valley.
• May 5: Ember House activity at the North Lyon County Fire Open House, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fire Station 61, 195 E. Main St. in Fernley.
• May 6: Battle Born Trail Series: Fire Up for Firefighters Multi-Hour Event, race start times vary from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road in Reno. In addition, the event includes a free treasure hunt and other family-friendly non-race activities. To register for a race time or more information, visit the Battle Born Trail Series: Fire Up for Firefighters Multi-Hour Event website.
• May 6: Ember House activity at Children's Day on the Comstock, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Miner's Park, 106 Carson St., Virginia City.
• May 12: Junk The Junipers, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the Nevada Division of Forestry, 885 Eastlake Blvd. in Washoe Valley.
• May 12: Junk The Junipers, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the lot adjacent to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District's Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Station, 11525 Red Rock Road in Silver Lake.
• May 19: Juniper Toss activity at Celebrate Washoe Valley, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Washoe Valley State Park, 4855 East Lake Blvd. in Carson City.
• May 19: Ember House activity at Douglas County CERT Safety Day, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Lampe Park, 1324 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville.
• May 19: Wildfire Education, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., in front of the Ryndon Country Store, 5870 Coal Mine Canyon Road in Elko.

Nevadans are invited to find other activities in their area at the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month website and to learn about the steps they can take to prepare their homes for wildfire.

Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month is a collaborative effort by local, state and federal firefighting agencies; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and many others. Major funding partners include the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Nevada Division of Forestry.