Residents of local northern Nevada communities are encouraged to help keep their neighborhoods safe from wildfires by participating in "Junk the Junipers," 8 a.m.-1 p.m., May 4. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Living With Fire Program, in partnership with the Nevada Division of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management and Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, urges residents to bring their ornamental junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to one of two locations to be disposed of for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 20 percent off a "good plant choice," Moana-grown replacement shrub.

Residents can bring their woody vegetation to the area next to the Nevada Division of Forestry location at 885 Eastlake Blvd. in Washoe Valley, or to the lot adjacent to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District's Fire Station 430, 11525 Red Rock Road in Silver Lake.

Junk the Junipers is a Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month event and promotes the month's message, "Wildfires Happen. Is Your Community Prepared?". The events are sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management, Moana Nursery, Nevada Division of Forestry, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

"Wildfire can threaten Nevadan communities and impact homes, property and human life," said Jamie Roice-Gomes, manager of the Living With Fire Program. "The key to minimizing the wildfire impact is proactive communities that take steps to prepare. One step is to ensure proper defensible space, or proper management of landscaping and vegetation around your home, which can include removing junipers that are within 30 feet of your home."

Materials that will not be accepted for chipping are: construction lumber, hazardous materials, lawn clippings, sod, dirt-infested vegetation, and tree stumps or limbs greater than 8 inches in diameter.

Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month is a collaborative effort of local, state and federal firefighting agencies; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and many others. Events and activities are held across the state. For more information on Junk the Junipers, contact Roice-Gomes at roicej@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0261.