WNC's Geology of National Parks takes students out in the field

Learn more about the geology of U.S. national parks, including Great Basin National Park here in Nevada, through a Geology of National Parks class this fall at Western Nevada College.

The three-credit GEOL 105 class (section 1001) will meet Oct. 7 through Dec. 14 and be available in person on the Carson City campus and by remote video.

New this semester is the opportunity to take the geology course by remote video. Section 4001 will have this option for students. Geography 103 (section 4003), which meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., will also have a remote video option for students.

Geology of National Parks will also incorporate hands-on work to learn about rocks and minerals and will offer several opportunities to take field trips in western Nevada.

For more details, contact Kortemeier at Winnie.kortemeier@wnc.edu. Registration can be completed online at wnc.edu once students are enrolled.

25th Golf for Education tournament Sept. 27

Western Nevada College Foundation is reaching a milestone in presenting its Golf for Education tournament fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 27 at Toiyabe Golf Club in Washoe Valley.

The scramble tournament, which helps fund students in workforce training, turns 25 this year. Players can look forward to contests, premium perks, a BBQ lunch, and a post-tournament reception. It’s an opportunity to network with community leaders, enjoy food and drinks, and compete for prizes — all while supporting workforce development in our region.

To sponsor the event or register for the tournament, visit wnc.edu/foundation/golf-for-education.

For more information, call 775-445-3240 or visit wnc.edu/golf.

Higher completion rates, savvy volunteers mark fourth Tahoe Rim Trail Runs

Each edition of the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs brings the unexpected: In 2024, it was strong gusts of wind that nearly blew away the finishing chute at John L. Harvey Field.

Last year, it was triple-digit heat and snow on the course. But TRTER Race Director George Ruiz can count on his dedicated volunteers to take care of the entrants and solve issues that arise.

When John L. Harvey Field at Western Nevada College was windswept by strong Sierra gusts on the first of two days of racing on July 20, an inflatable tent was blown from its location.

Worse yet, the inflatable finishing chute was nearly blown out of the park, if not for the quick thinking and swift action of volunteers.

To secure the chute for that day’s finishers, it was attached to two pickups. Fortunately for the hundreds of competitors in the TRTER ultradistance runs, which started and finished at Western Nevada College for the fourth consecutive year, a high-elevation thunderstorm cooled the race’s muggy conditions and contributed to a high completion rate.

In all, 416 participants completed their races. Grant Hotaling of Healdsburg, Calif., won the 100-mile race in 18 hours, 31 minutes and 1 second. Tim Lipovsky of South Lake Tahoe was seventh in 23:32:53 and Carson City’s Christian Finkbeiner of Carson City came in 16th in 25:50:16.

For the second time, the races started and concluded at John L. Harvey Field, allowing organizers to accommodate the needs of the participants and draw more attention to the finishers.

Each ultrarunner who completed the 100-mile race received a belt buckle created by silversmith Pete Schuler of Washoe Valley. Schuler has handcrafted every buckle ever handed to a finisher of the 100-mile race since it was introduced in 2006.

For additional results, visit www.trter.com.