by Workamper Mike Finke
This article comes from an issue of Workamper News magazine. COPYRIGHT by Workamper News. IT IS A VIOLATION OF U.S. COPYRIGHT LAW TO PUBLISH, POST, BROADCAST OR PHOTOCOPY ANY PORTION OF THIS PUBLICATION.
The Clark County Shooting Complex is located where Decatur Blvd ends in the north end of Las Vegas at the base of the Sheep Mountain Range. In 2010, the Clark County Shooting Complex received the 5-Star Shooting Facility designation by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. As of today 30% of the facility’s construction has been completed. Future plans call for 500 and 1,000 yard shooting ranges.
The complex features a pistol-rifle center, a shotgun center, an archery center and an education center. Each of these centers except the education center are staffed not only with paid county employees but also volunteers. The volunteers are also involved in light landscaping, maintenance and office work.
There are two classifications for volunteers based upon the number of hours that they work. The management works with each volunteer to place them in the most appropriate job or assignment. There are 2 RV parks at the complex and these are based again on the number of hours that you work. The 30 hour volunteers can be divided into 15 hours per person as a couple or all 30 hours for a single person. Their RV park is located in what they refer to as “The Village”. These spots are in a section of the complex that is lower on the mountain and are covered with a canopy.
The second classification is 20 hours, 10 per person or all 20 by a single. Their RV spots are located further up the mountain near the shotgun center. As well as 15 spots reserved for volunteers in the upper park, there are 65 additional spots for other campers who visit the range for recreational shooting vacations or to enter Special Events held at the Shotgun Complex.
The complex requires a commitment of not less than 4 months without regard to season since the park is open year round. A full hook up is provided with 30 and 50 amp electric, great water pressure, and a free laundry facility located on the complex. The shotgun center has a restaurant called John Mull’s Road Kill Grill II, some of the best BBQ around. Volunteers may receive free or reduced fees towards shooting at the complex.
Nadine and I are Range Safety Officers (RSO) at the pistol/rifle range. We work one day per week, 5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening. This is not the norm for volunteering, it just happens that the split shift was open and we accepted the time frame. Nadine usually works on the rifle side which has long and short targets of 50 to 200 yards. I work on the pistol side of the center, which has short targets from 3 to 50 yards. It is, at times, very fast paced and vigilance is required during both shooting and cease fire sessions to maintain safety. It is not necessary to have any experience in handling weapons since the paid RSO’s are available to assist new shooters or problems with a weapon. The major duties are to make sure that people follow the rules and to clean up brass. It is a long day but allows us to complete our commitment in one day and have 6 days off in a row.
Steve and Dot, also 20 hour volunteers, work on Mondays and Tuesdays when the complex is closed. Their duties include maintaining the grounds on the shotgun center by picking up shells and raking the rock landscape. Appearance is one of the most important duties at the complex and most of the volunteers are involved in that aspect. A lot of what they and others do are what could be considered normal duties at most workamping positions.
Mark and Kathy work 20 hours per week on the shotgun range as Range Safety Officers. Their main duties are to maintain a safe atmosphere for the skeet and clay shooters. They also assist the shooters by releasing the clay targets when they choose not to use the voice command throwing machines, and notify the shooter if any safety rules are violated. They are also responsible for keeping the area clean.
The complex has both paid county employees as well as the volunteers. There are a variety of other positions here at the complex over and above those that I have listed. The winter season begins in November and ends around the end of March. During this season there could be about 77 volunteers working. Because of the high temperatures during the summer there are fewer volunteers. There are also volunteers that stay and work at the complex year round.
The 2,900-acre complex offers a one of a kind experience from its unique setting that has panoramic view of the entire Las Vegas Valley. As you can see, workamping here is not your typical position nor your typical campground so if you are looking for something unique this could be the place for you.
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