The large sheet-metal structure will act as an 80'x40' water catchment system in the dry hills of the San Antonio Mountains.(Photo courtesy of KUIU)
June 30, 2021
By Sam Forbes
Within the far-off hills of the San Antonio Mountain range, conservation volunteers from Kuiu , the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife gathered to complete a water conservation project they have been planning for years, and now the Robert W. Perchetti Guzzler is filling up, drop-by-drop.
Thanks to a group of over thirty volunteers the construction was tackled in just a day’s time. Rebar pegs were meticulously laid out and driven into the ground with sledgehammers. Then long metal support beams were fastened into place with U-bolts. The volunteers carried long and rigid metal siding that was then laid atop the support beams. All-in-all the catch system stretches out at a size of 40 ft. by 80 ft.
The extensive manual labor was made easy by the large team of volunteers. (Photo courtesy of KUIU ) Then, the true heavy work began as five water bins were lugged into place. Soon, everything was connected properly. The five tanks installed will be able to store up to 11,500 gallons of rainwater at any given time.
Volunteers made sure the water tanks were fenced-off to keep wildlife from destroying the integrity of their new water source. (Photo courtesy of KUIU) At the bottom of the new catch system, more volunteers stacked stone, hauled concrete bags and poured pails of water.
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The heavy metal structure that will act as the watering-hole needed to be set level, so volunteers set heavy stones and poured concrete to create a secure and natural-looking base. The hard-working conservationists even went as far as to put metal beam steps in place to ensure animals would be less likely to slip.
At the end of the day, Mike Perchetti, son of Robert Perchetti, was able to take off his gloves and put to words his heartfelt appreciation for the guzzler’s completion.
“What better way to give back to Nevada wildlife in the name of conservation and also pay tribute to my dad? It means a lot to me and I’m glad to be able to do it with some partners like the great team from Kuiu and the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn. This is my dad’s legacy.”
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The conservation efforts of the Perchetti family will live for hundreds of years. (Photo courtesy of KUIU) Kuiu continues to be a great leader in wildlife conservation, and this project is just one of many. To learn more about conservation efforts from all three organizations that helped in this particular project, check the links below.
KUIU Conservation Direct
Wild Sheep Foundation: Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn
Nevada Department of Wildlife
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