HELLO!

It's showtime! All eyes are turning to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII. The prospect of the camera-equipped Goodyear Blimp floating above the valley floor, revealing beauty shots of our majestic mountains — including the McCullough Range, where The Compass concept was received — is exciting.

In the spirit of the Super Bowl, you are invited to participate in The Compass's Super Sole to Soul — a self- or team-directed challenge to get outdoors, soak up some sunlight, move, and be moved by nature wherever you are. Check out the game plan that has you calling the plays here!

Speaking of game plans, the City of Henderson's plans for Sonata Park's 10-acre natural space, including a Compass Point and labyrinth, fitness areas, wind sculptures, and more, continue to advance. If you want to learn more about The Compass concept on a walk at Sonata Park or the McCullough Bursage Loop Trail, please send us a message here with your name, email, and phone number.

A walk at Sonata Park or along Seven Hills' 2.6-mile, paved multi-use path is also an excellent route for your Super Sole to Soul Challenge. The path passes several City parks, including Vivaldi Park, which offers a bird's-eye view of the Las Vegas Raiders' practice facility framed by Red Rock Canyon's Rainbow and La Madre Mountains. Check out the AllTrails overview and map of the trail here.

Enjoy the journey!

FEBRUARY 2ND IS WORLD WETLANDS DAY

David Anderson, a professional photographer and birding tour guide, makes a daily ritual of getting outdoors to photograph wildlife. He captured the featured photograph of a Great Blue Heron as it swept across the Las Vegas Wash, the "urban river" that connects the Las Vegas Valley to its primary source of drinking water: Lake Mead. The wash is bordered and intersected by wetlands, which are flush with species such as cottonwoods, willow trees, common cattails, and common reed that help filter harmful contaminants from the 200 million gallons of reclaimed water, urban runoff, shallow —groundwater, and stormwater that travel the wash daily. The wetlands also provide a home for species such as the yellow-backed spiny lizard and black bullhead — and an incredible venue for communing with our desert landscape. Michael Cuddy took our featured photograph of the wetlands along the 14-mile Clark County Wetlands Loop Trail - a scenic path perfect for walking, running, or cycling (map). 

MAKE A HUMAN-HABITAT CONNECTION

“Wetlands are the kidneys of the earth, purifying the water that sustains life.” — Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Contemplate the photos, Cousteau's quote, and one or more of the following prompts.

• Do you have a ritual or mindfulness practice that helps you filter out contaminated information or thoughts that come your way?
• In what ways might quietly observing an aspect of nature help sustain or increase your energy, patience, or compassion today?
• Visit one of these websites in observance of World Wetlands Day: lasvegaswetlands.org or worldwetlandsday.org. You can also google Clark County Wetlands Park.

THE COMPASS is a geographic, archetypal community asset that supports the mutual thriving of humans, habitats, and economies. It envisions creating places for grounding in and with nature. These places — Compass Points — fashioned of flat rocks etched with core value words like compassion, resilience, hope, and peace, will provide opportunities for rest, reflection, and renewal of our energies while nurturing an appreciation of and attentiveness to the thriving of the natural world.

INVITE OTHERS. Help grow awareness for The Compass and our email subscriptions by forwarding this month's email to a friend.

THE COMPASS TEAM. Shauna Walch, Jeremy Adams, Donnie Garritano, Shelly Kopinski,

Jeffrey Poland, Dan Stewart, Greg Walch

I am going to stand outside. So, if anyone asks, I am outstanding.

UNKNOWN

The Compass sends monthly inspirational emails and a quarterly newsletter.