The Washoe ArTrail was a multiyear Washoe County place-making project supported by ongoing grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. A first of its kind for Northern Nevada, the ArTrail led to the creation of a rammed earth monument at Crystal Peak Park in Verdi, Nevada. This trailhead monument is symbolic of ephemerality and emphasizes the importance and fragility of riparian and arid ecosystems. This tangible portal was informed by resident narratives and was constructed by and for residents’ enjoyment. As an enduring testament to public space that invites, not divides, participation in the Washoe ArTrail, it is meant to deepen connections with geography, history, culture, and art as our community journeys ahead. The sculpture acts as a monument from the street but has secrets on closer inspection. Intentionally the structure is oriented on axis with Lady Bug Peak. The rammed earth wall facing the street has a Paiute phrase etched into the surface — The land of your Mother’s Sister. The polished stainless steel floor reflects the always changing northern Nevada sky and the rammed earth walls. The mirrored floor floats over native river rock from the Truckee River. The Nevada mineral hematite is exposed on the entry wall as a reference to geography and place. Barb Santner was the pro bono landscape architect for the adjacent site area, and all the plant material came from the Washoe County division of forestry with grant monies. Volunteers installed the plant material. Ultimately the sculpture will sit in a lush field of horsetails found naturally a few hundred feet away along the Truckee River.