Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife refuge in Nye County, Nevada
Ash Meadows is a nature reserve in the Mojave Desert featuring more than thirty natural springs scattered across the landscape. These springs feed pools and streams that create green oases throughout the arid terrain.
The refuge was established in 1984 after a conservation organization purchased several thousand acres to prevent development of the land. This action secured long-term protection for the oasis and its inhabitants.
The name Ash Meadows comes from the ash trees that grow at the springs; the springs also support the endangered Ash Meadows naucorid, a swimming bug found only at Point-of-Rocks Springs. Visitors can look for the refuge's endemic pupfish in the spring pools.
A 0.75-mile accessible boardwalk trail leads to one of the spring-fed pools, and picnic areas and parking for auto-tourists are provided. The refuge lies 90 miles west-northwest of Las Vegas, directly east of Death Valley National Park, in the Amargosa Valley.
The water in the springs comes from the last ice age and sustains plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. These rare organisms depend on the special conditions of this desert oasis and exist only here.
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