Tuesday, June 7, 2011

LOOK WHAT'S IN MY DESERT

It's called the Las Vegas Wash and it's in my neighborhood. It's an oasis in the desert! Who would have thought there could be wetlands in this arid environment? But it's true! In fact, my house is built in what is part of the wetlands, but it was drained to build the homes.





This is one of the best kept secrets in Las Vegas so here are a few facts you might not have known. The Las Vegas Wash is an important ecological resource for Southern Nevada. The Wash provides habitat to about 300 fish and wildlife species and more than 200 species of upland, riparian and wetland plants, and is a source of return flow to the Colorado River at Lake Mead. Protecting this valuable water resource has become a priority for the community. It carries the valley’s excess water – an average of more than 150 million gallons a day – through the wetlands on its way to Lake Mead. That’s a lot of water! Keeping this water clean is important to all of us. This water supports acres of wetlands, creating not only an oasis for a variety of plant and animal species in the middle of the Mojave Desert, but also a crucial cleansing point for the runoff.











If you would like to know more about our desert oasis you can check out the website.

 
Pepper, Pep, Helmet Head

3 comments:

jj said...

What a beautiful area Pepper.
It is amazing what nature brings us sometimes.
Thanks for sharing this "secret" :)

VintageEmbellishment said...

Wow, will need to see this the next time we visit!

Donna B. said...

I have lived in Henderson, NV five years now and this is the first I have heard of the LV Wash...AWESOME! I would love to go see it one day. What a GREAT, creative blog you have! I will be back! I am following and putting your blog on my blog roll. I know my sister will enjoy your blog as well!