The Western Desert

I attended an educational conference in Nevada this fall. The conference was hosted by the National Association of Interpretation and attracts people from all aspects of the natural world, be it naturalists (like myself), Forest Service, BLM, national parks, museums and many other areas the annual conference provides an excellent place to network with other professionals, and hosts educational sessions and field trips.

Las Vegas may seem to be a strange place to hold such a gathering (of naturalists), but there is a plethora of wildlife activities that are probably unseen by the majority of people who head to Vegas.

One of the first things that kind of struck me as “funny” was on the plane flight there. I was sitting beside a person who said they were going to Las Vegas for a conference too. I immediately thought, what a coincidence, we must be going to the same one. We weren’t. I later learned that nearly 900 different conferences are going on In Vegas during any given week.

So what’s wild about Vegas? That could be answered many ways of course, but how about the very reason Vegas is located where it is. Early travelers west found the desert valley had a spring, life giving water(!) in the heart of the valley. That spot where the spring once flowed is still there! Right in the middle of town. It no longer flows due to the lowering of the water table from years of excessive water use, but the area where is was located is the sight of the municipal water works and an extensive garden, nature center and walking trails can be explored by the public. We spent half a day there and it wasn’t enough to satisfy.

On the topic of water, Las Vegas does more to recycle its water than anywhere else the comes immediately to mind. Gray water (sewer water) is cleaned, reused in a host of ways (including the fountains at the Bellagio) and eventually are dispersed into a large marsh and water way that flows all the way to Lake Mead. Las Vegas uses some water from Lake Mead, but returns more than half that water back to the lake.

If you’ve been to Vegas before, you will notice its surrounded by mountains. To the south, literally within sight of the city is Sloan Canyon. Reaching the canyon can be done by a pickup, but not suggested to try by car as the road is very rough, but Sloan Canyon has an extensive collection of native American petroglyphs. Rock art is the term used by some. Stone carvings by others. Walking through the canyon we found a tarantula slowly walking along. One of the experienced naturalists immediately PICKED IT UP!

Carefully of course, but she showed that if you gently handle the large spider it was not dangerous. Its actual front line of defense in situations like that is the hairy spines it has all over its body. You don’t want to get them in your eyes it was suggested. They don’t commonly bite, and they don’t have any sort of venomous stinger as is commonly thought. Several of us held it briefly before letting it go back to its business. From its appearance and body condition, she suggested it was a male and near the end of its 7-9 year life span.

The petroglyphs in the canyon were spectacular. There were hundreds of them. Some recognizable as bighorn sheep, frogs, lizards perhaps, other strange designs. Interpreting them is 100% guess work as the people that made them are long gone, and no “Rosetta stone” has ever been found to translate. Does a lizard carving mean the ate them, feared them, worshiped them, or identified themselves as a “lizard clan”? We’ll never know, but it does give you a list of a few possible answers.

Red Rock Canyon is to the west of town. It has beautiful scenic canyons to drive or walk around in.

Death Valley is but a two hour drive north. November was a good time to be there, only 70 degrees or so (instead of 120). It was a fascinating place to spend a day. Beautiful scenery, historical ghost towns, and unique geological features.

I know a fair number of people head west to Vegas, next time you go, think about getting out of town a bit, there is an incredible amount to see in just the nearby area.