desertnatwildlife

media type="custom" key="26070502" align="right"nevada / Desert National Wildlife Refuge
on this page: headlines related: deserts, parks, wildlife, wild nevada flickr: [|desert national wildlife refuge]

Las Vegas is the hub of a vast and varied network of parks and protected areas. One of the gems is 30 miles to the northwest. **Desert National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)** includes more than 1.5 million acres in southern Nevada and is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states.

The refuge opened May 20, 1936.

[|Driving Directions]

Location
30 miles northwest of Las Vegas

Key Links
[|http://www.fws.gov/refuge/desert] [|usfws_pacifics] [|center-welcomes-visitors-national-wildlife-refuge] [|DesertNWR - Facebook] [] [|Driving Directions] Twitter: [|@USFWS] Phone (702) 879-6110

Nearby
Spring Mountains Tule Springs

Headlines
[|Pentagon to lawmakers: Let Interior keep wildlife refuge] [|Military takeover of Nevada wildlife refuge angers conservationists]

Events
https://www.facebook.com/events/1705848146355857
 * May 14** 80th Anniversary Celebration, 9am-1pm

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Visiting
The Visitor Center (Thursday-Sunday, 8am-430pm) has interactive exhibits, a bookstore, and a classroom with a 17-minute film. Outside the building are trash and recycling, restrooms and water fountains. There are benches around the back of the building and located around the trails.

As for eating, you're welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy at the picnic tables behind the visitor center. The bookstore offers trail mix and granola bars available for purchase, but if you're looking for an actual meal to buy the closest place is the Paiute reservation, off the Snow Mountain exit (around 10 miles south of the Visitor Center.)

The visitor center and trails offer insights into the Indigenous Paiute culture.

Birding
Desert NWR is considered to be one of the best birding sites in southern Nevada, with over 320 species seen on the refuge. Please see the center's [|bird list] for a complete listing.

Green Building
The Visitor Center has been awarded Platinum-level LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification. Parking is available in a carport shaded by solar panels. Classy!

Facebook
[|DesertNWR] [|AshMeadowsNWR]

Twitter
[|@USFWS] [|@USFWSPacSWest] [|@friendsofnvwild]

Friends of
http://fdnwrc.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofDesertWildlifeRefuges

Elsewhere
http://www.desertreport.org/?p=945 http://refugeassociation.org/southern-nevada

Volunteering
[]

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Flickr
[|desert national wildlife refuge] [|http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/sets/72157625757284786]

Promotion
http://findyourpark.vegas/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Desert-National-Wildlife-Refuge-Rack-Card.pdf

Misc

FYI - Visitors center opened February 22, 2014. http://www.mountain.org/updates/mountain-institute-facilitates-integration-nuwuvi-southern-paiute-knowledge-design-and-conte

Slideshow
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More Photos
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Embedded Tweets
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