NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES (NWR) (NEVADA)

There are currently nine (9) National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in the State of Nevada, including the largest refuge located within the 48 contiguous states: the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. One refuge: the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge: is contained mostly in Nevada with a small portion of its northern tip extending up into the State of Oregon. Nevada's National Wildlife Refuges, all of which are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), include: (1) Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge: Established in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson to protect the white pelican nesting colonies, the Anaho NWR consists of the 750-acre (1.2 square mile) Anaho Island in Pyramid Lake, which is wholly contained within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation. Located approximately 45 northeast of Reno, Nevada, the Anaho NWR contains one of the largest white pelican nesting colonies in North America, as well as cormorant, great blue heron, and gull nesting colonies. This refuge is closed to the public for the protection of the colony nesting birds. (2) Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge: Located approximately 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Nye County, Nevada, the Ash Meadows NWR, established in 1984, encompasses some 14,000 acres (approximately 22 square miles) and provides critical habitat for 25 plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world. This distinguishes the Ash Meadows NWR as having the greatest concentration of endemic species of any other local area in the United States. Of the 25 unique species, 12 have been listed as either Threatened or Endangered. Water is the key natural resource which makes the Ash Meadows NWR a unique Ecosystem in the dry Mojave Desert. In this area, water-bearing strata come to the surface in approximately 30 seeps and springs, providing a rich and complex variety of habitat. The earliest efforts to protect this area were undertaken by The Nature Conservancy, which purchased 12,613 acres of land in 1984 and subsequently sold it to the USFWS specifically to establish a wildlife refuge. (3) Desert National Wildlife Refuge: Established in 1936, the Desert NWR covers 1,588,459 acres (2,482 square miles) of the diverse Mohave Desert in southern Nevada and is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the 48 contiguous United States. The Desert NWR's most important objective is the perpetuation of the desert bighorn sheep and its habitat. The refuge contains six major mountain ranges, the highest rising from a 2,500 foot elevation valley floor to nearly 10,000 feet. The dry climate and varying elevations provide varied plant life with creosote bush and white bursage dominant in the lower elevations, Mojave yucca and cactus dominant in the mid-elevations, blackbrush and Joshua trees prevalent near 6,000 feet, and single-leaf pinyon and Utah juniper become prominent at 6,000 feet. From 7,000-9,000 feet Ponderosa pine and white fir become dominant and near 10,000 feet the only remaining tree is the bristlecone pine. Throughout this area the big sagebrush is the most common shrub. Within this refuge, and in stark contrast to the typical habitat and wildlife prevalent throughout the refuge, are the numerous and diverse plant and animal communities at Corn Creek. Here springs turn the desert into an oasis attracting over 200 species of birds alone. (4) Fallon National Wildlife Refuge: Established in 1931, the Fallon NWR encompasses approximately 17,900 acres (28 square miles) where the Carson River terminates in the Carson Sink and is situated within the northwest portion of the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area. Due to typically limited and uncertain flows of the Carson River at its terminus, generally not enough water enters this refuge to maintain it as a viable wetlands. The area is currently managed by the USFWS along with the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and is included as part of the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area. (5) Moapa Nat