Las Vegas Springs Preserve consists of dedicated to nature walks and displays and is owned and operated by the

Las Vegas Valley Water District The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) is a not-for-profit government water supply agency that has been providing water to the Las Vegas Valley since 1954. The district helped build the area's water delivery system and now provides water to m ...

. The Preserve is located approximately three miles west of downtown

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The Preserve is built around the original water source for Las Vegas, the

Las Vegas Springs The Las Vegas Springs or Big Springs is the site of a natural oasis, known traditionally as a cienega. For more than 15,000 years, springs broke through the desert floor, creating grassy meadows (called ''las vegas'' by Spanish New-Mexican explo ...

. The Springs Preserve includes colorful

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s, museum galleries, outdoor concert and event venues, an indoor theater, historic photo gallery and a series of walking trails that meander through a

wetland habitat A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

The Gardens at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve The Gardens at the Springs Preserve, is an desert botanical garden located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The gardens are currently located in the Las Vegas Springs Preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Designed to teach water conservation through water-eff ...

, previously known as the Desert Demonstration Gardens opened in 1980 at another location. The gardens now occupy within the Springs Preserve site.

History

While construction on the preserve began in 2005, the custom designed sound wall separating the site from U.S. Route 95 had been erected earlier. There also was work over the years to maintain and restore the springs, the

waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

and infrastructure of the springs. The Preserve opened on June 8, 2007.

Green building efforts

The Preserve shows people how to live in the desert environment and how to take advantage of what is available. Part of this project showcases a dual use concept. For example, the parking area is actually the roof of the

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

and the shade structures in various areas are

photovoltaic cells A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.

used to generate power for the site. The gardens also use a fleet of

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

powered

utility vehicle A utility vehicle is a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed to carry out a specific task with more efficacy than a passenger vehicle. It sometimes refers to a small truck with low sides. Types of utility vehicles Military light u ...

s. The vehicles are refueled on site by a

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

ed hydrogen fueling station.

Major exhibits

*Origen Experience is composed of three interactive exhibits. Each exhibit is filled with stories about the Las Vegas Valley, following a natural progression from the past to the present. *Desert Living Center is a campus of

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, constructio ...

(LEED) buildings and features interactive galleries, educational opportunities, a design lab, and a technical training center. The Center leads by example, using sustainable architecture, interactive exhibits, and programming to show Las Vegas residents how to conserve water and live sustainably in the desert. With exhibits designed by

AldrichPears Associates AldrichPears Associates is an interpretive planning and exhibit design firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They work for museums, science centers, interpretive centers, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and children's museums a ...

, architecture by Lucchesi Galati Architects, and landscape architecture by Deneen Powell Atelier, the Center won the award for Best Public Green Building Project in Nevada in 2007. *Trails – Walk four uniquely

themed trail A themed walk is a walk along which there are information boards covering a specific topic or theme, such as regional history, industrial history, mining or forestry. Features of nature (e.g. raised bogs or biotopes) or of geology are often laid o ...

s that encompass more than of picturesque landscapes leading to a cienega. *Springs Preserve amphitheater is Las Vegas' only intimate outdoor venue surrounded by museums and gardens. * Nevada State Museum features exhibits describing the development of Las Vegas and the natural history of the area. *

Nature Exchange The Nature Exchange is a specialized learning environment that encourages people to explore nature and actively observe, collect, study and share the world around them. It is a turn-key exhibit, now used in nature-based institutions around North Ame ...

is a small exhibit located in the desert living center. This exhibit is aimed towards children but encourages adults to participate. The Nature Exchange is a unique learning environment that relies on the personal "trading" of found natural items and information about them, to motivate interest and understanding. The trader receives points depending on the rarity and size of the object offered for trading. (One can not exchange objects from national parks, state parks, or the Springs Preserve.) *Butterfly Habitat – Wander through our unique Butterfly Habitat and witness the fascinating dance between free-flying butterflies, the plants that sustain them, and their important role as pollinators in the ecosystem.

References

External links

*
Official State of Nevada Tourism SiteLas Vegas Springs Preserve
on ''Living in Las Vegas Podcast'' {{authority control Museums in Las Vegas Natural history museums in Nevada Parks in Clark County, Nevada Urban public parks Tourist attractions in the Las Vegas Valley