Las Vegas Springs Preserve: Natural History in a City Landscape

About two weeks ago, my family and I visited a place that I always saw on the local news channels and heard about while I was in school. It was described as a piece of natural history in the middle of an ever-growing city. We had been at Mt. Charleston for the first part of the day and on our way back to Boulder City, we decided to take a detour and see what the Springs Preserve was all about. I am happy to report that we were not disappointed.

When we arrived in the parking lot, we noticed that covered parking was provided. Interestingly enough, the covered parking was provided by solar panels. I was impressed that the preserve supplemented their power supply with solar energy. We walked in through the entrance which, I must say, was rather inviting. There were a lot of plants around the area and the building itself fit in nicely with the landscape. After paying for our admission, we arrived at the first stop of the tour. We walked into a building known as the ORIGEN Experience. This wonderful building has a full sized theater, numerous exhibits that display the history of the springs and the Las Vegas Valley, and even an animal exhibit where people can view numerous species of lizards, Desert Jack Rabbits, and even a Desert Fox. Throughout the park are numerous trails lined by vegetation native to the desert. The Gardens exhibit consists of dozens of species of desert vegetation spread out over eight acres. Visitors can learn about how to conserve water, such as how to pick the right type of grass for their lawns. Large red-colored dragonflies glide through the air and honey bees pollinate the flowers. On the trails throughout the preserve, one can see many of the desert's native plant, bird, and animal species.

The Springs Preserve gives children a great chance to explore the Las Vegas Valley's natural history and learn about what makes a desert. There are a lot of hands on exhibits and educational games that provide a great learning experience. Kids can play in the playground where animal exhibits are plentiful,

The Springs Preserve is open every day of the year Nevada Residents get a discounted price and so do children under 17 and students. If you visit the preserve, I promise you will not be disappointed with the experience. Enjoy! For more information, visit www.springspreserve.org.