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Clark County Wetlands Park
preserves and enhances natural and cultural resources and provides educational, recreational, and research opportunities for the public.
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Welcome to the E-version of the Wetlands Park Footprints Newsletter!
Wetlands Park newsletter streamlined to make it easier to read online, manage your subscription, and share with your friends. Let us know what you think.
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 Tarantula
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 Giant hairy scorpion
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 Great Basin gopher snake
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 Desert spiny lizard
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Thanks to a generous donation by Chuck, one of our volunteers, Wetlands Park now has a few native animals to share with the public once our Exhibit Gallery opens back up. Chuck, along with his wife and son, have enriched our programs and events throughout the years with their collection of animals and passion for education.
Our new resident reptiles are a Great Basin gopher snake, a California king snake (pictured to the right), and a desert spiny lizard. Two arachnids will call Wetlands Park home: a tarantula and a giant hairy scorpion.
The Wetlands Park Friends are sponsoring our new ambassadors. We will be developing interpretive materials and programming around our new ambassadors. They have already been showcased in some our virtual school field trips.
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A staggering 53 acres burned in the Nature Preserve last month over several nights. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Clark County Fire Departments worked hard to prevent the fire spread. Clark County Wetlands Park is currently evaluating ways to rehabilitate the affected area The size and scope of the fires underscores the importance of implementing fuel reduction projects in the park. All trails are open daily during daylight hours, dawn to dusk.
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Wetlands Park welcomes the Las Vegas Artists' Guild for a Members & Friends Plein Air Paintout in the Park. Park visitors will have the opportunity to observe artists who will be stationed in the Nature Preserve between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm on Sunday, April 18. Stop by the Nature Center to learn about the Guild and see a map of artists offering demonstrations for the day.
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BioBlitz scavanger hunt arrives at Wetlands Park Tuesday, March 30 through Saturday, April 3. How many species can you find at Wetlands Park? Make observations of plants, mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and fish and then enter them into a global database, iNaturalist Wetlands Park Nature Journal, to help track biodiversity.
Once a naturalist, always a naturalist! Even after this event you can add to the Wetlands Park Nature Journal! When you visit Wetlands Park, take photos of the species you see and upload them to iNaturalist for identification help.
Check out the kid-friendly Seek app by iNaturalist and earn badges while making identifications in Wetlands Park or even in your backyard. The app uses image recognition to tell you what plants and animals you are seeing.
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We look forward to a return of limited in-person walks in April! We will also continue virtual kids' programs.
WETLANDS EXPLORERS CLUB: This is an ongoing, free virtual program. New content will be posted frequently. Check explorers.wetlandspark.com for quick kid-friendly nature lessons and activities suitable for ages 5+. Come to Wetlands Park to complete the activities, or some can even be done at home to learn about plants, animals and more. Earn stickers as you advance through the activities!
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NATURE TYKES @ A DISTANCE: This is a virtual family program with new content monthly. Intended for Ages 3-6 and their grownups, registered participants have access to a web page with activities to help parents facilitate age-appropriate science and exploration of the natural world to inspire wonder. These fun activities that can be done on your own in the Wetlands Park Nature Preserve. Click here for more details and to register.
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APRIL GUIDED WALKS
Sunday, April 11: Signs of Spring Walk
Saturday, April 17: Nature is Personal Walk
Sunday, April 18: Birding with Red Rock Audubon
Saturday, April 24: Nature is for Kids Walk
Sunday, April 25: Citizen Science Walk
Masks will be required and social distancing will be observed on all walks. Space is limited, advance registration is required. Fee: $5 per person. Ages vary. Learn more and register at programs.ccwetlandspark.com.
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 Cottony seeds of a Fremont cottonwood tree
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 Yellow-rumped warbler photo by Philip Martini
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Flora and Fauna Forecast for Spring
Spring is a big burst of life. It is a time of emergence, migration, breeding, and reproduction. It brings longer days and warmer temperatures. Buds are popping and animals are on the move. Here is a sampling of what you may encounter in the Park at this time of year:
Flora:
Look for plants to bloom, such as salt heliotrope. Look for tree buds to swell and bloom into new green leaves on the Fremont cottonwood and catclaw acacia. Look for aromatic green arrowweed, and new growth of common cattail and alkali sacaton.
Fauna:
Look to the ground for Gambel’s quail, greater roadrunner, ants, and crickets.
Look to the water for American coot, common gallinule, mallard, Canada goose, pied-billed grebe, great blue heron, and green heron. Listen for the bullfrog.
Look to the trees and the sky for northern harrier, yellow-rumped warbler, verdin, black phoebe, and Say’s phoebe. Keep your eyes open for both the honey bee and carpenter bee pollinating trees, shrubs, and flowers.
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 Female Gambel's Quail with juveniles by Philip Martini
Have you taken a photo in Wetlands Park that you would like to share? Want to see your your Wetlands Park photo featured in an upcoming newsletter?
The spring photo challenge subject is "FAMILY".
Submit your high resolution photo(s) to: wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov by 5pm on April 30th, 2021 to be considered. Include your name, date, and location of the photo.
Post about it on Social media!
#CCWetlandsPark
#CallforWPphotos
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 Wetlands Walkers on the Move
Walking is good for one's physical and mental health, and a walk in nature is even better! Wetlands Walkers, a group of health and nature-oriented individuals, track their miles whenever they walk Park trails and earn rewards at various milestones.
As a group, their mileage is tallied to reach a yearly goal matching the migration distance of one of the Park's visiting species. In 2021 the Walkers are recognizing the American White Pelican and have a collective goal of trekking 6,800 miles.
To date, the Walkers have traveled 1,206 miles! Can we collectively reach 6,800 miles by the end of the year? Join Wetlands Walkers to make it happen.
To learn more about the Wetlands Walkers program, the American white Pelican, to sign up, or to log your miles, please visit our website, walkers.ccwetlandspark.com.
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