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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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Thank you for subscribing to Wetlands Park Footprints newsletter. Share with your friends and let us know what you think at wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov.
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The Nature Center, which includes the Exhibit Gallery, Nature Store, Lizard Lounge, Restrooms, and Auditorium, is now open Tuesday thru Sunday from 9 am - 3 pm.
Don't miss an opportunity to see photos by North American Nature Photography Association college scholars on exhibit in the Information Kiosk until September 30. The photos of Wetlands Park were completed in February 2019 as part of their annual NANPA conference. To view the video produced by the 2019 program participants for Clark County Wetlands Park, Click here.
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Join our Build a Scarecrow Workshop on Saturday, September 25th. Bring your artistry along with your oldest hats and clothes and learn how to build a scarecrow! Scarecrows will be put on display in the reed maze for the month of October. Free. Advanced registration is required. Please reserve one ticket for your family or group. Each group will build a scarecrow together and name it.
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The spooky maze and story walk will be available for the entire month of October during daylight hours. Our maze of reeds will contain a self-guided story walk, decorations, and scarecrows for all Park visitors to enjoy.
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 The month ends with our special event. A family friendly good time is planned for Wetlands Park's annual Haunt the Wetlands on Friday, October 29th from 4 pm - 8 pm. Participants young and old are encouraged to wear costumes. All activities take place outside, in and around the Nature Center, at 7050 E. Wetlands Park Lane.
Kids and parents can traipse through the eerie Haunted Maze of reeds, decorated to thrill and delight visitors. They can also take a stroll through the Park to encounter macabre Creatures of the Night that are actually found within the Nature Preserve. Reserve tickets in advance.
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 Kids looking out over Vern's Pond during a 2019 Wetlands Park school field trip.
In the 2020-2021 school year, Wetlands Park provided a Virtual Field Trip experience to over 6,000 CCSD students grades K-12. We continue to adapt our Field Trip options to reach as many students as possible while keeping safety in mind. Clark County Wetlands Park will offer three options for the 2021-2022 school year, virtual field trips, guided field trips, and self-guided field trips.
Virtual field trips feature a 15-minute video about Park habitats followed by a 15-minute interactive activity. Wetlands Park staff join classes in a Google meeting to present the field trip.
Guided field trips to Wetlands Park are available for CCSD students in grade 3 through 5. The program is all-outdoors, with volunteer Education Facilitators guiding the participants through the Nature Preserve in small groups. On the walk, students learn about the Nature Preserve and the Las Vegas Wash, and become familiar with basic concepts of biology and ecology in an engaging, hands-on learning environment. Fifth grade classes are offered additional curriculum structured to support Next Generation Science Standards.
Wetlands Park offers self-guided field trips for all schools and ages. Teachers are required to take an in-person class and route tour (1 CCSD CU) prior to their class field trip. On the day of the trip, Wetlands Park staff present a 15-minute introduction to the class prior to the teacher-led exploration of the Park and Nature Center.
Guided and self-guided field trips will be held October through April, unless notified otherwise. For more information, please visit fieldtrips.ccwetlandspark.com.
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 Glimpse of the moon during a summer evening bat walk at Wetlands Park.
Fall brings WP Art Programs, Discovery Walks, and kids' programs like Wetlands Explorers Club, Nature Tales, & Sunday Storytime. View our September Program flyer. To learn more about all our fall programs and register, visit programs.ccwetlandspark.com.
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 Volunteer 'Welcome Back' event held outside on the Nature Center deck.
Looking for a safe & healthy environment to volunteer? Wetlands Park offers several outdoor volunteer opportunities.
Do you have a favorite area of the Park you'd like to care for? If you visit the Park on your own or with family or friends on a regular basis, becoming a Wetlands Watcher might be the perfect fit for you and allow you to take care of that special area. Are you comfortable taking the lead and directing others in a positive, motivating manner? And If you don't mind getting a your hands a little dirty to help improve the environment, volunteering as a Team Leader for Wetlands: Hands on! might be a good fit. If you enjoy engaging with kids, becoming an Education Facilitator leading group school tours might be the right fit.
Whatever capacity you choose, you will receive training in your area of interest, invitations to volunteer only events, and professional development programs. Most of all, you'll be part of a team of dedicated staff and volunteers who work together for the benefit of Wetlands Park, and have fun doing it!
Wetlands: Hands-On! (WHO) will be resuming stewardship events this fall, beginning with our International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 18th. Events are held once per month from September through April. Individuals and groups must sign-up in advance and space is limited depending on the project and worksite. Projects may include litter pickup, graffiti abatement, planting, invasive species control, or general Park clean-up. For more information and schedules please visit our website: http://who.ccwetlandspark.com/. Email inquiries for WHO should be directed to wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov
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 Wetlands Park desert blonde tarantula ambassador.
Nature Close-up: Desert Blonde Tarantula
Some people fear tarantulas, but they can be fuzzy friends. Tarantulas are large hairy spiders which prey upon small insects such as crickets and cicadas, and even smaller spiders. The desert blonde tarantulas found here in Wetlands Park are adaptable creatures, able to withstand the harsh conditions of the desert. In the wild, they reside in deep burrows and spin silk around the entrance to alert them to nearby prey. Like other tarantulas, when they feel threatened, they may fling their spiky hairs which can cause irritation to skin or get in the eyes of a predator.
A female desert blonde can live 24-30 years, which is longer than most cats. The males live 5-10 years. For comparison, the average dog lives 10-13 years, so a dog and a male tarantula could have the same lifespan. Tarantula mating season occurs in autumn, so every October, thousands of male desert tarantulas can be seen migrating across Nevada. Keep an eye out and you might spot one as they venture through yards and parks, along trails, and even across highways.
Our ambassador is comfortable with humans when handled delicately. Wild animals, however, are best observed from a distance.
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 Summer Tanager in at tree at the Cottonwood Grove in Wetlands Park. July "Pop of Color" photo challenge submitted by April Sperk.
Have you taken a photo in Wetlands Park that you would like to share? Want to see your Wetlands Park photo featured in an upcoming newsletter?
The September photo challenge subject is "Wading in Water".
Disclaimer: We are looking for animals and birds, not people, wading in water.
Submit your high resolution photo(s) to: wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov by 5pm on October 31th, 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 4,504 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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