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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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 2021 WMBD artwork by Sara Wolman
What is World Migratory bird day?
In 1993, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). This educational campaign, focused on the Western Hemisphere, celebrated its 25th year in 2018. Since 2007, IMBD has been coordinated by Environment for the Americas (EFTA), a non-profit organization that strives to connect people to bird conservation.
In 2018, EFTA joined the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) to create a single, global bird conservation education campaign, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). Continuing the tradition with IMBD, WMBD celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration.
This new alliance furthers migratory bird conservation around the globe by creating a worldwide campaign organized around the planet’s major migratory bird corridors, the African-Eurasian flyway, the East Asian-Australasian flyway, and the Americas flyway. By promoting the same event name, annual conservation theme, and messaging, voices are combined into a global chorus to boost the urgent need for migratory bird conservation. For more information go to www.migratorybirdday.org.
How is Wetlands Park participating?
Wetlands Park provides an important resting place on the North American Flyway for migratory birds. We will be celebrating Migratory Bird Day and the wonder of bird Migration on Saturday, March 19th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm with discovery stations, birding walks, crafts, games, and more for the entire family. It is free and open to the public. The Early Bird Walk with Red Rock Audubon Society is full, but other bird walks are available. There will be a special presentation of Birds of Prey by Martin Tyner with a live raptor. For more information, visit www.ccwetlandspark.com.
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  Puddles the Blue Goose talking with a young visitor.
At Bioblitz you are the naturalist. Make observations, identify plants, mammals, birds, fish, insects, and reptiles on your own or with the help of guest scientists! All observation are entered into a global database, iNaturalist, to help track biodiversity. View the iNaturalist Wetlands Park Nature Journal. Free, no registration required. Saturday, April 30 from 9:00 am to 1:00 PM.
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 Pro Bowl media kick-off.
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 Dallas Cowboy Mascot helping with the ceremonial planting.
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 Preping for the planting. Volunteers find out how and where they will be planting.
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 Volunteers planting.
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 Seattle Seahawk Mascot inspecting the plants.
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 Volunteers planting.
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On February 2nd, the NFL and Las Vegas Raiders partnered with Verizon, Clark County, and Wetlands Park Friends to plant 1,200 native plants and trees at Wetlands Park alongside community volunteers and students from Ferron Elementary School. The restoration project will help improve wildlife and pollinator habitat for more than 470 species of wildlife that live in the Park as well as reduce fuels for wildfire, improve air quality, and reduce the urban heat island effect for our local community. Event speakers included NFL Executive Vice President of Events and Club Business Development Peter O’Reilly, Las Vegas Raiders President Dan Ventrelle, Clark County Parks and Recreation Director Daniel Hernandez, Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, and Verizon Director of Government and Community Affairs Ku'ulei Jakubczak. Event speakers and Pro Bowl Legend Captains Rod Woodson and Jason Witten planted a ceremonial willow tree.
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MIGRATE is an outdoor exhibit of temporary public art installations located on the trails of Wetlands Park and is based on the theme of migration, aligning with the Park’s celebration of World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, March 19th. Ten artists have created site-specific artwork for the Park using recycled and earth-friendly materials. They will be on display through the end of March. Join in on the fun and walk the Wetlands to discover bright, playful, and engaging works of art from Nevada artists. For more information, visit the MIGRATE webpage.
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 Wetlands Explorer kids listening to a story read by volunteer, Ms. Betty.
Spring brings WP Art Programs, Discovery Walks, and kids' programs like Wetlands Explorers, Nature Tales, & Sunday Storytime. View our March Program and April Program flyer. To learn more about all our spring programs and to register, visit programs.ccwetlandspark.com.
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 Wash clean up at the big weir bridge.
Here is a peek into what is happening at the Park. With the official start of migratory nesting bird season on March 1, we end our large-scale vegetation projects in the Nature Preserve and Mitigation Wetlands for the season. We will only be conducting minor projects on vegetation, as well as keeping the trails trimmed through the end of the summer.
Big Weir Bridge Wash Clean Up: Fourteen large dumpster bins were filled with trash and debris from around Big Weir Bridge at Upper Diversion Weir in February. Objects big to small, including shopping carts, metal sheets, and those little trash eddies, were removed by heavy equipment and hand crews with nets.
BLM Fire Reed Treatment: You may have noticed changes in the big reed area near the overlooks in the Nature Preserve. These reeds were cut and piled last year to reduce fuels for wildfire and begin the process of restoration. The intent is to improve this habitat over the next few years with more diverse native species like the adjacent “ribbon of green” that includes the Cottonwood Grove.
Wayfinding signage and interpretive panels: If you’ve been wondering what the holes are in the ground throughout the Nature Preserve that are marked “Hole” and covered with plywood, they mark the future locations for our new interpretive and wayfinding signage. Fifty new signs, including 20 wayfinding and 30 interpretive panels will help visitors navigate the Park as well as enhance their understanding and experience. Look for those holes to be filled with new signs this Spring!
Cattail and Reed Maintenance in the Nature Preserve: Cattails and reeds were cut and removed from Boardwalk Pond and Middle Pond in our annual effort to provide viewing areas for the public into our Nature Preserve ponds. Reeds were also cut from the Tropicana channel by the Parking Lot. National Park Service technicians will be conducting herbicide treatments on these and other cut reed areas to control the regrowth.
Long-term Fire Study: We are working with researchers at UNLV on a three-year study to examine the effectiveness of our treatment methods used on common reed. This is an effort to develop strategies for mitigation fire risk as well as restoring burned areas with diverse native habitat after fires occur.
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 Adult common gallinule with chick at Wetlands by Philip Martini
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 Salt heliotrope patch at Wetlands by Sheila Glennie
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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 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 Freemont 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, American white pelicans, and green heron. 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 the carpenter bee pollinating trees, shrubs, and flowers.
Top 5 Spring Bird Spottings in Wetlands Park: American coot, mallard, Gambel's quail, common gallinule, and yellow-rumped warbler.
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 Las Vegas Wash at Wetlands Park. January "New Year, New View" photo challenge submitted by Nina Angrisani.
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 March photo challenge subject is "Nesting".
Submit your high resolution photo(s) to: wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov by 5pm on April 30th, 2022 to be considered. Include your name, date, and location of the photo.
Post about it on Social media!
#CCWetlandsPark
#CallforWPphotos
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 Join Wetlands Walkers
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 2022 the Walkers are recognizing the Peregrine Falcon and have a collective goal of trekking 6,800 miles.
Where might you spot a Peregrine falcon at Wetlands Park? Try Pabco trailhead in the morning. Several have been spotted there lately.
To date, the Walkers have traveled 1,194 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 peregrine falcon, to sign up, or to log your miles, please visit our website, walkers.ccwetlandspark.com. Wetlands Park Discovery Walks make it easy and fun to earn miles. Please visit programs.ccwetlandspark.com to sign up for a guided walk.
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