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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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 Wetlands Art Day is a free, family event for all artists, no matter your age or skill level. Connect with your artistic side and join us at Wetlands Park on Saturday, March 23 from 10 am to 2 pm for art and poetry workshops by guest artists Linda Smith, Ms. AyeVee, and Nevada Humanities, live music with Ocotillo Wind Quintet, and arts & crafts for all ages. Buddies Golden Munchies will be serving free savory Street Corn, while supplies last, thanks to Commissioner Jim Gibson and the Community Engagement Fund. For additional information, visit events.ccwetlandspark.com.
Calling all artists! Wetlands Park invites you to spend a day painting a Wetlands inspired art piece en plein air during Wetlands Art Day! Bring your supplies, arrive as early as 9 am, and check in at the Nature Center. Participating artists will be invited to submit their art to be featured in an art exhibition in May and June 2024.
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 School bus arriving at Wetlands Park for a field trip. Photo ©Wetlands
We are delighted to share that in the spring of 2023, Wetlands Park Friends, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, made a generous donation of $11,500 to provide school bus funding for Wetlands Park Field Trips. With the help of this funding, almost 1,200 CCSD students have been scheduled to visit the Park in the 2023-2024 school year.
Since 2001, the Field Trip program has provided an outdoor learning opportunity to more than 58,000 Clark County school children. Field Trips are led by volunteer Education Facilitators that engage students with nature through a hands-on learning experience while becoming familiar with basic concepts of biology and ecology. Bus funding has always been an integral part of kids being able to participate in this learning experience at Wetlands Park and at times schools have had to cancel field trips due to lack of bus funding.
Wetlands Park Friends also supports the Park through the donation of stewardship work gloves and provides decorations for our largest annual event, Haunt the Wetlands. Wetlands Park Friends also wholly funded the Park’s popular app, Wetlands Park Navigator.
To learn about how you can support the mission of Wetlands Park Friends, visit wetlandsparkfriends.org.
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 Photo ©Wetlands
We are pleased to showcase Nature's Threads, an art quilt exhibition presented by Art Quilters Etc., in the Spotlight on Nature Gallery (SONG). Visit the Gallery in the Nature Center from March 2 through April 25 to view beautifully handcrafted, quilted fabrics inspired by aquatic and desert habitats. Select artwork can be purchased directly from the artist.
We invite the public to join us for light refreshments during the closing reception on Saturday, April 13 from 12 pm to 2 pm.
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Wetlands Park is proud to announce Morrigan DeVito as its third annual Artist in Residence (AIR). The AIR program enables a local artist each spring to explore and interpret the natural and cultural resources at Wetlands Park. Artists lead workshops, interact with visitors during open studio hours, and create artwork based on their research in the Park.
Join Morrigan for "Celebrate Spring!", a birding and nature journaling workshop on March 16 (ages 7-11) and April 6 (ages 12-adult) to learn about the practice of nature journaling. Workshops are free but space is limited. Advanced registration is required. All levels of birders, writers, and artists are welcome! Visit our website for more information about the Artist in Residence program, Morrigan's biography, upcoming artist workshops, and open studio hours.
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 Wetlands Park volunteers, Andre and Ann Lee.
Volunteers help bring a community together. They are the heart and voice of Wetlands Park. Andre Lee is one such volunteer. We were able to catch up with him, and his mother Ann, to find out what inspired him to become a volunteer at Wetlands Park!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. I was born in New Brunswick, Canada to first generation, Chinese-immigrant parents. I moved to the U.S. at six years old and attended school in Henderson, Nevada. I am 16 years old and have found an interest in computer science and software development. I enjoy swimming and coding personal projects on my free time.
How long have you been volunteering at Wetlands Park? Since March of 2023.
How did you come to volunteer at Wetlands Park? At the end of 2022, I decided I wanted to participate in more outdoor activities that were peaceful in nature. Volunteering at Wetlands Park fit that description; I learned about volunteering opportunities online.
What kinds of things do you do during a typical volunteer shift at Wetlands Park? I am an active Wetlands Park Trailkeeper. I am also a Team Lead at the monthly Wetlands: Hands On! events and smaller Eager Beaver projects.
Why do you like volunteering at Wetlands Park? I get to spend my weekend mornings leisurely meandering through the Parks' serene views while talking to my mom, Anne, about school, work, worries, or nothing in particular at all.
What advice would you give someone thinking about volunteering at Wetlands Park? Try spending a morning or afternoon strolling down the paths with a relative or friend! You'll find that you'll want to come back again to chase that feeling of clarity and inner peace.
What is your favorite thing about Wetlands Park? My favorite spots are the little tilted roofs with benches under them that overlook an open expanse of the Park (near Vern's Pond) that perfectly capture the sun through the gaps in the roof. There was one of these shelters in particular that I have fond memories of; a circle of shelters surrounding a big dragonfly mural on the ground with large, flat boulders underneath them as natural benches.
Andre is one of our youth volunteers and is a great example that anyone can make a difference. Youth volunteers age 12 and older may volunteer with a guardian.
Thank you, Andre and Ann, for your commitment towards the Park!
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 Wetlands Park Trailkeepers collecting 20 bags of trash near the Mitigation Wetlands during the January 2024 kickoff. Photo ©Wetlands
It takes a team to maintain a 2,900 acre Park. Are you interested in helping with monitoring, maintaining, and reporting on Park trails and facility conditions within Wetlands Park? Wetlands Park Trailkeepers is a volunteer program focused on stewardship and taking care of the Park. Trailkeepers walk in the Park on their own schedule, report their observations, pick up litter, and interact with visitors to educate them about the Park's resources. To participate in this program, sign-up for an upcoming Get Involved at Wetlands Park class to learn about the process of becoming a Clark County Wetlands Park volunteer.
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Are you interested in connecting the community with the outdoors? Wetlands Park is seeking volunteers in all areas, including environmental education and outreach, visitor services, and outdoor stewardship.
Is volunteering at Wetlands Park right for you? The first step to becoming a volunteer is to attend a Get involved at Wetlands Park class. You'll learn about Wetlands Park, volunteer opportunities, and the process to become a Clark County Volunteer. Youth age 12 and up may volunteer with a guardian.
Get involved at Wetlands Park
Sign up at volunteer.ccwetlandspark.com
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 Java Jaunt Birding participants looking for a Great-horned Owl hidden in a willow tree. Photo ©Wetlands
Spring brings WP Art Programs, Discovery Walks, Outdoor Stewardship Events, and kids' programs like Nature Tales & Wetlands Explorers. View our March and April Program Guides or our calendar. To learn more about all our programs and to register, visit programs.ccwetlandspark.com.
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BioBlast: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9 am - 1 pm
With the help of guest scientists and naturalists, families learn about the plants and animals of Wetlands Park through science stations, interactive games, and fun activities. Presented by Clark County Wetlands Park and Commissioner Jim Gibson. All activities are free - no advance registration required.
Discovery Day: Saturday, June 8, 2024, 10 am - 1 pm
Discover exciting activities to beat the summer heat. Partnering agencies and organizations from around the valley will join us for Discovery Day, an indoor event about all there is to do in the region during the summer! Join us for crafts, games, and other activities including live animal encounters. All activities are free - no advance registration required.
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 Audobon's Warbler. Photo by David Walker.
Nature Close-up: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Depending on the season at Wetlands Park, this small bird may be spotted clutching onto the bark surface of a tree in search for hidden insects or visiting a nearby fruiting shrub. Listen closely for a soft but shark chek call.
Yellow-rumped warblers are resourceful foragers. In the summer, yellow-rumped warblers occupy the open coniferous forest of the West and can be seen perched on the outer branches of trees feeding on caterpillars, aphids, and grasshoppers to name a few. They’ve been observed performing an aerobatic-like pursuit of insects while flashing their vibrant yellow rumps—they are most definitely the stars of the show! In the winter, they’ll move to open woods with fruiting shrubs, such as parks and residential areas, and delight on fruits and wild seeds.
There are two subspecies of yellow-rumped warblers: the “Myrtle” Warbler of the eastern U.S. and the “Audubon’s” Warbler of the west. The Audubon's warbler is the subspecies likely to be observed at Wetlands Park. In addition, the Audubon’s warbler has a patch of yellow on its throat whereas the Myrtle warbler’s throat is white. Fortunately, the yellow-rumped warbler’s population has remained steady and is a common and widespread bird.
Wetlands Walkers program is featuring the yellow-rumped warbler as the species of the Year 2024. Become a Wetlands Walker to learn more about the species of the year.
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 Take a Walk at Wetlands and Join the Club
We’re starting the year of the Yellow-rumped Warbler fierce! As of March, our mileage is 1,093 miles.
Wetlands Walkers is a self-guided program to encourage you to connect with nature by walking the Park’s trails with friends, family, or on your own. Record your mileage after walking one of the Park’s many trails and earn rewards at various milestones. Reward notifications issued once a month via email. Anyone can join!
Wetlands Park Discovery Walks make it easy and fun to earn miles.
Upcoming Discovery Walks (Walker membership not required but pre-registration is)
Healing Power of Nature: Saturday, March 30, 9:00 am to 11:00 am
Is it Edible? Sunday, April 14, 9:00 am to 11:00 am
Java Jaunt Birding: Saturday, April 20, 8:00 am to 10:00 am
As a group, walked mileage is tallied to reach a yearly goal matching the migration distance of one of the Park's visiting species. In 2024 the Walkers are recognizing the yellow-rumped warbler and have a collective goal of trekking 4,000 miles.
Can we collectively reach 4,000 miles by the end of the year? Join Wetlands Walkers to make it happen.
To learn more about the Wetlands Walkers program, the yellow-rumped warbler, to sign up, or to log your miles, please visit our website, walkers.ccwetlandspark.com. Please visit programs.ccwetlandspark.com to sign up for a guided walk.
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 Three American white pelicans, a double crested cormorant, and an American coot. Photo submission by Diane Bedell.
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?
Submit your high-resolution photo(s) to: wetlands@clarkcountynv.gov Include your name, date, and location of the photo.
Post about it on Social media!
#CCWetlandsPark
#CallforWPphotos
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Wetlands Park Navigator mobile app is brought to you with support of Wetlands Park Friends. Download the mobile app through Apple App Store and Google Play Store!
The Navigator provides content including tours, maps, directions, and other Park information in English, Spanish, and Tagalog. Try it out to explore a new part of Wetlands Park the next time you visit us!
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