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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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Get lost in our Spooky Maze Story Walk available in the month of October during daylight hours. Embark on this spooky self-guided story walk through our reed maze and then answer a question at the Exhibit Gallery for a chance to win a prize. The Exhibit Gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
  
The highlight of the month features our annual nature-themed, family-friendly Halloween adventure, Haunt the Wetlands, on Friday, October 23 from 4 pm - 8 pm. Brave the Haunted Maze, walk among the Creatures of the Night, encounter live Creepy Crawly Critters, and explore a Mad Scientist's Lair, if you dare. Discover the Exhibit Gallery, acquire a face painting, and shop the Nature Store. Participants are encouraged to wear costumes. Please note that this is not a trick-or-treat event.
Tickets are required and are available for purchase online at ccwetlandspark.com, at the Nature Store, or in-person the day of the event. Tickets are non-refundable. Kids ages 0-3 are free! Save money and get your ticket in advance for only $6! Tickets are $10 the day of the event. Purchase them now before they disappear!
Special thanks to our event partners:
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Evolve your artistic skills in a Studio WP Art Program like Nature Art for Kids and Watercolor Painting for Adults. Accompany a park naturalist and wander into nature together on a Discovery Walk. Join a Red Rock Audubon Society birding expert and park naturalist on a Birding Walk to learn about our feathery friends that call the Park home. Cooler weather is here, let's take the classroom outside! Bring the family to kids' programs like Wetlands Explorers for fun, outdoor activities. Get involved with our monthly Wetlands: Hands On! (W.H.O.) outdoor stewardship events. If it's a little too cold outside, enjoy a Nature Tales class held inside the Lizard Lounge.
Mark your calendars and join us for the month of October for fun, spooky activities concluding with our annual event, Haunt the Wetlands on Friday, October 23. After Thanksgiving, join us for Family Days on Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28.
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Taylor Pierce, a Las Vegas-based artist, exhibits a collection of paintings and haikus featuring the Mojave Desert. The artists paintings “...are not just representations of a place; they are portraits of its resilience, its spirit, and its enduring connection to all of us who call it home.”
"Cracked Earth, Blooming Spirit: A Celebration of Resilience in the Mojave Desert" will be showing in The Nest August 14 - October 31st, 2026. The Nest gallery is located in the Information Kiosk at the Nature Center, open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 3pm.
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 Whispers of the Wetlands by Meghan Dragon
"In Between Worlds" explores the beauty and mystery of wetlands as places of transition, where land and water, light and shadow, and the familiar and the overlooked converge. Inspired by the liminal nature of these landscapes, the exhibition brings together artwork that explores boundaries, thresholds, and fleeting moments of transformation.
Inspired by Wetlands Park and the natural world, the artwork captures quiet moments, overlooked details, and unexpected connections. Through images of plants, wildlife, and shifting landscapes, the artists celebrate the wonder, diversity, and ever-changing character of the places that exist between worlds.
"In Between Worlds" will be showing in our Spotlight On Nature Gallery (SONG) August 8 - October 31, 2026. The Spotlight on Nature Gallery (SONG) is in the Exhibit Gallery at the Nature Center, open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 3pm.
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Stay Up to Date with Art News at Wetlands Park
Click here to subscribe to our art email list to receive notices of calls for art, scheduled exhibitions, and other art news at Clark County Wetlands Park. To view the latest Art in the Park information, please visit the Wetlands Park art webpage.
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Passionate volunteers are priceless. They are the heart and voice of Wetlands Park. Robert Habas is one such volunteer. We were able to catch up with him to find out what it is that keeps him coming back.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
I moved from the Portland, Oregon area to Las Vegas in 2006. My background is in computer sciences, small business, and enterprise networking & computer desktop support.
I started in the casino industry, then secured a position at Harry Reid Airport in 2018. My last day at the airport was on May 31, 2026.
How long have you been volunteering at Wetlands Park?
Two years.
How did you come to volunteer at the Wetlands?
I live nearby, so Wetlands Park is just down the road.
What kinds of things do you do during a typical volunteer shift at the Park?
I enjoy sunshine and getting outdoors to exercise, photograph the desert flora and fauna, and pick up trash to help keep the Wetlands clean and green.
Why do you like volunteering at the Park?
My number one reason is nature. Those of us here in Las Vegas tend to forget that amid all the casinos, strip malls, road and home construction, asphalt and concrete, we are essentially part of nature. We come from the same living system as plants, animals, water, and air. One of my favorite quotes is by Andy Goldsworthy, “We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So, when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.”
What advice would you give someone thinking about volunteering at Wetlands Park?
Look, listen and learn. I use my cameras to take photographs, videos, and the iNaturalist app to record nature here in the American southwest desert. And every little bit of trash, plastic, and rubbish I remove makes it just a little bit cleaner for all the creatures that share this place we call home.
What is your favorite thing about Wetlands Park?
I'm in awe of the environmental engineering infrastructure of the Park as well as its conservation, sustainability, and symbiosis. Perfect for the times we're living in.
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Volunteers Needed! Wetlands Park is seeking volunteers in all areas including environmental education, visitor services, and outdoor stewardship. This year brings exciting opportunities for all!
Is volunteering at Wetlands Park right for you? The first step to become 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 Wetlands Park volunteer. Youth age 12 and up may volunteer with a guardian.
Get Involved at Wetlands Park
Visit ccwetlandspark.com to sign up. Click on 'Get Involved' tab then 'Volunteering' or click here Volunteering at Wetlands Park
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 Great Blue Heron by Philip Martini.
Nature Close-up: The Great Blue Heron
Wetlands Park is an oasis in the desert providing a refuge for many migratory species and
several species that call the Park home year-round. The Park provides a home for the
largest heron native to north America, the great blue heron. The great blue heron is a large
and graceful waterfowl, with a distinctively long neck. You can find this bird quietly wading
in shallow water or along the water’s edge. Their long and flexible neck allows them to
strike prey with their sharp bill, feeding on practically anything that they can fit in their
mouths; including small mammals, insects, and crustaceans. While males are typically slightly larger in size than females, their plumage patterns do not vary significantly. Great Blue Herons can reach up to 4 feet tall with a wingspan as wide as 6 feet. Despite their incredible size, their light weight and hollow bones make flight easier, allowing them to reach up to 30 miles per hour.
As social birds, they nest in colonies called either rookeries or heronries. Individual nests are built in high trees and reused yearly. Human disturbance of nests causes abandonment of nests, eggs, and young. The nesting period for Great Blue Herons varies widely between 49-81 days. Like many bird species, they prefer monogamy during the mating season, improving efficiency, sharing parental responsibility, and working jointly in territorial defense. Due to the adaptability of this species, the conservation status is considered of least concern, however they are vulnerable to human disturbance, pollution, habitat loss and degradation. Wetlands Park is a much-needed refuge providing food, protection, and an important habitat for these remarkable waterfowls.
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Take a walk at Wetlands Park and earn rewards at various milestones! Wetlands Walkers is a self-guided program for individuals looking to reach personal fitness goals while walking in the beauty and serenity of the great outdoors. Participants track their mileage after walking one of the Park’s numerous trails and earn rewards at milestones. Each year, a new goal is set to match the migration distance of one of the Park’s visiting species.
In 2026, the Walkers are recognizing the Sora and have a collective goal of trekking 8,000 miles. Join Wetlands Walkers in 2026 and walk the migration distance of the Sora. The Sora is the most abundant and widespread rail in North America. While southern Nevada is one of the few places where Soras live year-round, their migration range spans from northern Canada to Ecuador. Soras cover more ground than any other North American rail, traversing nearly the entire continent. They hide well in wetland reeds and are rarely seen.
To learn more about the Wetlands Walkers program, the annual species, to sign up, or to log your miles, please visit our website, ccwetlandspark.com.
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Wetlands Park offers monthly Guided Walks which make it easy and fun to earn miles. Visit ccwetlandspark.com to sign up for an upcoming guided walk.
Upcoming Guided Walks (Walker membership not required but pre-registration is)
Hike and Write Friday October 2nd, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Birding at Wetlands Park Saturday October 3rd, 8:00am to 10:00am
Birding at Wetlands Park Saturday November 7th, 8:00am to 10:00am
WP Birding at Duck Creek Saturday November 21st, 7:30am to 9:30am
Women's Walk Sunday November 22nd, 9:00am to 11:00am
Nature Journaling Sunday November 29th, 9:00am to 11:00am
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 Racoon by Philip Martini
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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Educator, Translator, & Navigator
The 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.
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