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Springtime arrives at Corn Creek Field Station with a flush of green in the pastures, a froth of flowers in the orchard and a flurry of wings in the tules. The major access to the sprawling Desert National Wildlife Range just north of Las Vegas, Corn Creek provides an introduction to the largest federal wildlife refuge in the country outside of Alaska. Created in 1936 as a refuge for the desert bighorn sheep, the range also protects many other species under the management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Laughlin hosts the second annual Wings and Wildlife Festival scheduled for March 11-15, an award-winning event created by the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnership. Participants explore a tri-state region rich in varied Southwestern habitats on guided nature walks and hikes, during seminars and workshops conducted by experts and while on field trips led by knowledgeable guides. During the festival weekend, at least 20 special exhibits by federal and state agencies and organizations concerned with nature, the environment and conservation will be open to the public free of charge.
Proud of its history, the Nevada town of Mesquite invites visitors to get acquainted with the border town’s past, starting with a visit to its diminutive museum at 35 Mesquite Blvd. Housed in a flat-roofed rock building erected to serve as a library during 1939-41, the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum contains remnants of its past dating back to original settlement by Mormon colonists in the early 1880s. The single-storied museum, later turned into a hospital, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
China Ranch, a family date farm in a secluded oasis near Death Valley National Park, offers visitors a variety of attractions and unique experiences. The farm produces dates from several varieties of palms, as well as delicious date shakes, date bread and other baked goods showcased at a gift shop and snack bar.
A privately owned zoo flourishes in Moapa Valley’s rural setting, drawing visitors for guided tours of the facility and hands-on acquaintance with many animals in the 160-member menagerie. Where else in our area can you pet a gentle camel, watch agile and amusing otters at play, touch a soft young kangaroo, feed carrots to a zebra or get within inches of porcupines dining on fruits and vegetables?
Scouring the desert and mountains, wind gathers tiny sand grains and pushes the grains into drifts. Over time, when conditions are favorable, the gathered sand grows into shifting mountains several hundred feet high. In some places in the desert Southwest, vast dune deposits cover miles, taking on a life of their own. They form shapes such as stars or crescents. They even make sounds. All of them whisper as the sand moves, but some squeak or sing and a few actually boom as dry sand cascades from a high crest down the lee side.