A Changing Landscape: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

These photos were taken not far from where you are standing. Since that time, fields of alfalfa and cotton have been replaced by mesquite trees and other native plants. Spring pools and natural flowing streams have replaced concrete ditches and man-made ponds. A broken remnant of concrete now serves as a visual reminder of the land's agricultural past. From domestic crops to native plants, concrete ditches to wetlands, habitat restoration has been key to saving our pupfish, naucorid water bugs, and other imperiled species from extinction.

photo caption:

Farmers actively removed mesquite creating extensive farm land, primarily for cattle, alfalfa and cotton. . This historical marker is Near Amargosa Valley in Nye County Nevada