The Las Vegas Valley is Alive with the Sound of… Construction
It’s no secret that the greater metropolitan area of the Las Vegas Valley is growing. In fact, it’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Currently growing at a rate of 0.71% annually, the city’s population has increased by 2.91% since the last recorded census. Awash with development, new neighborhoods are being erected in record time. Expansive warehouses now act as sentient guardians, encompassing the valley at all ends. Even Hollywood eyes the desert surrounding Sin City as a home for potential studios and more.
In the haste to offer much-needed financial relief from an otherwise unaffordable country, Las Vegas and its surrounding cities have expanded at an astonishing rate. However, there’s always a price.
Where open desert once lent itself to the mysterious beauty of the untamed West, shopping centers and subdivisions now fill the horizon. On the outskirts, there are houses a stone’s throw from Red Rock Canyon. Some days, you can hear the liveliness of entire neighborhoods as you examine ancient rock art in Sloan Canyon. Some argue that having nature at your doorstep is living the dream, but looking at it from the perspective of nature, we’ve all had those neighbors from hell.
Wait, There are Wetlands in the Las Vegas Valley?
Taking the valley’s unprecedented expansion into consideration, what about the natural habitats that we created? An odd question, yet we indeed have an obligation; not just to what was already here but to what we have made. A testament to this is the Clark County Wetlands.
Over 2,500 acres of lush marshland exist next door to the city. With humble beginnings as a periodic river, it graduated to the title of urban river. Topping off with mankind’s tireless search for water reclamation, the wetlands exist as we know it today. The creation of the wetlands also helped to facilitate an ecosystem for local wildlife.
Glancing at the field guide for the Wetlands Park – a 210-acre nature preserve – can overwhelm someone with the sheer amount of flora and fauna residing there. For instance, the cottonwood trees with their rustic fall foliage or the different classes of mesquites and willows. We can’t forget about all of the species of flower, or the astounding number of reeds, grasses, and cattails that provide any marshland its signature pop.
Over 250 species of birds call the park their home, as do the usual suspects, the desert dwellers including a plethora of reptiles, amphibians, and insects. To help control the burgeoning mosquito population, fish were introduced to the area. There are even a few welcome additions in the mammal department. You may be surprised to learn that the wetlands are home to raccoons, skunks, and beavers in Las Vegas.
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The Hollywood Boulevard Extension
Acknowledging that we share this land with all manner of plants and animals, the rise in the human footprint is daunting. For example, an ongoing development that directly encroaches on the wetlands is the Hollywood Boulevard Extension Project. As of writing this piece, phase one of the project already broke ground.
According to Clark County’s website: “The project is designed to provide easier access on the east side of the Las Vegas Valley between residential areas in Sunrise Manor and commercial and employment areas in the city of Henderson.”
Commissioner Gibson of District G, which includes Henderson, heralds the extension project as a “welcome addition.” And rightfully so, as the commute between the two sides of this particular route takes a half hour or longer on some days. However, what isn’t immediately clear, is that the project will directly bisect the Wetlands Park and what impacts residents may see.
Elizabeth Bickmore, the Senior Program Administrator at the park, has the privilege of regularly working in an eclectic landscape. Perhaps resigned to the fact that the project is moving forward regardless of what anyone thinks, Bickmore looks at the positives – the improvements to the park that the project will bring. Such improvements include: an improved access point and a new trailhead that will join the already twenty-some miles of trail system that transverse the park. These new additions will undoubtedly attract more guests to the park. But what of the inevitable adulteration brought on by this potential influx of visitors?
“It’s an ongoing thing,” Bickmore said of efforts to maintain the park. She offers a solution for those looking to join the cause: a stewardship program, with projects focusing on litter removal, invasive plant removal, and trail maintenance. Over 5,000 volunteers from within the community currently dedicate their time to help keep the park beautiful. More importantly, they maintain the park for our four-legged, feathered, and finned friends. Information about the program can be found here.
Protecting the Wetlands – You Have My Back, I’ll Have Yours
Bickmore wants people to know that there’s always something going on at the park. On Saturday, March 22, 2025, the park is hosting a Wetlands Art Day. The event will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and is free to the public.
The park is also hosting Bioblast, another free event, on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is an opportunity for locals to “learn about all the plants and animals of Wetlands Park! Visit Science Stations, where guest scientists and naturalists will help you find and identify fish, bugs, plants, birds, and mammals.” Learn more here.
Despite the ever-increasing urbanization of the city, and with the continued care and compassion of a community on its side, the Clark County Wetlands is thriving. And it will continue to do so as we continue to have its back. Of course, our efforts don’t go unnoticed.
We get to smell the sweet fragrance of flowers from desert willows. Wildflowers bloom within our view. We hear the friendly chatter of a wren and listen to the gentle swish of salt grass caught in the breeze. A lizard crisscrosses our path, never straying too far from our side. A jackrabbit observes us from the shade of a creosote bush. We can gaze up through an acacia’s spiny branches while a hawk soars high above.
With a common goal of sustainability, we can strive to be the neighbors we want to be.
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