The Nye County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of a more than 185,000-acre expansion of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
If fully approved, Ash Meadows would become the fourth national conservation area in the state. The move is an attempt to prevent further threats and declines to the water table in the area.
In practice, it would prevent development in the rural section of the desert. The prospect of turning the area into a national conservation area came after a developer had submitted plans for a solar farm less than a mile away from the wildlife refuge.
The refuge contains springs that serve as the exclusive home to several endangered species of pupfish. The Amargosa River was recently placed on the top 10 most endangered rivers list in the country.
The Amargosa Valley Town Advisory Board, Beatty Town Advisory Board, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and Chemehuevi Tribe have all expressed support for the national conservation area. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) previously discussed the importance of increasing regional protection, although she has yet to propose any legislation to do so. (Source)
