The soothing, soft acoustics of a flowing riverbed nestle your ear drums. Foliage gently dances with the passing breeze, lightening the physical senses. And the chirping melodies heard across the expanse quiets the noise in your mind. It’s serene, vibrant with life, and maybe not what you’d expect to find in the Mojave.
From the moment you step foot out there, the importance of protecting the Clark County Wetlands Park is clear. Not just for the beavers, roadrunners, and ladybugs, but for the quality of life it affords amidst our urban sprawl.
In recent years, wildfires have compromised this tranquility – wounding the habitats of many animal species at the wetlands. Efforts to preserve or enhance the park are already underway, and the contributions of two UNLV students are helping to make a real difference in restoring the ecological balance.
“I really love the Wetlands Park,” said Sophia Lorenzana, a biological sciences graduate student. “I come here a lot just to look at the birds, and I think establishing a better habitat for them is really important.”
Lorenzana, along with fellow biology graduate student Sarah Galera, are in charge of the initial stages of a long-term monitoring project.
Back in 2024, Wetlands Park planted trees as part of its ongoing revegetation program to diversify age classes and increase native habitats. The graduate students are evaluating the health of these trees, measuring how much they have grown, and establishing further guidance protocols to help ensure their survival.
“I’ve always been interested in studying how soil factors can influence plant growth within an ecosystem,” said Galera. “Hopefully the data we gather can give some fresh insight to park staff on ways we can maximize restoration efforts for years to come.”
The pair is surveying about 600 saplings in the Clark County Wetlands, focusing particularly on plants that provide important habitat resources to birds and pollinators. Depending on the height of the young trees, or saplings, they will assess their health on a scale of 0-3. A zero means there is no living tissue and the tree is dead, while a three marks a tree dense with foliage and no physical problems.
“We haven’t analyzed the data, but there definitely are some trees that were thriving when first planted that are now ones or twos,” said Lorenzana. “It would be really interesting to see in the future what might have caused that and if there are any correlations that we can find.”
The two plan to complete their measurements by the end of the summer, and hope others find value in what’s being done to nurture the park.
“It’s important to learn as much as we can because this is home for a lot of different animals that may not otherwise have any other refuge,” said Galera. “It supports life that we normally wouldn’t see this deep into the city, and it’s exciting to be a part of sustaining that.”
Partners of the Park
This project is made possible through partnerships. UNLV and the Clark County Wetlands Park have been working together since 2015, establishing a long-term network of ecological monitoring locations. These track the health of the ecosystem and the influences of wildfires and habitat restoration actions, such as tree plantings.
“The desired outcomes include an increased understanding of the natural history found within the unique wetlands of Las Vegas,” said Scott Abella, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences. “It supports ongoing stewardship of the habitats responsive to changing environmental conditions.”
Any scientific knowledge gained can aid management actions. For example, wildfires and droughts have continually changed the vegetation of the park, so habitat management frequently has to adapt.
“This project touches nearly all parts of our mission,” said Ben Jurand, environmental specialist at the Clark County Wetlands Park. “Partnering with UNLV is a way for us to continue to get vital information about the effectiveness of our habitat restoration and enhancement activities, while also helping students build field research experience.”
Most of the plants being monitored by Lorenzana and Galera were planted for habitat enhancement, to increase the presence of native plant species. While this can help to reduce fuels that cause wildfires (by having plants in clumps with intervening open spaces), most were not planted in direct response to fire, but rather to limit the proliferation of exotic plants that produce dense, continuous fuels.
“Our primary response after wildfires involves checking disturbed sites for the establishment of invasive species,” said Jurand. “When identified, they’re treated or removed so that native plants can repopulate. This helps many of the burned areas bounce back after a fire, with some of these monitoring projects scaffolding the recovery.”
Park staff intend to establish an adaptive management regimen to both evaluate and make modifications as necessary to achieve its land management goals. And the work of Lorenzana and Galera is moving them closer to the finish line.
“The two students on this project are great examples of locals who have grown up in Las Vegas, and have interest in careers protecting the natural resources and ecology of Southern Nevada,” said Abella. “They’re developing their skills, and will leave a lasting impact on this community far beyond the conclusion of the summer.”
Once the measurements are finished, the students plan to compile the data into a comprehensive spreadsheet for park staff – acting as a stepping stone toward further conservation efforts that they hope last a lifetime.
“The sights, sounds, and smells make being out here incredible,” said Galera. “Doing more research, and being surrounded by nature and its beauty – it’s just so cool.”
“I used to visit a great horned owl that nested here, but his habitat burned down and he’s since gone away,” said Lorenzana. “That sort of acts as motivation, and is why I’m glad we’re doing this: to try and get back to how it was before.”
