Wilderness Designation At
Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Desert National Wildlife Refuge, NV | J. Contois / USFWS
Endangered Desert tortoise | USFWS
The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is the largest national wildlife refuge in the Lower 48 states, and home to at least 900 plant and animal species. Within its borders are important wildlife like the Desert bighorn sheep and the endangered Desert tortoise. The national wildlife refuge is enjoyed by recreational campers, wildlife watchers, hikers, 4x4 enthusiasts, and conservationists. In addition to environmental value, the Desert NWR houses more than 450 historic tribal sites and numerous other sacred areas. Protections of these lands are important not only to the wildlife species that thrive in this remote desert wilderness but also as the traditional homeland of the tribes such as the Newe (Western Shoshone), Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute)- Las Vegas and Moapa bands, and Nuwuwu (Chemehuevi).
Since the 1940s, the Desert NWR has been used by the U.S. Air Force as part of the Nevada Test and Training Range and Nellis Air Force Base. While the Air Force overlay started off as a small area, Air Force presence has increased dramatically over nearly 80 to encompass more than half the Desert NWR. The western 850,000 acres of Desert NWR are closed to visitors and see regular fly-overs from fighter jets. It is not unusual to hear bombing from the other side of the mountain range.
Even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which ostensibly retains primary jurisdiction over all but 112,000 acres of the Desert NWR, is not allowed on the western half except for roughly two weeks a year, and it is unclear how much damage is being done by the military presence.
In the 1970s, 1.3 of the 1.6 million acres of the Desert NWR were proposed as wilderness by the USFWS, and those acres have since been managed as wilderness. Creating permanent legislative wilderness designation for this acreage is a top priority for the National Wildlife Refuge Association as it would ensure long-term protection for the Desert NWR and remove the back-and-forth that occurs every twenty years when the withdrawal language is reviewed by Congress.
The Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act
Desert bighorn sheep rams running | USFWS
The proposed bill to make the wilderness designation for Desert NWR permanent is S.567, The Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, and was introduced in March 2021 by Senator Cortez-Masto (D-NV). This bill is an enormous package of public lands bills, and one of the pieces included was the Desert NWR wilderness designation.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association is very supportive of the Desert NWR wilderness designation and encourages its passage into law.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association strongly believes the Desert National Wildlife Refuge deserves to be permanently protected and will continue to push members of Congress to support this key bill. Without it, we risk losing the “proposed” wilderness designation each decade, which is uncertainty that the Desert National Wildlife Refuge cannot afford.
Other Resources
News
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced a bill that would designate 1.3 million acres of wilderness in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Located just outside the city limits of Las Vegas, the Desert NWR protects 1.6 million acres of the largest contiguous Desert bighorn sheep habitat in the Lower 48. This refuge is also home to the threatened Desert tortoise.