Las Vegas Springs Preserve
The Springs Preserve offers visitors a hands-on approach to understanding the fascinating history and fragile eco-system of the Las Vegas Valley. The Preserve has two main galleries, the ORIGEN Experience and the Desert Living Center. The ORIGEN Experience enables visitors to sense the historic essence of the land. ORIGEN exhibits include a “real” flash flood, a gallery on the cultural history of the area and replicas of an ancestral pueblan village.The Springs Preserve, opened recently by the Las Vegas Valley Water District to commemorate and perpetuate the memory of Las Vegas Springs at The Meadows, and the role water played in developing a desert oasis, is an impressive achievement.
As the site’s owner and steward, the Las Vegas Valley Water District works with the Springs Preserve Foundation to protect the area and create a community gathering place—a gateway through time where people can learn about the valley’s rich history and explore methods to ensure sustainability for our future.
History
The Springs Preserve was developed to create a sense of place, a sense of identity for Las Vegas, said director Francis N. Béland, whose prior gig was designing the Shark Reef aquarium at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino. We’re such a great metropolis now, but we think they grew so fast that the social and cultural fabric for a city of this size is missing. It don’t think it’s missing because people don’t want it or don’t want to invest in it — it’s simply missing because we grew too fast.
The Springs Preserve is the site of a natural oasis. Over 10,000 years ago, springs broke through the desert floor, creating grassy meadows (called las vegas by Spanish explorers). The bubbling springs were a source of water for Native Americans living here thousands of years ago. It also sustained travelers of the Old Spanish Trail & Mormons who came to settle the West. American traveler John C. Fremont camped at the springs in 1844. The springs stopped flowing to the surface in 1962 as the water table dropped as more water was pumped out to meet the demands of a growing population than was being replaced by rainfall & snow melt.
Green building efforts
The Preserve shows people how to live in the desert environment and how to take advantage of what is available. Part of this project showcases a dual use concept. For example, the parking area is actually the roof of the reservoir and the shade structures in various areas are photovoltaic cells used to generate power for the site. The gardens also use a fleet of hydrogen powered utility vehicles. The vehicles are refueled on site by a solar powered hydrogen fueling station.
The preserve itself is free; the galleries cost between $10.95 and $18.95, free for children under 5. Locals receive a discount. Visitors can experience a living bat cave (watch your hair) and enter a simulation of what it would feel like to be in a flash flood. The Desert Living Center (pictured above) offers a look at how it was built, showing careful consideration to making it the most environmentally friendly building in Nevada.
An educational experience
Education about the past is a key component of the Springs Preserve and visitors can expand their knowledge at the Origen Experience. This area was designed to teach visitors about the early inhabitants who made the springs in the Las Vegas Valley their home. There are galleries, a theater, interactive children’s exhibits and much more.
