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Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Beyond the bright lights Less than an hour from the Vegas strip, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest, most pristine pieces of desert remaining in the U.S. Above, Ashley Lee, outreach coordinator for REI in Las Vegas, takes a solitary path on a sand dune on the 1.6 million acre refuge. Credit: Meghan Snow/USFWS   Away from the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, Desert National Wildlife Refuge provides a true wilderness experience By Meghan Snow October 6, 2017 The bright lights and flashing billboards faded into a warm, orange glow as I headed north on US-95 out of Las Vegas and into Nevada's desert. While many tourists come to the city to experience its casinos and lavish hotels, the goal of my trip was to leave that world behind, trading wild nights for complete wilderness. Less than an hour from the Vegas strip is one of the largest, most pristine pieces of desert remaining in the U.S. Desert National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 at 1.6 million acres—twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. Continue to full story...      Interview with a hunter Waterfowl hunting season has begun in southern Nevada, including on many National Wildlife Refuges. Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge manager Rob Vinson sat down to discuss hunting on refuges and why it is essential for preserving wild lands. Above, ducks fly off over a lake on Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Tim Parker/USFWS   A conversation with Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge manager Rob Vinson on why hunting is essential for preserving wild lands By Barbara Michel October 11, 2017 Fall is here and hunters are combing the marshes and meadows of Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, located 80 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Visitor services specialist Barbara Michel sat down for a conversation about hunting with the refuge's manager, Rob Vinson, an avid hunter and passionate conservationist, to discuss why hunting is essential for preserving wild lands. Continue to full story...   An unexpected 'moo' An unexpected sight in most regional parks, cattle grazing is a natural activity on 1,600-acre Santa Teresa Park in Santa Clara, California. The cattle are a part of conservation efforts to rid the park of non-native grasses and restore its threatened butterfly habitat. Credit: Byrhonda Lyons/USFWS   Cattle grazing helps restore threatened butterfly habitat in Bay Area By Byrhonda Lyons October 13, 2017 When people escape San Jose for a 10 mile trip south of the city to Santa Teresa County Park, they expect to see spectacular views, nature and wildlife. What they don't anticipate is coming close to thousand-pound animals that 'moo.' But that's exactly what happens when they visit the park nowadays. Cattle are a part of conservation efforts to rid the park of non-native grasses and restore its threatened butterfly habitat. Santa Teresa Park covers more than 1,600 acres in Santa Clara County, and many of those acres are filled with native grasses that thrive in serpentine soils. The thin rocky soils are comprised of decayed minerals that don't have many nutrients, but years of pollution from nearby cities has changed the soil and serpentine grasses. Continue to full story...   Featured Video... VIDEO: 'A Creek Once More' The story of how a backhoe in a cattle pasture may change a region nearly three times the size of Connecticut.   Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825