AMARGOSA CONSERVANCY
Working toward a sustainable future for the Amargosa River and Basin through Science, Stewardship, and Advocacy.
From its headwaters north of Beatty, NV, the Amargosa River flows underground in a southerly direction. Near the Dumont Dunes, it makes a big u-turn and heads north into Death Valley National Park, finally terminating in Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the United States.
The river surfaces in a few places, around Beatty and in the Amargosa Canyon south of Tecopa, CA. At times after large rainstorms, the entire course of the river will flow above ground.
The Amargosa River and Basin provide unique desert habitats. The greater ecological setting for the river is the Mojave Desert.
In one of the hottest and driest places anywhere, the river and nearby springs provide islands of water that support a variety of plants and animals. Often these animals are unique to the area – or endemic – meaning they can’t be found anywhere else on earth.
HIGHLIGHTS
Explore
Visit the Amargosa Basin.
From birding to botany,
hiking, and off-highway adventures
Save Ash Meadows from the harms of mining
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is the largest oasis in the Mojave Desert and the beating heart of the Amargosa River watershed. Join us in the fight to save it from the harms of mining on its doorstep!
LATEST NEWS FROM THE BLOG
Threats to Groundwater from Open-pit Mining in the Amargosa
Amargosa toad. US Fish and Wildlife photo. By Patrick Donnelly North Bullfrog Mine is the first of a half dozen or so gold mines which are under exploration or permitting near the Amargosa River in Beatty, Nevada. North Bullfrog is owned by AngloGold Ashanti, one of...
New Board Member: Louise Mathias
Amargosa Conservancy is pleased to introduce you to the newest member of our Board of Directors, Louise Mathias. Louise is a 15-year resident of the Mojave Desert, whose interest in and passion for the delicate ecosystem of the Amargosa Basin began in 2014, when she...
The BLM’s New Public Lands Rule: New or More of the Same?
By John Hiatt In June of this year the Bureau of Land Management’s “Public Lands Rule”, also known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule was finalized, although the procedures and guidance on implementation are still a work in progress. The rule...
