A fish out of water: Rewilding the Pahrump poolfish in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Summary
The Springs Preserve (Preserve) is a 73-ha urban park in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before 1962, three springs flowed into riparian meadows at what is now the Preserve. These springs were once inhabited by the Las Vegas dace (Rhinichthys deaconi), an extinct fish species described from museum specimens in 1984. As part of a 20-year restoration effort, ponds were constructed in the dry Las Vegas Creek bed to rewild the federally endangered Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos), a species considered critically endangered by the IUCN. This endemic fish was extirpated in 1975 from Manse Spring in Pahrump Valley, Nye County, Nevada. Although Manse Spring was lost to groundwater pumping for agriculture, some fish were translocated proactively to establish refugia populations. Recently, two of these refugia were decimated by the illegal introduction of non-native species. The establishment of a population at the Preserve further protects the species from stochastic events that can lead to extinction.
Classifications
Region
Scale of implementation
Ecosystem
Theme
Species Conservation and One Health Interventions
Challenges
Sustainable development goals
Aichi targets
(I)NDC Submission
Challenges
The Pahrump poolfish was endemic to a single spring system in the Mojave Desert. This spring went dry decades ago because of agricultural pumping, but not before the late University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Dr. Jim Deacon rescued and translocated a bucket of Pahrump poolfish. Our solution addresses the limited number of refugia populations in
existence by establishing an additional refugium population in a preserve with a focus on education and conservation. In addition, as a ground-breaking rewilding project, the ecological niche once occupied by the extinct Las Vegas dace is filled by a federally endangered fish in need of additional habitat.
Our focus on education brings awareness about the plight of desert fishes that inhabit isolated spring systems and the devastating impact of non-native species such as mosquitofish,
bullfrogs, and crayfish.
Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of our solution include the federally endangered Pahrump poolfish and guests of the Springs Preserve, either in person or through various media and/or social media outlets, that can learn about the conservation of desert fish.
Building blocks
Comment les blocs constitutifs interagissent-ils entre eux dans la solution?
Each block builds upon the previous one. First, regulatory issues were adressed, then the habitat was created. Once the habitat was established, the endangered Pahrump poolfish were introduced into the ponds. The last step is annual monitoring of population status and continued management of the pond system.
Impacts
Despite the loss of the endemic Las Vegas dace, the Springs Preserve was rewilded with the critically endangered Pahrump poolfish. A self-sustaining population was established in the Preserve refugium ponds in 2018. Fish are once again part of the ecosystem after an absence of approximately 60 years. The rewilding of the Preserve generated a surprising amount of positive local media coverage. This media coverage was leveraged to educate the public about the plight of endangered species and the damage caused by the illegal introduction of non-native species to native fauna.
Pictures
Videos
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