Today on Outdoor Nevada, I'm here at the massive Desert National Wildlife Refuge just north of Las Vegas.

Here I'll tour the Visitor Center, head out onto the hiking trails with a new friend, and go out onto the refuge to visit a remote guzzler.

You don't want to miss this adventure.

Come on.

♪♪♪ I'm Connor Fields, and this is Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪ The Desert National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1936 and spans over 1.6 million acres, making it the largest wildlife refuge in the contiguous United States.

Located just north of Las Vegas, the refuge was designed to protect the diverse ecosystems of the Mojave Desert.

First up is a walk along the trails at the Visitor Center.

If you've never been here before, make sure you put it on your list.

This is a great network of connected trails for everyone.

The trails lead you past mature trees, along streams, a pond, a fish habitat, desert landscapes, and amazing views.

Make sure to keep your eyes open for wildlife too.

I wanted to learn more about the trails and the refuge as a whole, so I met up with Kevin and Christa with the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service.

So as we walk through, we are in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, but this doesn't look like a desert to me.

Can you explain a little bit about where we are?

(Christa Weise) Yeah, well, that's a great question and a great point.

So the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is approximately 1.6 million acres total, but this area of Corn Creek here is a very small and very special area within the refuge.

It's the only place in the refuge that has reliable perennial water and actually running above-surface water, and supports this riparian vegetation, these trees.

So it's a little green spot with water availability that's very, very important to a lot of the wildlife: for migratory birds, for bighorn sheep, for other mammals, reptiles, and amphibians as well.

And so you really picked up on something.

A lot of times, we kind of like to say Desert National Wildlife Refuge is two refuges in one.

We have this Corn Creek area that has a lot of history of human use and is very different from the rest of the refuge because of the availability of water.

And so there are natural springs here that have been modified by humans, and this is a very different part of the refuge with, you know, managed trails and with the above-ground water and with a lot of species that we wouldn't find in any other part of the refuge.

And then all the other 1.6 million acres are desert habitat.

They're, you know, from from very low to very high elevation.

There's no other place on the refuge like Corn Creek.

-And what is the source of the water here?

-So the source of the water are multiple springs.

There's a belt of spring mounds along the Corn Creek area, and this is where some of them actually come above ground.

So there are multiple natural springs that feed this little creek here and that even-- not all of them really do pop above ground where the water is visible and available to drink, but a lot of the vegetation and the roots can make use of some of the below-ground water.

The ground water is just very close to the surface in this area.

-Isn't it amazing how just a little bit of water can completely change the landscape?

-Absolutely.

And that's one of the magical things about the desert.

You get this like, really dry, arid and sometimes seemingly lifeless area, and then just a little bit of water, especially reliable water, or seasonal water, can completely change the picture.

-What types of other flora and fauna call the Desert National Wildlife Refuge home?

(Kevin DesRobert) I think in this area of Corn Creek, this is a very important area for a lot of wildlife, supports a tremendous number of species but also migratory birds.

Since this is a green spot in the desert, so to speak, this is a migration stop oversight in the Pacific Flyway.

A lot of birds have moved through here during migration, and there's several species that also nest here and breed here.

-Obviously, with water being the source of life, and you can see, just by where we are, all these trees, I imagine that this area with water has been inhabited for a very long time.

Can you tell me a little about the history of that?

-Yeah.

Prior to settlement, this area and the surrounding desert was inhabited by Nuwu or Newe people, which are the Southern Paiute Chemehuevi people.

And they lived at Corn Creek.

There's a lot of archeological resources that show they spent a lot of time here, but also used, of course, the surrounding mountains.

There's connectivity with the Spring Mountains to our west, which is managed by the Forest Service.

So those tribes are still very active today in helping us protect and steward the refuge.

They helped us design all the interpretative elements in the Visitor Center, similar to Ash Meadows.

And we're working together on a project right here at Corn Creek to also add some additional revegetation, habitat restoration work with them.

So it continues to this day.

And this is a very important area spiritually to the tribes as well.

There's a lot, lot of history here with their culture.

Stories have been told, shared throughout generations, and a lot of really importantly, you know, spiritual places.

So, yeah, it's huge and very important part of our job.

-I'm gonna meet with a friend to do a hike right now, but after that, I would love to get together and learn a little more about the refuge and maybe even go see it myself.

What do you say?

-Great plan.

-Let's go.

-Next up, I'm meeting a new friend.

His name is Donovan.

He started an amazing group called Black People Hike LV.

I can't wait to learn more about the group and him.

(Donovan Childress) Since I live right by Mount Charleston, I go to Mount Charleston all the time.

It's gorgeous scenery.

I love going there, especially during the wintertime.

-Well, if you're into hiking, moving to Vegas isn't a bad place to move to.

There's a lot of hiking around here.

-Right on, yeah.

-I assume you've done a lot of hiking in the Las Vegas area.

What is your favorite hike?

-So my favorite hike is actually Lake Mead.

I feel like Lake Mead is one of the most underrated places of Vegas, and my favorite hiking spot there is called Liberty Bell Arch.

It gets overlooked because of the Arizona Hot Springs, but as soon as you like turn, make a right to it during sunset, it's by far the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen in Vegas.

-I'll have to add that to my list.

-You have to.

It's gorgeous.

-Have you ever done the Raintree hike?

-No, I haven't, but I heard about it.

-That one's my favorite.

-Really?

-You go through different zones and different ecosystems.

It's a bit of a challenge.

You go through some high elevation, but at the end, you get this reward of this 5,000-year-old rain tree.

Incredible.

-That sounds gorgeous.

-What do you say we get out of this sun, take a seat in the shade?

-That sounds good to me.

-I want to learn a little more about your organization.

Tell me a little bit about how it got started.

-Well, it got started in 2021 mainly because I wanted to see more social change with people of color and the outdoors.

I wanted to change that stereotype of-- I feel like in my community, a lot of black Americans will say that it's a white thing.

But I feel like it's an everybody thing, and that's the reason why I really wanted to create it.

-Do you think it's something where getting exposed to it, the same way when you first saw mountains and your interest shifted, that you can now be the influence to expose new people to this?

-Oh, yes.

It is definitely because of exposure.

I feel like in our community it's really hard to get to those places, and there are barriers like paying gas.

So I feel like once you're exposed to that, you want to keep coming back.

And I'm so grateful that I've become a leader in this field.

-So how are things going?

-So in the beginning stages, it was kind of rough.

We only had about four people kind of joined.

But I had a hike with the NAACP and Representative-- Congressman actually, Steven Horsford.

-Wow.

-And after that hike, I feel like just everything changed, and we got momentum.

And you know, coming into the summer of 2023, it has blown up.

I partnered with different organizations across our community, and I really have built a foundation, a coalition of people who are really, really are passionate about the organization.

-How many members would you say you're up to now?

-It's-- you know, and that's the question that I don't know, because we get so many new people that come every time.

Our last hike, we had close to 80 people.

We did a sound bath hike.

So it ranges anywhere between 40 to 80 hikers per hike, and that's different people every time.

-That's incredible.

-Yeah.

-And can anybody join?

-Anybody can join.

Even though it says Black People Hike, we are for anybody to join, any.

We want to promote the people of colors and outdoors.

So anybody can join.

-Any ages, any ethnicities, whoever you want, just come hike?

-Any ages.

Just be aware, like sometimes it might, you know, be too hard, depending on the age group, but anybody can join.

-What does it mean to you to be exposing new people to your passion?

-It means a lot to me.

Like I said, I didn't know that there was a lot of African Americans that were really interested in hiking until I created what I created.

And then when I created it, it was just, I get to connect with, you know, people of color that have the same interests as me, and that means a lot to me.

-If somebody wants to find you and maybe join in on a hike, how would they do that?

-You can find us on Instagram and Facebook page, Black People Hike LV, and also in our bio you can look at our Linktree, where we have all of our hiking signups there as well.

-And on those websites, you're gonna be posting where you're going, where you're meeting, what time, things like that?

-Yes.

Everything's on there, and anybody's welcome.

-How does it feel when you go to these hikes and there's new people every time and you get to see the smile on their faces?

-It brings me so much joy, because I feel like my organization has also become a networking spot where we had-- we have teachers, we have elected officials, we have everybody from various backgrounds come together and network and connect with each other to help each other out and uplift.

That's what makes it happen, and that's what I feel like what this organization is all about.

And then just to see the smile on their faces and people enjoying nature, especially, you know, seeing people of color outside, it's really amazing.

-It must be even more special when they come back, if you know that they had a great time and then they become regulars and they come every couple of weeks.

-Yeah.

So we do have a lot of regulars.

And what I've known is that, you know, word of mouth is really big.

And I'm so grateful for our, I guess, our die hards that come out and show up.

-And what's your dream hike in Nevada?

If you could bring your group and do any hike in the state, what would it be?

-I would love to go to the Rubies.

That's been a dream of mine to go to.

I've heard good things about it.

I watched so much YouTube and shows, and I would love to go to the Rubies.

-They're called the Swiss Alps of Nevada for a reason.

It is absolutely incredible up there.

-I bet it is.

-Donovan, I love what you do.

I appreciate you sitting with me today and telling me about it.

I'm gonna have to join you for a hike.

Maybe one day we'll do the Raintree together.

-Yeah, that sounds good to me.

-Next up, a little road trip.

We're gonna venture out onto the refuge and check out a secluded guzzler.

What's a guzzler?

We're gonna find out together.

But before that, we're gonna learn about the do's and don'ts of traveling on the refuge.

Come on.

♪♪♪ I'm excited to see more of the refuge.

Before we head out, what is important that we need to know?

-So when you head into the back country on Desert Wildlife Refuge, it's very important to know that you're basically driving in permanent conditions.

So all of the roads, back country roads, are rough, gravel roads, rocky roads, so you need a vehicle with good tires, good clearance.

Four-wheel drive is recommended, but not always required.

Make sure you're carrying a lot of water, a gallon of water per day per person, a lot of food, emergency supplies.

Let people know where you're going.

And there's no cell phone service on the refuge, so it's very important to carry a satellite communication device.

That's very helpful.

And just check on the conditions, road conditions as well on the website, the refuge website, to see updates on how things are, because we can be subjected to flash floods during the monsoon season and wintertime, so road conditions can change.

-You also, it's always good to have a paper map with you.

Your phone won't get reception and won't work, also runs out of batteries.

Personally, I really like to have a GPS unit, old style, but they work.

You have spare batteries for them.

And then, of course, the basic emergency supplies, you know, a shovel is good.

In case you need to change a tire, Triple A is not coming out here to change your tire for you.

And I always recommend that people have whatever they need just in case they might end up having to stay the night for help to come and get them.

-You should definitely let somebody know when to expect you back as well.

If for some reason you don't come back, they can look for you.

-Yep, when you're going to be back and where you're going so that somebody knows where to start looking for you.

-Well, I've got my truck.

I've got good tires, four-wheel drive.

I've let people know my plan.

I've got water, I've got sunscreen, I've got my paper map.

I'm ready to hit it.

You guys ready?

-Let's go.

-Sounds good.

-We headed out.

At the Visitor Center, the roads are beautifully paved.

But that quickly changed as we made our way onto the refuge.

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a desert adventurist's paradise.

These roads lead to several different trails.

Understand this: The trails out on the refuge are much, much different than the Visitor Center's.

They range in scope and landscape.

The best thing to do before exploring one of these trails is to do your research and be prepared.

Kevin and Christa were not lying; these roads are pretty rocky and pretty rough.

But the further down we go, the farther we get away from town and the more I really feel like I'm getting to enjoy the refuge.

I was feeling great as we drove further and further out.

Then... the reality of the refuge reared its ugly head with a flat tire, a blowout.

It's the reality of the refuge.

The tire was changed, but now with the spare tire in use, I couldn't go any further in my own vehicle.

I wasn't gonna let a flat tire ruin the fun, so I hopped in with the crew and the adventure continued.

We continued on our way out to the Cabin Springs location.

We finally arrived.

This location was a real challenge to get to, but, wow, it was incredible.

We got there just as the sun was setting, and it was beautiful.

We took a few minutes to take it all in and enjoy the view.

Then it was time to call it a day.

Not gonna lie; I was toast.

It was a long and trying day.

I was exhausted.

The next day, we headed out to an undisclosed location to visit a guzzler.

So I understand that somewhere out in the distance behind us is a guzzler.

Is that correct?

-That's right.

-And how far out is it?

-It's about a mile, the one we're gonna go to today.

-I guess my first question is, what exactly is a guzzler?

-That's a great question.

So a guzzler is a wildlife water, but it's a rainwater collection system.

So it has essentially three parts: An apron that will collect the rainwater when it rains, when we're lucky.

Then it has storage tanks that the water gets funneled into and then sits there and gets stored.

And then it has a trough that allows the water to be accessible for the wildlife to actually get to.

-It sounds like you create your own watering hole.

-That's exactly what it is.

We create a small watering hole in the desert that is hopefully reliable and that the wildlife, especially sheep, can come to when they need it.

And we do also have the ability if it's necessary, if we're in a drought and it doesn't rain enough to keep some level of water in the storage containers, we can do emergency waterfalls that, unfortunately, usually have to happen by helicopter, which is a lot of work and very expensive.

But we can actually drop water and get it into the tanks to make sure that key guzzlers don't go dry in the middle of the summer when the animals need it most.

-Sounds like an amazing system.

I'd love to see it.

What do you say we check it out?

-Yeah, let's go.

-I really didn't know what to expect when we started the hike.

There is no clear trail.

♪♪♪ -After a mile or so, we arrived.

We made it to the location of the guzzler.

So we made it.

This is the guzzler.

I see a few different pieces and parts.

Can you explain to me how exactly this works?

-Yeah, of course.

So first you look up the hill here.

That's the collection apron that collects rainwater.

Or if we have to do an emergency helicopter water haul, we can also drop water with a helicopter on that apron.

Then it gets collected and funneled through the pipes into these five storage tanks.

And then from the storage tanks, there's a self-leveling gravity system that feeds the trough that's right over here.

And so long as the tanks have water, the trough will have water.

As the level lowers here, it will slowly lower in the trough.

And there are no moving parts.

It's all very simple, which actually makes it a better system than our older float valve type system.

-Seems like it just runs off gravity, pretty much.

-Not pretty much, that's exactly it.

Gravity is what drives this whole thing.

-Sometimes simple is better.

-Simple is almost always better.

-What is important for the general public to know when they come out here and come across a guzzler?

-These wildlife waters are for the wildlife and not for people or pets.

And also, with all wildlife waters, you want to camp at least half a mile away.

And that's required to prevent that disturbance so animals can come and get water when needed.

-It sounds like if you come across a guzzler, take a look at it really quick and then get out of here.

-Yes.

If you come across a guzzler or another water source, it's best to just head back out where you came from, or go around it and continue on your way.

-Let wildlife be wild and do its thing.

-Exactly.

-What kind of wildlife uses this guzzler?

-Yeah.

So of course, because Desert was created for the protection of desert bighorn sheep, the primary goal is to provide enough wildlife waters throughout the refuge, especially in the sheep habitat, to support desert bighorn sheep.

However, all of the animals in the desert do need water, almost all of them, and so we also have coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, badgers, small mammals, bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, using these guzzlers, insects as well.

So they are really important and support a lot of life.

But because we primarily manage for desert bighorn sheep here, we do try to position guzzlers every three to four square miles throughout the prime sheep habitat.

You can see up on the hill here, we actually have an old guzzler system just less than half a mile away.

And that one is slowly failing, and that is one of the old systems with the float valve.

So we're not going to repair that or maintain it.

We replaced it with this system.

Once it's filled up and we're sure that the sheep have found it--and we do have a trail camera here to make sure that we can document that--then we can essentially take down the old system and be sure that the sheep have found their new water source.

-Waiting for sheep to tell their friends about this new water source.

-Exactly.

And they do.

-I don't blame them.

There's not much water here, and I'm sure it's a very welcomed sight when they're walking down the mountain.

What does it mean to you to be able to provide water, which essentially is life to a lot of these animals here?

-Well, it's my job, in short, and it's, of course, very important in the face of climate change, in the face of habitat fragmentation and the wildlife having less and less space to live and to be.

It is important that we make sure, also through drought conditions, that there's water available, because animals need a place to be, they need food, and they need water.

And water is the one thing that we can most easily get involved in modifying, and so it is a lot of what we do in order to try and maintain sheep populations on the refuge here.

The bighorn sheep have gone through some pretty bad times on the refuge.

There used to be well over 1,000.

Then there was a crash in the early 1990s.

It's not quite sure-- it's not quite known why that is.

There were a couple of primary potential reasons that included predation by mountain lions, and that also included the potential of disease, specifically pneumonia, which bighorn sheep are very susceptible to.

There was never really data in a study that was done later to support that the predation was leading to the strong decline, but we also weren't able to collect enough data in retrospect on disease factors to know for sure what happened there.

The sheep did start recovering.

The sheep populations came up to over 800, and then, unfortunately, through the severe drought we were in a few years ago, the numbers started declining.

It probably had something to do with the drought as well as disease factors.

But again, in retrospect, it's really difficult to collect that data, and we didn't have enough collard sheep to determine a lot.

We have in the last three years seen the population roughly stabilize, creep up just a little bit.

So we're in the 400s right now.

And in September, we're going to do another sheep survey, and we hope that we bump up just a little bit again.

-I think what you do is amazing.

We are so remote right now.

There's not much water around here, but the way you take the rain water and better use it so that it can be sustainable as a water source to these sheep is incredible.

Thank you for what you do, and thanks for showing me.

-Yeah, you're welcome.

Hope you come back another time, and we'll go somewhere else.

-Thanks for coming, Connor.

♪♪♪ -The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is vast.

It's remote, but it is beautiful.

I am so thankful that I got to spend a little bit of time exploring just a tiny fraction of the area.

It is home to so many diverse flora and fauna, and to learn more about the conservation efforts being done to protect the wildlife here was something I really enjoyed.

I did, unfortunately, though, learn the hard way.

If you're gonna come out here, make sure you're prepared.

And I mean truly prepared.

Till next time, I'm Connor Fields, and this is Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪