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
Hanging in the air: Meditations on an aerial journey over the Amargosa River
By Mason Voehl, Executive Director, Amargosa Conservancy On a clear and windless October morning, I climbed aboard a Cessna 210 plane alongside Tribal and rural community leaders, journalists, land managers, and fellow advocates to experience something...
Pomona College Students Introduced to Conservation in the Amargosa
It's a calm day at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. A class of undergraduates from Pomona College has gathered at the Crystal Springs boardwalk to hear hydrologist Andy Zdon introduce his tour of the hydrogeology of the Amargosa River Watershed. Zdon has been...
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...
