AMARGOSA CONSERVANCY
Working toward a sustainable future for the Amargosa River and Basin through Science, Stewardship, and Education.
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,
walking to off-highway vehicles
there is much to see and do
Amargosa Vole
This small, endangered rodent won our hearts
We work hard to help restore their
habitat and increase their population.
Read more on the Vole page.
Who We Are
Protecting the wilds, waters,
and communities of the Amargosa Basin
and Eastern Mojave.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE BLOG
Conservancy Connection, Summer 2022
Did you miss out on receiving a copy of our Conservancy Connection newsletter in the mail? Not to worry! Our Summer 2022 issue featuring essays, current projects, and photos from the Amargosa Conservancy is now available on our website! Click here: AC Conservation...
Fishes of the Amargosa Basin
By Patrick Donnelly Vice President, Amargosa Conservancy Great Basin Director, Center for Biological Diversity Before the Amargosa Basin was the hottest, driest place in North America, it was relatively moist. Abundant precipitation during the Pleistocene (as recently...
Warm Weather Hiking: When to go, what to bring
Temperatures are on the rise in the Amargosa Basin, which means it's a good time to reevaluate your approach to warm weather hiking. First, to be completely clear: May, June, July and August tend to be extreme in the Amargosa Basin. Temperatures regularly exceed 115...
