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, Spring 2023
Did you miss out on receiving a copy of our Conservancy Connection newsletter in the mail? Not to worry! Our Spring 2023 issue featuring essays, current projects, and photos from the Amargosa Conservancy is now available on our website! Click here: Spring 2023...
Executive Director’s Report: The Ephemerality of Laughter
by Mason Voehl, executive director Where are these men? Asleep beneath their grounds: And strangers, fond as they, their furrows plough. Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs; Who steer the plough, but...
Executive Director’s Report: With a little help from our friends
The story of conservation in the Amargosa Basin has been largely written with the ink of collaboration. Looking back over the 19 year history of our organization, virtually every success we can claim has come from investments in partnerships. When the Amargosa vole...