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
Executive Director’s Report: Reflections on this Monsoon Season
Rainbow over Ancient Lake Tecopa By Executive Director, Mason Voehl It is truly difficult to articulate just what this monsoon season has been like in the Mojave Desert. The last few years have been rough on the Amargosa Basin and the southwest as a whole. The drought...
CDFW News Release: Endangered Voles Begin To Repopulate In Inyo County, With Help From Scientists, Conservationists And Landowner
photo by Nancy Good "Seven years of carefully planned habitat restoration on private land in the Mojave Desert have yielded hope for the persistence of the endangered Amargosa vole. On Aug. 8, a photograph from a wildlife camera placed by researchers from the...
Mountain snowpack: A lifeline to the Amargosa
By AC Member Laura Dye A considerable body of scientific work highlights how climate change alters our landscapes. And while it is important to note the changes within the bounds of the Amargosa River Basin itself – warming temperatures, shifts in vegetation...
