New Wildlife Visitor Centers Slated for Southern Nevada

School children, residents and tourists will have two new visitor centers to visit in southern Nevada next year. The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is in the process of refurbishing the Lake Mead Fish Hatchery and in the planning stages of designing and constructing a wildlife interpretive center at Overton Wildlife Management Area.

The Lake Mead Fish Hatchery, located in Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Lakeshore Road just north of Boulder Beach, is nearing completion of a $24 million renovation that will include a new visitor center. Scheduled to open next spring, the visitor center will focus on the history of fish in the Lower Colorado River, and the preservation of native fish species. Raising trout in the desert, agency partnerships, and angling education will also be part of what you can learn at the new visitor center.

“We see this as an opportunity to help visitors understand the role of fisheries at Lake Mead,” said Kay Rohde, National Park Service Chief of Interpretation at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. “We are happy to be a partner, and this visitor center will add to what visitors can see and do here,” she added.

Recently acquired acreage added to the Overton Wildlife Management Area, located 65 miles north of Las Vegas, will be home to NDOW’s newest visitor center. The center, scheduled to open next summer, is currently in the pre-design stages and will interpret the resident and migratory wildlife living in the mosaic of habitats at the management area.

“It’s a chance to get kids out of the city and see wildlife. People don’t realize it’s there and that it’s such a neat place,” said Tommy Ford, Chairman of the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners.

Funding for the projects come from a number of sources. The hatchery refurbishment was funded by federal grants, proceeds from the sale of trout stamps, and state Question 1 bond monies. A partnership with the National Park Service allowed for funding for the exhibits through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The Overton Visitor Center will be funded by Question 1 bond dollars. The bond also purchased the property.

To learn about other NDOW interpretive sites, hatcheries and wildlife management areas, log on to www.ndow.org.