Volunteers ‘Green-Up’ the Wash

On March 10, under warm, sunny skies, more than 500 Southern Nevada residents planted more than 5,000 shrubs and trees at the Las Vegas Wash Green-Up.

Volunteers at the 11th semi-annual Green-Up event revegetated more than 14 acres adjacent to the Las Vegas Wash. Until slightly more than a year ago, tamarisk—an invasive weed plaguing waterways throughout the western United States—plagued the site. Ongoing efforts to clear tamarisk from the wash are essential to promote establishment of native plant species.

“Reintroduction of native shrubs and trees, in conjunction with the removal of tamarisk, is vital to enhancing the wash’s long-term environmental health,” said Las Vegas Wash Green-Up project coordinator Debbie Van Dooremolen. “Additionally, numerous bird and other animal species call the wash home, so community-based programs such as the Green-Up help assure protection of biodiversity in the wash.”

The Las Vegas Wash Green-Up is only one project in an ongoing program overseen by the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee (LVWCC) to protect and enhance the wash, an environmentally sensitive urban waterway impacted by erosion. In addition to organizing volunteer plantings and removing acres of invasive plants, the coordination committee and its member agencies are armoring the wash’s banks with boulders, building dam-like erosion control structures and conducting extensive wildlife studies. During the past six years, volunteers have planted more than 31,000 trees and shrubs along this vital waterway, restoring approximately 65 total acres of native vegetation.

The Las Vegas Wash, located in southeastern Las Vegas, plays a critical role in Southern Nevada’s watershed, funneling more than 170 million gallons of shallow groundwater, stormwater, urban runoff and highly treated wastewater into Lake Mead each day. It also provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and serves as a recreational area.

Comprised of local, state, and federal agencies, environmental organizations, businesses, and private citizens, the LVWCC was created in 1998 to develop and implement a long-term management plan for the 12-mile channel.  As the LVWCC’s lead agency, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a regional entity comprised of water and wastewater agencies, guides implementation efforts.