SPRINGS PRESERVE

Inspire communities to sustain our land and embrace our culture.

The Springs Preserve

• 180 acres of historic land known as the "Big Springs."

• Birthplace of Las Vegas.

• One of the richest and most unique cultural and biological resources in Southern Nevada.

• Unraveling 5,000 years of local history and exploring the possibilities for the future through a series of museums, gardens, trails, restored structures, and more.

Historical Perspective…The Past

• 10,000 years of biological, geological and cultural history.

• Human habitation began 5,000 years ago around the Springs.

• In the 1830’s explorers put the Las Vegas Valley on the map.

• Turn of the 20th century, Las Vegas Land & Water Co. formed.

• May 1905: Land Auction; Dec. 1905: LV & TRR #7.

• 1947 Las Vegas Valley Water District created.

• Las Vegas Springs stopped flowing to the surface in 1962.

• 1978 Springs Preserve listed on National Register for Historic Places.

• In the late 1990’s local citizens and the LVVWD mobilize to protect the Preserve site.

• The Water District authorizes development of of the Springs Preserve in 1997.

Stewart RanchStewart Ranch

Springs Preserve Site Map

Desert Living Center

• LEED Certification: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program. We will achieve platinum certification, LEED’s highest rating.

• Alternative approaches to energy, design, materials, and resources.

• Sustainability Gallery.• Nature Exchange, Library, and Temporary Galleries.• Design Lab, Wet Classroom, and Gardens

Amphitheater.• Meeting rooms, classrooms, and offices.

Sustainable Construction Elements - Inside Out Interpretive

• Straw Bale/Rammed Earth

• Cooling Towers + Roof Lines

• Trestlewood, Glulam & FSC

• Reclaimed Water, Rainwater

Harvesting & Butterfly Roof

• Building Design/Orientation

• Recycled/Reused Materials:

aluminum, plastics, steel,…

• Radiant Floor Heating

ORI•GEN Experience

Springs Preserve Crossroads Commons and

Amphitheater

The Gardens• Explore eight acres of colorful, lush botanical gardens and

beautiful landscapes.

• Learn about water efficient landscape designs.

• Resources: Educational Classes, Dr. GreenThumb, and Ask the Gardener.

• Observe kitchen demonstration classes where you can learn how to grow herbs and use them in food preparation.

• Seven different themed areas, including the Enabling Garden, the Wetlands, Vegetable Garden, Herbs Garden,

Fruit Orchard, the Frame House, and Grasses.

The Cienega and Trails• Cienega wetlands and historic structures recreate the

lives of the valley’s first settlers. • Authentic artifacts, ruins, archaeological digs, ranch

structures and springhouses all tell their part of the story.

• Crossroads Trail: Big Springs where people floated like buoys.

• Exploration Trail: See what John C. Fremont, Mormon missionaries and early Native Americans saw.

• Springs Trail: Take an archaeological journey into the past.

• Cienega: The waters fed the cienega which fed the beautiful, grassy meadows.

• Outdoor Classroom: Another tool to explore our past.

Springs Preserve Trails

• Interpreted and restored

natural habitats and

historical structures

• 2.5 miles of trails

• Shade and teaching

ramadas

Springs Preserve Trails

• Interpreted and restored natural habitats and historical structures.

• Approximately 2.5 miles of trails upon completion.

• Shade and teaching ramadas.