Springing back to life

By Phoebe Sweet (contact)

Sunday, June 10, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.

The gentle splash of water flowing over desert rock can be heard again at Las Vegas Springs, now a man-made homage to what was once a natural desert oasis.

Springs Preserve, a $250 million, 180-acre escape with museums, wildlife, botanical gardens and hiking trails located at the site of the now-dry springs, was unveiled Friday.

The springs, which dried up in 1962, were the cradle of valley life and attracted the desert's first tourists - nomadic American Indians, Spanish traders, Mormon missionaries and desert animals.

Today visitors wandering through the man-made canyons of Springs Preserve can hear the recorded keen of coyotes and red hawks that once roamed the area.

Trails lead past the stream that runs through the Preserve to eight acres of botanical gardens, where desert willows grow in dry stream beds, desert cactuses bloom and black-crowned night herons perch on stems of grass. Nearby, purple wildflowers bloom in the shade from solar panels that help power the Preserve's exhibits.

Admission to the gardens and various other attractions is free, but entrance to galleries costs $18.95. The Preserve, funded with help from various corporations, $48 million from public land sales and a $60 million bond initiative passed by voters in 2002, is owned and operated by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Since construction began, more than 200 species of birds and animals have moved to Springs Preserve on their own, a spokeswoman said.

In the museums at the Preserve, interactive exhibits and education stations teach children and adults about what life once was like in the valley, water-smart landscaping, environmentally sensitive life styles , and native animals and plants.

The Origen Experience, with three museum galleries, features live desert animals such as lizards and rabbits and focuses on the valley's history.

Visitors can experience what it's like to survive a flash flood or learn how to cook outdoors like the first humans who settled the valley 5,000 years ago - living in a pit house where the Springs Preserve is located today, hunting small game and drinking spring water. Archaeologists have discovered pottery, seeds and charcoal at the house.

The Desert Living Center, on the other hand, takes a look at Las Vegas' present and how to preserve its future. Exhibits show how trash piles up in landfills, products that are made from recycled materials, new clean car technology and how to shop smart to lessen the effect on nature.

The Preserve also has an open-air 1,800-seat amphitheater with water-saving turf and play areas for children.

This birthplace of Las Vegas, once known as Big Springs , is northeast of Valley View Boulevard near the Southern Nevada Water Authority headquarters.

The springs attracted people long before the Spanish arrived and gave the valley its name, Las Vegas, meaning "The Meadows."

The area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978 as the Big Springs Archaeological Site. Big Springs formed about 1 million years ago when earthquakes formed faults, allowing rain and snow melting in the Spring Mountains to enter the valley's ground water system and emerge through the cracks at the springs.

Today man-made springs flow throughout the Preserve, taking visitors back to the long-ago oasis.

Sun reporter Mary Manning contributed to this report.