As a riparian corridor in an urban area, the Las Vegas Wash is an important ecological resource for Southern Nevada. The Wash provides habitat to about 300 fish and wildlife species and more than 200 species of upland, riparian and wetland plants, and serves as a source of return flow credits to the Colorado River

Desert cottontail

at Lake Mead. Protecting this valuable water resource has become a priority for the community, and the formation of the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee (Coordination Committee) has provided the tool for the restoration and enhancement process. The Coordination Committee identified 44 recommendations and three key initial steps to guide the activities. The key initial steps and each of the recommendations is described in detail in the Comprehensive Adaptive Management Plan. The key initial steps are stabilizing the Wash channel, creating wetlands and establishing an organization structure to carry out the recommendations. This section discusses these initial steps and many of the recommendations that are well under way.