Changes in Large And Medium-Sized Mammals Associated with Riparian Revegetation Activities along The Las Vegas Wash, Nevada
Jason Eckberg1* and Julia Lantow1
1 Southern Nevada Water Authority, Las Vegas, NV, USA; jason.eckberg@snwa.com, julia.lantow@snwa.com
Over the past 20 years, restoration efforts along the Las Vegas Wash have resulted in significant habitat changes. Over 500 acres of wetland, upland, and riparian habitat has been restored along seven miles of this urban waterway. The Las Vegas Wash Wildlife Management Plan was created in 2008, established management objectives and laid out additional baseline monitoring of wildlife in this changing environment. From 2009 to 2011, the first iteration of a large and medium-sized mammal study was conducted using motion-triggered camera traps. This study recorded eight target species including three species not seen in the subject area since the early 1970s; striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), Western spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis), and ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus) and recommended that future work focus on riparian habitat where these were all found. The second iteration of the study ran from 2018 through 2019 and recorded eight target species, all in restored riparian habitats. Five of the eight species recorded in the previous study were identified again with the two skunks and ring-tailed cat not being among them. Three new species were identified in this second iteration; gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and black rat (Rattus rattus). The results exemplify the ever-changing habitat and associated wildlife along the Las Vegas Wash as restoration efforts are implemented and riparian vegetation matures.