The Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office was established in 1995 primarily to work on recovery and regulatory issues related to the Mojave population of the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), and to help with efforts to conserve native desert fishes in southern Nevada.

About Us

Our office is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, within the Mojave Desert. The map below depicts our office's coverage area. Nevada is home to more endangered endemic fishes than anywhere else in the country, as isolated aquatic systems across this driest state have allowed for genetic changes that can generate new forms. View locations of desert fishes found within our office's coverage area.

What We Do

The Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office partners with federal and state agencies, conservation organizations, and private citizens to recover federally listed species designated under the Endangered Species Act.

Our Organization

Mojave Desert Tortoise facing out of burrow
The Desert Tortoise Recovery Office works to provide effective and coordinated recovery, research, and monitoring activities for the Mojave desert tortoise; provide a sound and defensible scientific basis for decision-making; assess the benefits of recovery actions; provide information and...
A large bird with brown feathers, white head, and yellow beak flies against a pale blue sky
The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds,...
A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Condor soars over mountain ridge.
We work with partners to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, developing and maintaining conservation programs for these species to improve their status to the point that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary for survival. This...
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...

Our Species

The Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office works with many partners on recovery efforts for 28 threatened and endangered species, including amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, plants and reptiles.

Small silver-colored fish in water

White River spinedace are endemic to the White River system in Nye and White Pine Counties, Nevada.  The White River spinedace is a member of the cyprinid tribe Plagopterini known only from the lower Colorado River Basin.  The Plagopterini tribe of cyprinid fishes includes the...

FWS Focus
Small fish in water

The Virgin River chub is a silvery, medium-sized minnow that averages about 20 centimeters (cm) or 8 inches in total length, but can grow to a length of 45 cm (18 inches). The Virgin River chub can be distinguished from G. robusta by the number of rays (9 to 10) in the dorsal, anal, and pelvic...

FWS Focus
Ute ladies'-tresses plant with white flowers in a grassy environment

Ute ladies'-tresses is a perennial herb with erect, glandular-pubescent stems 12-60 cm tall arising from tuberous-thickened roots. Basal leaves are narrowly linear, up to 1 cm wide and 28 cm long, and persist at the time of flowering. Leaves become progressively smaller up the stem and are...

FWS Focus
Desert Tortoise walking in the desert

The Mojave desert tortoise is a large, herbivorous (plant-eating) reptile that occurs in the Mojave Desert north and west of the Colorado River in southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, southeastern California, and northwestern Arizona in the United States. The desert tortoise is one of most...

FWS Focus

Location and Contact Information