Plan moves forward for giant desert refuge

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A plan to combine four wildlife refuges in Nevada into a single Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex is close to final approval, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement last week, the Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday. The complex has two more phases of federal permitting before it becomes a reality.

The complex would include 1.6 million acres in southeastern Nevada from Las Vegas to the middle of Lincoln County. The refuges involved are the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, north of Las Vegas; Ash Meadows, 90 miles northwest of the gambling resort; Moapa Valley in northeast Clark County; and Pahranagat in Lincoln County.

The plan includes more aggressive habitat restoration and invasive species control and better facilities for visitor education, the report said.