AVI KWA AME NATIONAL MONUMENT
2025 SPRING BIOBLITZ

Click below to view each day’s event page & schedule.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • WHAT IS THIS?

    The Avi Kwa Ame 2025 bioblitz is a celebration of biodiversity. Scientists, naturalists, students, culture keepers and community members will join together to explore nature and take a snapshot of the diversity of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, finding and identifying as many species as possible over a short period of time. Participants will learn new techniques for observing and collecting data about plants and animals, and help biologists answer questions about specific species. We will be identifying species and recording our observations with the iNaturalist app, which will make them available for the public and researchers to utilize in the future.

  • »CLICK HERE« to visit the iNaturalist Bioblitz how-to page.

  • The highlight of our Spring bioblitz is our April 25-27 weekend, filled with events open to the public and ways to learn about and explore the monument. However, the bioblitz actually lasts for all of Spring, beginning on March 20th and continuing until the first day of summer, June 20th. Participants can record species in the monument using the iNaturalist app anytime during this timeframe, so once you know how to make observations in iNaturalist, you can come back and continue to explore and share your findings.

  • Avi Kwa Ame National Monument was designated by President Joseph R. Biden on the Spring Equinox in 2023, so this 2025 bioblitz event is the perfect way to celebrate the second anniversary of the area’s protection as a national monument. This landscape was protected to ensure that it remains healthy for its plant and animal residents, and for future generations of people to enjoy. So let’s come together, and get out there and look around – who knows what we will find?

    • Friends of Avi Kwa Ame will have snacks and drinks available by donation at Walking Box Ranch.

    • Friday night dinner at Walking Box - bring your own or a dish to share with others.

    • Saturday night dinner at Walking Box - bring your own or order a catered box BBQ meal (details to come).

    • Nearby restaurants in Searchlight include McDonalds, Denny’s & Terrible’s Bar.

    • Convenience stores are located in Searchlight, CalNevAri, Cottonwood Cove & Palm Gardens

    • Nipton no longer has a store or restaurant but the Habberdashery Thrift Shop has snacks.

    • Cottonwood Cove Cafe @ Lake Mead National Recreation Area is open Saturday and Sunday from 8AM-3PM

    • Water - Please bring plenty of water for your stay and excursions. Walking Box Ranch does not have potable running water. Friends of Avi Kwa Ame will have bottled water available.

    • Water bottle

    • Snacks & meals

    • Sturdy, close-toed shoes with thick soles

    • Sunhat

    • Sunscreen

    • Clothing layers

    • Hand sanitizer

    • Phone charger

    • SEARCHLIGHT - El Rey and BV Motels, Cree’s Mobile Home Park overnight RV stays

    • CALNEVARI - Blue Sky Motel & RV Park

    • COTTONWOOD COVE - Camground, RV Park, Resort Motel

    • PRIMM, NV - Various hotels

    • Additional lodging can be found in Boulder City and Laughlin. There is no lodging or services in Nipton.

  • Primitive camping is available throughout the monument - no facilities are available. Check fire restrictions here before the event and remember to pack it in, pack it out.

  • Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is higher in elevation than the Las Vegas Valley, and temperatures range from 10 degrees hotter to 10 degrees cooler than Vegas. In the evenings it can become suddenly cool, even on warm days. Prepare for sun and wind exposure and sudden temperature changes.

  • Cell service varies throughout the monument area. Expect that some areas will have no service. It is recommended that you turn your phone to airplane mode when not in use to save your battery life. 

  • Select your shoes and clothing with the following things in mind:

    • sun exposure

    • bitey animals

    • pokey plants (cholla cactus needles are merciless and will find their way through the soles of your shoes if your footwear isn’t substantial enough)

    • sudden temperature changes

    • Fill up your gas tank - group monument excursions will include carpooling and caravanning.

    • Check your spare tire.

    • It’s snake season. Don’t put your hands or feet anywhere you can’t visually see first.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS & SUPPORT

The Avi Kwa Ame Spring bioblitz is being hosted by Friends of Avi Kwa Ame and the Great Basin Bird Observatory, with additional support from Red Rock Audubon, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, Nevada Site Stewardship Program, the Mystery Ranch, Equinox Castle Mountain Mine, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, the San Manuel Tribe of Mission Indians, and more!

We welcome donations to help us make the bioblitz a success! Please consider making a donation to Friends of Avi Kwa Ame here.