Luci the Pupfish
Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, USFW, Nevada.
Traditional homelands of the Nuwuu and Nuwuvi People
An Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish swimming in limestone-rich warm springs.
Endemic: A species that is geographically restricted to one geographical location and does not occur naturally in any other part of the world.
An oasis in the desert.
A haven for the dusty, thirsty traveler. An image that has played out in mythologies, religions, and stories across the human experience. When you think oasis, you’re most likely picturing palm trees, sand dunes, and a camel or two. We have an African Sahara mental picture to go with the word oasis.
I would like to invite you to expand your definition. Follow me to North America, and into the Mojave Desert. There, along the border of California, hidden among some of the last expanses of open space in the United States, you will find Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Crystal Springs, one of the many warm & hot springs found in Ash Meadows.
Ash Meadows.
This is the largest remaining natural oasis in the Mojave Desert. Replace images of palm trees with leather-leaf ash trees, the namesake of this mystical place. Milkvetch, paintbrush, lady’s tresses, and blazing star flowers color the hills and banks. Pools of warm water dot the landscape, some connected through streams, others stand isolated, as they have for thousands of years. Each one is a vibrant blue, due to the limestone suspended in the water. Pupfish, named for the males’ puppy-like behavior, swim through the bright green algae. Ash Meadows Amargosa, Warm Springs, and Devil’s Hole pupfish can be found here, all three endemic species. In fact, they are three of twenty-seven endemic species here, the largest concentration in the US.
The largest concentration of endemic species in the United States, found in the largest natural oasis in the Mojave Desert. A special place, indeed.
A Place of Creation.
Spiritual Creation.
For the Newe and Nuwuvi (the Shoshone and Southern Paiute) before the arrival of Europeans, Ash Meadows was a place of gathering and reunions. Tribes and families would meet here, a central area to reconnect with family and meet new people. Their story of connection through the land is best heard through their voices. I recommend you take a listen to minutes 8 - 10 of this video to hear tribal members talk about this place.
Physical Creation.
Why are these springs here? And how did these little bluefish end up in these isolated pools? Once, all these isolated waterways and pools, from Death Valley to Mono Lake, were connected by strong streams and rivers. As the climate shifted, these waterways dried up. However, the Amargosa River continued to flow underground, as it does to this day. Faults and fissures in the crust push the water to the surface, forming springs. Here in Ash Meadows, this ancient geological phenomenon is visible on a human scale. Thousands of gallons of water per minute gush up to bring life to the desert landscape. This alkaline (rich with limestone from the minerals in the rock) water shines a brilliant blue, and brings hydration and nutrients with it. Creating the perfect conditions for unique life.
Legal Creation.
An ecosystem is an interconnected and dependent thing. The fate of one is tied to the fate of all. That is what it means to be an ecosystem. To work as a system. A line on a map will not change this fact. Therefore, despite a cave called Devil’s Hole receiving legal protection as part of Death Valey National Monument in 1952, and the Devil’s Hole pupfish, a pupfish endemic to this one cave, being listed as an endangered species in 1967, these amazing little desert fish were rapidly losing habit and numbers in the 1970s. Development was moving in on one of the only sources of water in this desert. To build houses, hotels, streets, and infrastructure, you need water. Drills from a company looking to build a new city pulled gallons out of the ground, and drained the Aquaphor, dropping water levels at Devil’s Hole. This threatened to expose a shelf in the cave, smaller than a tennis court, and critical habitat for the pupfish.
In 1976, thanks to an outpouring of support from people who cared about the area, and the Devil’s Hole pupfish’s status as a federally protected species, a judge ruled to limit the water outtake of existing pumps and prevent new ones from being built. Then, The Nature Conservancy, facilitated a sale between the developers, and the US Fish & Wildlife, creating Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Devil’s Hole Pupfish.
The existence of this tiny little desert fish ensured the protection of so many more. Physically isolated it may be, but its fate is intertwined with that of those around it.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing after 1984. While these pupfish are extraordinary, adapted to survive high salinity, and in water temperatures from 92 to 108 F, they are not invincible. Both physically and genetically isolated, there aren’t any second chances if this species were to disappear. There’s no place to go if the water drops. If the population drops too low, with fewer and fewer individuals participating in breeding, genetic diversity drops, leaving the whole population vulnerable to disease.
This means intensive and hands-on management continues to be needed. Water levels and chemical makeup are continually monitored. Population counts are done, and eggs are even collected by divers and brought to a hatchery, built to mimic the cave’s condition to ensure healthy adults are returned to the pool. Much like the rest of Ash Meadows, humans have returned to being part of the ecosystem here. Despite two separate points in time where this pupfish almost disappeared from the face of the Earth, population levels have gone from a low of 35 to a natural annual fluctuation of 300-900 individuals thanks to human intervention and conservation efforts. This story shows the ways that we are working to balance our impact and our use. Water conservation and water consumption. Our lives & those of our animal and plant neighbors.
“The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again.”
Messengers.
The Neve and Nuwuvi believe Devil’s Hole to be a passageway to the underworld. The pupfish can travel between our world and this other and are therefore seen as messengers from the gods. The National Park Service has received the tribe’s blessing to enter the cave, to protect these blue messengers. The cave is gated off, surrounded by a fence to protect the fragile habitat, but visitors can view the cave from a walkway. This is also to protect curious people who may get lost in the cave. It is of unknown depth. The deepest divers have gone is 500ft. The pupfish seldom go deeper than 70ft, except, of course, to take cover from seismic-caused waves created by earthquakes as far away as Indonesia and Japan.
Luci, the Devil’s Hole Pupfish I adopted from the Visitor Center.
The Continued Fight.
Pupfish (including the AshMeadows Amargosa and Crystal Springs species) are indicator species. Their fate and health is an indicator of the general health of their ecosystem, the Amargosa waterways. They bring messages from this ecosystem and tell us when it is struggling. Conservation management and land protection are ways we can hear this message, and respond to it.
Right now, there is a mining operation submitting permits to drill and bore within 200 ft of the Ash Meadow Boarder. Studies have indicated that this has the potential to impact groundwater flows that sustain significant springs in the northern portion of Ash Meadows. Add your voice to the coalition which includes the local governments, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, nearly two dozen nonprofit organizations, and concerned citizens, and sign the Amargosa Convervancy’s petition #saveashmeadows.
If you live in the desert southwest, I encourage you to read my sources and links at the bottom of this article to learn more about this area and plan a visit. You can even “adopt” a Devil’s Hole pupfish in the visitor center ( I named mine Luci, for Lucifer). Consider donating to local conservation groups. Keep your eye out for public comment periods concerning drilling around the refuge. If you don’t live out here, remember, the pupfish is not the only story of its kind. There are conservation stories across the world, and I am certain there is one close to you. Research conservancies in your area, look up volunteer days with local land management agencies and keep your eye open for the life around you.
See you on the trail.
Sources & Further Reading
US Fish & Wildlife- Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
NPS Death Valley- Devil’s Hole
The Nature Conservancy- Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Sarah, one of the smartest people I know, and a chick who loves fishies.
