Overview

The Corn Creek Refugium, literally "A Refuge for a Fish," is a large, 2-tank aquarium built to save the Pahrump Poolfish (Empetrichthys latos latos) from extinction. These fish originally lived in Manse Spring near Pahrump. Pumping of ground water for agriculture and domestic use exceeded sustainable rates, and the water table in Pahrump declined, eventually to the point where Manse Spring was in danger of going dry. Concerned humans saved the last 29 fish. The descendants of those fish now live in the refugium here and a couple of other places around Nevada, including at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

There are 8 windows into the aquarium, but it can be hard to see the 2- to 3-inch-long fish. Sunny days during summer when sun shines straight down into the tanks is the best time to look for them. It is always fun to see these little creatures swimming around doing what fish do and thinking about how thoughtless humans almost drove them to extinction, but that a few caring individuals saved them at the last minute. Small actions by a few people can make a difference in the world, but it take all of us to sustain the effort.