PAHRUMP, NV- Marking over a year of work on the project, CATALYST recently submitted the complete Site Feasibility Study for the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to the US Fish & Wildlife Service. During the course of the project, the CATALYST Design Team studied, made recommendations and created site plans for two locations on the Refuge under consideration for the siting of a new Visitor Center, Administrative Offices and Maintenance Facility. CATALYST also presented case studies, sustainable technologies, and design concepts for the design of these facilities.

  The Biomimicry-based organic design seeks to incorporate successful adaptive strategies found within the local plant and animal communities into the architecture itself. Exploring everything from Green Roofs and Earth-Sheltered, Passive-Annual-Heat-Storage Design to bird-friendly wind turbines and the use of reclaimed water, CATALYST once again demonstrated leadership in sustainable thought.

"Fossil" Waters
The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), is located 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and encompasses over 23,000 acres of spring-fed wetlands and alkaline desert uplands. The Refuge is a major discharge point for a vast underground aquifer system stretching 100 miles to the northeast. Water-bearing strata comes to the surface in more than 30 seeps and springs, providing a rich and complex variety of habitats. Over 10,000 gallons per minute flow year round, most of which comes from seven major springs. The reason for this abundance of water in an otherwise dry and desolate region is the presence of a geological fault. The movement of this particular fault acts as an "underground dam," blocking the flow of water and forcing it to the surface. The water arriving at Ash Meadows is called "fossil" water, because it is believed to have entered the ground water system thousands of years ago.

The refuge was established primarily to conserve the unique and endangered plant and animal species found there. The refuge provides habitat for at least 25 plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world, distinguishing it as having the greatest concentration of endemic species of any local area in the continental United States. Four endangered fish species which are found on the refuge are Devil's Hole Pupfish, Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish, Warm Springs Pupfish, and Ash Meadows Speckled Dace. Devil's Hole pupfish occur naturally only within Devil's Hole. Because of this unique environment, it was one of the first wetlands to be designated a Wetland of International Importance.

For More Information:
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Image Portfolio
Biomimicry Guild

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CATALYST ARCHITECTURE is an award winning, full-service sustainable design firm with offices in Prescott, and Flagstaff Arizona. The firm specializes in master planning, public/tribal, commercial, and custom residential work, with an emphasis on high-performance, resource-efficient design and construction practices.  With both principals Jeffrey L. Zucker and Matthew B. Ackerman LEED accredited, Catalyst is committed to the thoughtful integration of our natural and built environments.