Situated on a high plateau where the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Chihuahuan desert come together, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for a diversity of plant and animal life. Established for migratory birds traveling along the Central Flyway, this 8,672 acre refuge is comprised of native grasslands, croplands, marshes, ponds, timbered canyons and streams which provide important habitat for over 254 species of birds. Las Vegas (Spanish for "the meadows") preserves not only wildlife homes, but also a slice of northeastern New Mexico's rich cultural history.