Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area
Explore the Carson Lake WMA through photos, videos, and interactive maps
About Carson Lake WMA
Conserving Nevada's Wildlife
The Nevada Department of Wildlife owns or has long-term leases on more than 155,000 acres of land incorporated into wildlife management areas (WMAs) across the state of Nevada. The primary conservation goal on WMAs is the protection of wetlands and waterfowl, including the use of WMAs for recreational hunting.
Carson Lake Wildlife Management Area
History
Carson Lake WMA is comprised of 23,040 acres in Churchill County, Nevada and is centered on Carson Lake, which is the natural terminus of the Carson River. Located approximately 8 miles southeast of Fallon, Nevada and 70 miles east of Reno, Nevada. CLWMA and the surrounding basin are remnants of prehistoric Lake Lahontan, which occupied both the Carson Lake and Carson Sink to the north, where Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge is now located. The history of human existence in the Carson Sink dates back more than 7,000 years and includes some of the earliest and most significant archaeological investigations in the Great Basin.
Carson Lake WMA currently presents a variety of uses such as hunting, bird watching, and hiking around the vast landscape. Salt flats, upland shrub communities, irrigated pastures, and wetland meadows provide various wildlife species with a wide array of critical habitat. A single road for public access leads into the property, splitting into three dirt roads that are atop levees or adjacent to irrigation canals, circling the pasture and marsh areas. Many of the roads have been graveled to provide all-weather access. Three observation decks for bird watching are available to the public year-round
Location of Carson Lake WMA
Geographic Description
Located in the Lahontan Valley, at the base of the Carson Sink, south of Fallon, Nevada. (About 76 Miles Southeast of Reno, NV) Once in Fallon, Nevada take US 95 South approximately 8.5 miles. Turn left on Pasture Rd. Follow Pasture Rd for approximately 2.3 miles, its the first right entrance with two open gates.
Virtual Map Tour
Click on any point in the map to learn about the location or select a topic and scroll down to explore the Carson Lake WMA! To view the map legend, click the right hand arrow next to the the display image.
Habitat
Waterbodies
Birds
Fish
Mammals
Reptiles
Public Use
Habitat
Lahontan Valley wetlands consist of fresh and alkaline marshes varying from several inches to 3 feet deep. The wetlands are largely dependent on irrigation return flows. CLP has five habitat types: emergent wetland, open water, mudflats, wet meadow and pasture, and uplands. The types of emergent wetland vegetation are cattails, alkali, and hardstem bulrush. The amount of emergent vegetation varies slightly from year to year in each wetland management unit and is dependent on water quantity and quality. Open water areas, with water in the spring and summer months, will produce dense stands of submergent vegetation. Sage and horned pondweed and widgeon grass are the most common species, with lesser amounts of coontail. While Sago pondweed is found in the fresher water areas, widgeon grass grows under the most saline conditions. 15 Mudflats contain water that is less than 1–2 inches deep, expanding under windy conditions. Mudflats are an important type of vegetation for shorebirds and are in close association with open water habitats. Wet meadow and pasture on Carson Lake set it apart from all other wetlands in the state. The dominant vegetation associated with the area is saltgrass, spike rush, and small amounts of alkali bulrush. Spike rush stands are the most extensive found anywhere in the state and are heavily used by feeding waterfowl. The wet meadow habitat can only be maintained in its current condition by fairly intensive livestock grazing during the growing season. Without livestock grazing, most of these areas would become solid, monolithic stands of cattails. Fewer than 1,300 acres can be classified as uplands, and these are portions of CLP that cannot be irrigated by ditches. The dominant vegetation on the upland areas is tamarisk, greasewood, and saltbrush.
Waterbodies
Big Water, Sprig, Rice, York, Grimes, Sump Unit(s)
Birds
Raptors: Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Short-eared Owl, Western Burrowing Owl, Northern Harrier
Songbirds: Common Yellowthroats, Horned Larks, Marsh Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Non-game: American Avocet, American Bittern, American White Pelican, Black Tern, Greater Sandhill Crane, Least Bittern, Long-billed Curlew, Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Western Sandpiper, Western Snowy Plover, White-faced Ibis, Wilson’s Phalarope
Upland Game: Dove, California Quail, Wild turkey, Occassional Chukar
Waterfowl: Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Wigeon, Redhead, Canvasback, Ringneck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, White-Fronted Goose, Coot, Swan, Wood Duck, Scaup, Goldeneye, Mergansers
Fish
Occassional Carp and Catfish when there's water in the ditches
Mammals
Big Game: Antelope, Mule Deer
Furbearers: Muskrat, Coyote
Reptiles
Zebratail Lizard, Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard, Great Basin Fence Lizard, Northern Sagebrush Lizard, Side-blotched Lizard, Northern Desert Horned Lizard, Western Skink, Great Basin Whiptail, Roucky Mounatin Rubber Boa, Western Yellow-bellied Racer, Red Coachwhip, Mojave Patch-nosed Snake, Great Basin Gopher Snake, California Kingsnake, Wandering Garter Snake, Western Ground Snake, Night Snake, Great Basin Rattlesnake, Bullfrog
Public Use
Hunting blinds, bathrooms, waterfowl observation towers, boat launches, horse corrals
*As of now, campfires are not permitted on Carson Lake WMA
Public Uses
Entry Restrictions and Trespass
Do not drive around seasonally closed gates
Vehicular Travel
Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, it is prohibited, within a wildlife management area, to operate a motor vehicle:
- Off an interior road or trail that is designated for vehicular travel; or
- On an interior road or trail that is marked as closed to vehicular travel. (Refer to NAC 504.115)
Use of Vessels
Any Motorized Boats used for waterfowl hunting i.e. long-tailed motors, airboats, electric motors are permitted.(This may change with future managment plan) Water is not deep enough for most other water related vessel recreation.
Hunting
Hunting is allowed every day for wildlife species upon which there is an established open season.
Special Restrictions
The use of shotguns capable of holding more than three shells is prohibited on all wildlife management areas owned or managed by this State unless the shotgun is plugged with a one-piece filler, incapable of removal without disassembling the gun, so that the total capacity of the shotgun does not exceed three shells. The use or possession of shells for a shotgun containing shot that is toxic or larger than standard-size T is prohibited. (Refer to NAC 504.135)
Printable Map
Want to print a map before your visit? Free to download here: link to PDF document
