The Springs Preserve was once home to several springs that combined to form the historic Las Vegas Creek, which supplied water to ancient Native Americans, early explorers, and pioneers. The water sustained lush and diverse vegetation consisting of grassy meadows and thickets of mesquites and willows that harbored a diverse array of wildlife.

By the early 1960s, the springs stopped flowing to the surface and much of the nearby vegetation died. The loss of water also led to the demise of the Las Vegas dace and the Vegas Valley leopard frog. In addition, human-caused disturbances including roads, utility corridors, dumping sites, and water distribution facilities also impacted the 180-acres we now call the Springs Preserve.

Habitat restoration efforts at the Preserve began in 2000 and have involved cleanup, importing topsoil, recontouring land surfaces, propagating and planting native plants, seeding and irrigating.

In addition, animal rewilding efforts have been underway since 2015, with the creation of a 15-acre habitat for federally threatened desert tortoises, including the charismatic and iconic Mojave Max. Tortoises are "ecosystem engineers" that dig burrows, which are shared with all manner of invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and even some bird species during the heat of the summer. This means that the tortoises are also a keystone species, which are animals that have a large effect on the ecosystem and the other species they share it with.

In 2018, the federally endangered Pahrump poolfish and state-protected relict leopard frogs were released into refugium ponds at the Preserve, created in the north fork of the historic Las Vegas Creek. In addition, hundreds of tadpoles were moved from the refugium ponds to the Cienega in 2021 and 2022, leading to the establishment of another relict leopard frog population in the much larger Cienega by 2023.

Visitors to the Springs Preserve can access the north fork refugium ponds by taking the trails to Cottonwood Grove. But be patient, as these tiny residents can be hard to detect. Relict leopard frogs and Pahrump poolfish are most active from May to September and are well camouflaged within their surroundings.

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