Letter seeks to block mining near environmentally sensitive Ash Meadows, west of Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Mining activities pose an immediate threat to groundwater and critical wildlife habitat at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, according to a letter signed by Nevada's U.S. senators and Democrats in Congress.

The letter urges the U.S. Department of the Interior to protect the area by prohibiting mining on federal public lands in the Amargosa River watershed. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led the effort, with additional signatures from U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), as well as U.S. Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Susie Lee.

"The ecosystem at Ash Meadows NWR is entirely dependent on groundwater. Recent proposals for exploratory mineral drilling and extraction near the Refuge boundary pose an immediate threat to the integrity of this fragile ecosystem," according to the letter.