The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge in southwestern Nevada directly east of Death Valley. When I visited in the summer of 2011, there was nobody in the park except for a couple of park rangers who were more than happy to tell me all about the special blue ponds and the rare fish they contained. Ash Meadows is a haven for rare plants and animals. These ponds harbor ancient species of fish such as the rare Amargosa pupfish and form the last remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert.