A special piece of Arizona's natural environment is being protected and restored at the Hassayampa River Preserve near Wickenburg. For most of its 100-mile course through the desert, the Hassayampa River flows only underground. But within the preserve its crystal clear waters emerge, flowing above ground throughout the year. The lush streamside habitat of the Hassayampa is home to some of the desert's most spectacular wildlife. Yet many of them have become dangerously imperiled as riparian areas have disappeared from the Arizona landscape. Spring-fed Palm Lake is a unique four-acre pond and marsh habitat. The marshy pond habitat attracts an impressive array of water birds such as the great blue heron, white-faced ibis, and pied-billed grebe. The large willows around the lake provide important nesting habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher.