Fallon National Wildlife Refuge protects wetland and playa habitat in western Nevada's Carson Sink, at the end of the Carson River in the Lahontan Valley. Established in 1931 as a refuge and breeding ground for birds and other wildlife, it includes more than 15,000 acres of wetlands and dry lakebed. When water flows are high, the river's terminus becomes an important stop for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. In many years, however, river diversions leave too little water for the Carson River to reach the refuge. The area is open year-round but has no visitor facilities, and its primitive roads are generally passable only in dry weather.