Blue Diamond Hill, a 4,931-foot mountain west of Las Vegas on the edge of the Red Rock Canyon area, is significant for both mining history and rare desert plant life. The Blue Diamond Mine opened there in 1925, linking the hill to regional gypsum mining. Botanically, it supports 25 of Nevada’s 45 cactus species, including the Blue Diamond cholla, a critically endangered and fully protected plant that became the focus of conservation efforts. The hill has also been the site of major land-use conflicts, as proposals for a hydroelectric plant and later large housing developments drew opposition over scenic, environmental, and habitat concerns.