The Red Rock Desert Learning Center, originally called the Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse and Burro Facility, was funded through the 1998 Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which authorized the Secretary of the Interior to dispose of federally owned land within a specified boundary around Las Vegas, with the proceeds to be used, in part, to complete capital improvement projects in surrounding conservation areas and recreational areas.

The intent of the Desert Learning Center was for students, teachers, and researchers to gain an appreciation of desert ecosystems and to begin to apply and connect their knowledge to world ecological systems.