Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge on the lower

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It preserves habitat for desert

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

, the endangered

southwestern willow flycatcher The willow flycatcher (''Empidonax traillii'') is a small insect-eating, neotropical migrant bird of the tyrant flycatcher family. There are four subspecies of the willow flycatcher currently recognized, all of which breed in North America (inc ...

, and other animals. The refuge protects 30 river miles - of shoreline - from Needles, California, to

Lake Havasu City, Arizona Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. History The community first started as a ...

. One of the last remaining natural stretches of the lower Colorado River flows through the

Topock Gorge Topock Gorge is a mountainous canyon and gorge section of the Colorado River located between Interstate 40 and Lake Havasu. The town of Needles, California, to the northwest, was named for the "needle-like" vertical rock outcroppings. The natu ...

Species

Animal species that inhabit this refuge include peregrine falcon, coyote,

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

desert bighorn sheep The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The ...

greater roadrunner The greater roadrunner (''Geococcyx californianus'') is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The scientific name means "Californian earth-cuckoo". Along w ...

, bobcat, and cougar. Thousands of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s emerge from historic mines and

razorback sucker The razorback sucker (''Xyrauchen texanus'') is a suckerfish found in rivers and lakes in the southwestern United States. It can grow to in length and is recognisable by the keel between its head and dorsal fin. It used to inhabit much of the C ...

s swim in the back of

Beal Lake Beal may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Beal, Northumberland, England *Beal, North Yorkshire, England United States * Beal, California * Beal, Indiana * Beal, Missouri *Beal City, Michigan Other uses * Beal (surname) *Beal Aerospace, a l ...

Support

A large river in a dry, hot land attracts wildlife and people like a powerful magnet. Many thousands of visitors annually flock to the refuge to boat through the Topock Gorge, watch waterbirds in Topock Marsh, or hike to the Havasu Wilderness Area. A

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

membership organization supports and advocates for the refuge. It assists refuge staff with several of the refuge annual events, help to obtain grants to support refuge projects, conducts fund-raising activities to support environmental education programs, and helps the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

operate and maintain the refuge facilities and programs by providing volunteer labor.

Locations

Five Mile Landing

To aid visitors to the Colorado River, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed a private contractor to operate a boat, canoe, campsite, RV site, and a store in the refuge at Five-Mile Landing, a site with boat ramps at Topock Marsh in the northern part of the refuge.

Topock Marsh

The Topock Marsh is one of the larger birding sites found in the Lower

Valley, between Hoover Dam and the

Colorado River Delta The Colorado River Delta is the region where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez) in eastern Mexicali Municipality in the north of the state of Baja California in northwesternmost Mexico. The ...

Catfish Paradise

Catfish Paradise is an area located at the southern end of the Topock Marsh. Many species living in the area include

Bullfrogs ''Bullfrog'' is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species. Examples of bullfrogs include: Frog species America *Helmeted water toad (''Calyptocephalella gayi''), endemic to Chile * American bullfr ...

, Carp, Sunfish, Catfish (Channel), Crappie,

Largemouth Bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

, and

Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

References

External links

*
Friends of the Bill Williams River and Havasu National Wildlife Refuges

{{authority control Lower Colorado River Valley National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona National Wildlife Refuges in California Protected areas of Mohave County, Arizona Protected areas of San Bernardino County, California Protected areas of the Colorado Desert Protected areas of the Mojave Desert Protected areas of the Sonoran Desert Protected areas on the Colorado River Wilderness areas within the Lower Colorado River Valley