| Colorado
River Nature Center |
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| Colorado River Nature Center is a great place to recreate for those looking to enjoy the long, hot summers, and abundant sunshine on the water. Boating, fishing, picnicking, and wildlife viewing opportunities abound. The lush wetland vegetation provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including waterfowl, resident and migratory birds. |
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| Recreational
Opportunities - Day
Use Only |
 -
Fishing
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Bird-watching
-
Photography
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Hiking
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Boating
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Horseback riding
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Swimming
CAUTION: Seasonal temperatures range from highs of
127°F in the summer and 70°F in the winter to lows of 80°F in summer and 18°F
in winter.
Restrictions:
| a. |
No open fires. |
| b. |
No firewood cutting or gathering. |
| c. |
No overnight public camping. |
| d. |
Motorized vehicle travel permitted on designated roads,
on designated trails, or in designated areas only. |
| e. |
Closed to hunting. |
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| Location |
The Colorado
River Nature Center is located at the southwest
end of Bullhead City, Arizona, next to
the Colorado River. The Arizona Game and
Fish Commission owns 140 acres of Section
10 property located west of State Route
95. The nature center is bordered on the
east side by Bureau of Land Management
lands and on the west side by the Colorado
River. Section 8 serves as the northern
boundary, with the southern boundary consisting
of additional public land.
The property
is within the BLM,
Yuma District, Lake Havasu Resource Area.
The nature center is located in Game Management
Unit 15D.
Directions: Take Route
95 south out of Bullhead
City about seven miles, then turn west on Richardo Avenue.
- View a map of this location |
| |
| Wildlife |
Fish: Carp, channel
catfish, rainbow trout, and striped bass.
Reptiles and amphibians: Red-spotted
toad, Woodhouse's toad, zebra-tailed lizard,
tiger whiptail, western banded gecko, desert
iguana,
common side-bloched lizard, glossy snake, western
diamond-backed rattlesnake, sidewinder rattlesnake,
night snake, common kingsnake, coachwhip, and
gophersnake.
Mammals: Desert pocket
mouse, house mouse, southern grasshopper mouse,
cactus mouse, deer
mouse, Merriam's kangaroo rat, desert woodrat,
raccoon, striped skunk, beaver, coyote, desert
cottontail, black-tailed jackrabbit, and several
bat species.
| Special Status Species - Species
Abstracts | Status
Codes |
| Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Status |
| Birds |
| American peregrine falcon |
Falco peregrinus anatum |
SC, S, WSC |
| Bald eagle |
Haliaeetus lelucocephalus |
LT, S, WSC |
| Yuma clapper rail |
Rallus longirostris yumanensis |
LE, WSC |
| Fish |
| Bonytail chub |
Gila elegans |
LE, WSC |
| Razorback sucker |
Xyrauchen texanus |
LE, S, WSC |
| Reptiles |
| Sonoran desert tortoise |
Gopherus agassizii |
SC, WSC |
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| Area
Description |
The Colorado River Nature Center Wildlife Area lies within the broad Mohave Valley, at an elevation of about 470 feet. The area is characterized by minimal precipitation (four inches, typically occurring during two peak rainy seasons), short mild winters, long hot summers, abundant sunshine, and moderate winds.
Plant Life
The vegetative community within the backwater area is a mix of saltcedar and
screwbean mesquite. Revegetation efforts have begun with the planting of cottonwoods
(Populus fremontii), willows (Salix spp.), mesquites (Prosopis spp.), palo verde
(Parkinsonia spp.), and aquatic grass. Bulrush (Scirpus spp.), cattails (Typha
spp.), and other aquatic plants have invaded the wetland.
Desert riparian habitat consists of:
- Saltcedar (Tamarix sp.)
- Saltbush (Atriplex spp.)
- Arrowweed (Pluchea sericea)
- Screwbean mesquite (Prosopis pubescens)
- Honey mesquite (Prosopis juliflora)
- Bur sage (Ambrosia dumosa) |
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| Management
Objectives and Goals |
| The primary management emphasis for the wildlife area is to provide for riparian/wetland protection and compatible wildlife-oriented recreation. Habitat is provided for diverse wildlife species. The goal is to provide for management of wildlife and public recreation through restoring the historic backwater that occurred in this area. The backwater was lost when the Colorado River was channelized. |
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