AZ-Cibola+National+Wildlife+Refuge--Hart+Mine+Marsh

Also, see Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
 * =Birding in Arizona=

La Paz County
=Cibola National Wildlife Refuge= =Hart Mine Marsh= Cibola, Arizona 85328 Hart Mine Marsh webpage Hart Mine Marsh fact sheet and map Cibola National Wildlife Refuge website Cibola National Wildlife Refuge map

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Cibola NWR--Hart Mine Marsh
Coordinates: 33.2811926, -114.666152 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Hart Mine Marsh
Located on the southern end of Cibola National Wildlife Refuge about 20 miles south of Blythe, California, Hart Mine Marsh was initially created by historic overbank flood flows from the Colorado River. With changes in the river system, including water operations and management, the dynamic processes that once maintained this marsh have been all but removed. Hart Mine Marsh has instead been managed by using drainage waters from the refuge’s agricultural fields. Until recently, the marsh had no outlet, resulting in poor water quality and highly saline areas mostly dominated by invasive saltcedar.

By enhancing the ability to manage water on the site and by maintaining water levels and providing appropriate vegetation, suitable habitat for marsh species could be created in this location. So the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a long-term agreement under the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program to reconstruct the area. The result will be a mosaic of marsh vegetation and open water.

After restoration, approximately 255 acres of open water and marsh have returned to Hart Mine Marsh. This was accomplished by removing nonnative vegetation and excavating and re-grading to provide areas for emergent marsh vegetation and permanent open water. In addition, water management was improved by adding a series of gated control structures, including outlet structures to allow for flexibility in water control on the site.

The work was completed in phases over 3 years and completed in 2011. The resulting marsh is providing habitat for a number of resident and migrating bird species including the Yuma clapper rail and the least bittern. In 2012, Hart Mine Marsh was awarded the U.S. Department of the Interior Partners in Conservation Award. From Hart Mine Marsh webpage

About Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge encompasses both the historic Colorado River channel, as well as a channelized portion constructed in the late 1960's. Along with these main water bodies, several important backwaters are home to many species of wildlife that reside in this portion of the Sonoran Desert. Because of the river's life sustaining water, wildlife thrives in this environment where temperatures reach 120 degrees in the summer and the average rainfall is two inches per year.

The lower Colorado River habitat is especially important for native fish like the razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and desert pupfish. Many of these native species have been displaced by exotic species of fish, making the refuge’s backwaters and lakes especially important. The refuge manages the native fish populations to ensure they successfully breed and prosper in Cibola Lake and the river.

The greenbelt of the Colorado River serves as an important migratory corridor for a host of birds making their thousand-mile journey through this area. Here, western and Clark's grebe chicks ride the backs of their parents as they cruise along a shoreline under the branches of cottonwood and willow trees, rookeries for great blue herons and egrets. The tall trees offer colorful migratory songbirds like the vermillion flycatcher a place to perch and watch for an insect meal. Ground dwelling birds like Gamble’s quail and roadrunners dart between river vegetation looking for cover from overhead predators in search of prey, specifically golden eagles and peregrine falcons. Elsewhere on the refuge, moist soil units and wildlife crops offer nutrient-rich tubers, grains and seedlings, important sources of winter food for Canada and snow geese. From Cibola National Wildlife Refuge website



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media type="custom" key="29254511" || L1148834 US US-AZ US-AZ-012 33.2811926 -114.666152 Cibola NWR--Hart Mine Marsh