Interior Secretary Approves Far-Reaching Lower Colorado River Conservation Plan

United States Department of Interior news release, "Interior Secretary approves far-reaching lower Colorado River conservation plan," December 30, 1963, page 5The Arizona Game and Fish Department will seek to retain in their nearly natural state five or more areas where wildlife abounds. Those areas specifically proposed are: In Mohave County, Mohave Valley and parts of Bill Williams River Canyon (extending into Yuma County); in Yuma County, an area south of Ehrenberg, the proposed Cibola State Game and Fish Refuge, and another refuge at Mittry Lake. Mohave County plans three recreation areas, the first on a 400-acre site along the river three miles below Davis Dam, with a golf course, rodeo grounds, boating marinas, and mooring for up to 400 boats, to be opened after 1965. The other two areas have not been planned in detail. Yuma County will develop four major recreation areas. They are: The lower portion of the Parker Strip, about four square miles, just upstream from the Colorado River Indian Reservation; Martinez Lake-Imperial Dam, approximately 16 square miles, now a part of Imperial National Wildlife Refuge; Laguna Dam-Laguna Mountains, some 10 square miles, taking in the northwest portion of the Laguna Mountains; and Yuma Regional Riverfront Complex, about six square miles of scattered riverside plots extending along 29 miles of shoreline between Yuma and the international boundary. CALIFORNIA The California Divison of Beaches and Parks has selected three major areas to provide a wide variety of public recreation, from water-oriented activities to climbing and camping in desert mountain wilderness areas. These are along the Lower Colorado's west bank. In north-to-south order, they are: Chemehuevi Mountains-Topock Gorge, 23 square miles of wilderness area in San Bernardino County, proposed for development of only primitive camping facilities with access by boat, foot, and horseback trails. The area is about 10 miles downstream form Needles, Calif., and is planned for opening by 1966. Whipple Mountain-Lake Havasu, about 286 square miles in San Bernardino County, planned for desert-mountain and water-oriented recreation. It includes some 20 miles of Lake Havasu frontage, could be opened for limited public use by 1965. Picacho Recreation Area, some 37 square miles in Imperial County. A portion is now opened to the public on a minimum-service basis. The area has eight miles of river frontage. The California Department of Fish and Game proposes to obtain from the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation six areas along the Lower Colorado to administer and manage as State Game and Fish Refuges. The proposed area in Riverside County is at Quien Sabe Point. Those in Imperial County are called California Swamp, Mission Wash, Mohave Lateral, Yuma Island, and Araz Wash. 5Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,355,351 byte