Mohave Valley Conservation Area (MVCA) is a habitat restoration site created for the benefit of threatened and endangered species, specifically endangered native fish like the flannelmouth sucker and the razorback sucker. The primary purposes of this site are fisheries habitat establishment and maintenance. The conservation area will encompass nearly 90 acres of Colorado River historic floodplain.

MVCA is located within Moabi Regional Park, California, which is owned by the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), and leased to San Bernardino County. Pirate Cove, a concessionaire of the County, operates a resort within the park boundary. Reclamation entered into a lease agreement with CSLC for a 149 acre parcel to establish the MVCA. Once completed, the lease agreement between Reclamation and CSLC will be revised to remove the fill area.

Construction began in January 2017, and is currently ongoing. Once completed, MVCA will consist of 50 acres of connected backwater that diverts water off the main stem of the Colorado River just below River Mile 237, enter the existing Park Moabi channel, and converge with the river two miles downstream from the new point of diversion. The footprint of this conservation area is projected at a minimum 50 acres of backwater habitat with native land cover of marsh lining the banks, and cottonwood-willow and mesquite accounting for an additional 40 acres along the upland slopes. Actual acreages by land cover type will be recalculated after construction and planting are complete.

This conservation area will be open to the public to enjoy wakeless outdoor recreation activities such as wildlife watching, fishing, paddle boarding, and kayaking. Fishing will be permitted, and will be subject to all applicable fishing regulations.

A fact sheet for this Conservation Area can be found here. Technical Reports for this Conservation Area can be found here.

Updated January 7, 2020

Mohave Valley Conservation Area (MVCA) is located in Reach 3, within Park Moabi Regional Park, California. It is within the historic floodplain of the lower Colorado River (LCR) and adjacent to River Miles 237-238 on the California side. MVCA is 13 miles south of Needles, California, and 30 miles north of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

For specific information on the Conservation Area, please contact Terry Murphy, Restoration Group Manager, at (702) 293-8140 or via email at tmurphy@usbr.gov.

The image below shows a close up of the conservation area.

Each Conservation Area targets certain LCR MSCP covered and evaluation species habitats. Below, on the left, is a list of the LCR MSCP species in which habitat will be targeted for creation for this particular conservation area. To the right is a list of LCR MSCP species that, through monitoring, have been found utilizing the conservation area.

Bird Monitoring

Monitoring has not begun at Mohave Valley Conservation Area. Monitoring of LCR MSCP marsh bird species will begin once marsh is developed enough to provide habitat.

Acreage Map

This map shows the acreage for this area. You can click on the map for a larger view.